News in Digest: We’ll take the moral high ground

Eurovision fans left to conclude that juries are force-fed magic mushrooms

The biggest question doing the rounds in Eurovision circles isn’t about cultural appropriation. No, we’ll leave that to Anti-Semites and bad losers the world over.

It’s who on earth makes up these juries, because the gulf between their scores and those of the public couldn’t be wider on Saturday night, and Denmark was among the countries to lose out.

Hopeless Hilda
Who remembers Hopeless Hilda? In 2016, the Danish jury member put her selections in completely the wrong order, thus giving her least favourite song top marks.

But even worse was the realisation that she designated the eventual winner as her second worse entry. It suggests judges like Hilda Heick are not being objective and appraising the song on its musical merits alone.

Incidentally, had she not made her mistake, Ukraine’s winning margin would have been reduced from 23 points to nine. It goes to show how a few morons can completely tip the balance.

People’s choice in semi
In the second of last week’s semi-finals, Denmark got the most 12-point scores from the voting public, easily amassing the highest total: 164. But with just 40 from the juries, it qualified in fifth.

And the pattern repeated itself in the final in which Denmark got the fifth highest score from the public: 188. But with only 38 from the juries, it ended up coming ninth.

Meanwhile, god only knows how the juries opted for Austria and Sweden being the best songs, with the former just doing enough with the public to hang onto third place, well beaten by Israel and Cyprus.

Soundtrack of ‘Vikings’
The public liked the Danish entry, ‘Higher Ground’ by Rasmussen, because it was different, fun and catchy – a song that wouldn’t have sounded out of place on the soundtrack of the TV drama ‘Vikings’.

However, like that show there were a few inaccuracies – most notably a grammatically incorrect Icelandic phrase chanted by the background vocalist.
The lyric “taka stökk til hærri jörð” (take a leap to higher ground) should actually be “taka stökk á hærri jörð”.




  • What do Danes do for “Vinterferie”?

    What do Danes do for “Vinterferie”?

    As tradition has it, many Danes take a week off for Vinterferie next week. Or the week after. It’s a bit confusing, especially since Christmas and New Year’s Holiday are not far away. What’s going on?

  • The educational options for internationals in Denmark

    The educational options for internationals in Denmark

    Denmark offers free public education, but private schools and universities for non-EU students require tuition. Language is a barrier, with international schools available for children and limited English-taught university programs. In 2024, Denmark expanded university seats for internationals and introduced an HF-international program in Aarhus.

  • Aarhus Gymnasium is launching Denmark’s first HF program for internationals

    Aarhus Gymnasium is launching Denmark’s first HF program for internationals

    Aarhus Gymnasium is launching Denmark’s first HF-international program in August, offering young adult internationals an alternative to IB programs with a focus on career-oriented education and Danish language learning. Unlike IB, it reduces academic pressure while providing access to vocational schools and professional bachelor’s degrees

  • Top Danish companies report strong financial performance

    Top Danish companies report strong financial performance

    Some of Denmark’s leading companies reported solid financial results for 2024, with Lundbeck, Demant, and Vestas seeing growth, while Pandora tackled rising production costs with price increases and cost-saving measures.

  • Greenland restricts foreign property purchases and election donations

    Greenland restricts foreign property purchases and election donations

    These days, the Greenlandic institutions are approving two new norms to restrict, reduce, or ban the possibility for foreign citizens to buy real estate on the island, as well as for political parties to receive large amounts of money from foreign donors.

  • “The retention of international labor is one of the biggest problems,” EY’s director says on integration 

    “The retention of international labor is one of the biggest problems,” EY’s director says on integration 

    In the interest of both native companies and international workers, Ernst & Young (EY) Head of Immigration Rikke Gahrn Wolfsen recommends a change within the Danish integration culture. “The retention of international labor is one of the biggest problems we’re facing at the moment,” she says.