The prestigious Guldspaden awards for investigative journalism were presented during a ceremony in Kristianstad on March 28, 2026, honoring multiple Swedish media outlets for their groundbreaking reporting. Göteborgs-Posten reporters Michael Verdicchio and Anna Ekström received the award for their investigation titled "Maktens chattar," which exposed political scandals behind the scenes in Alingsås municipality. According to their report, the investigation revealed how three top politicians in Alingsås circumvented democratic processes by making power arrangements in secret chat rooms, operating behind the backs of both voters and colleagues.
Separately, SVT reporters Kristina Lagerström and Johan Zachrisson also won a Guldspade in the "termedia riks" category for their investigation into how AP funds invested in Northvolt, resulting in the loss of six billion pension kronor. Their reporting exposed how the pension funds circumvented prohibitions against direct investments in non-listed companies through a corporate structure with no employees, managed by officials from the AP funds themselves.
The Guldspaden awards are distributed by Föreningen Grävande Journalister (FGJ) to journalists in Swedish media who, through "engaged and knowledgeable journalism, have revealed or depicted significant circumstances that the public previously did not know about." Approximately 200 submissions were reportedly entered for consideration this year.