CASE STUDY

CASE STUDY
Bee Mortality - A youris.com web success story
In 2009, youris.com released a series of articles written by a professional journalist about the increase of bee mortality
in the world. These reportages complemented a former VNR (No Bees No Fruits) release in 2008 and making the point
on the somehow mysterious increase of mortality of the bees.
The reportage was made of 3 articles and 3 interviews and has been immediately taken-up by several on-line media.
The reason of the success of our reportages on bees was built on the news that an Italian region (Piedmont) forbade
the use of neonicotinoids for maize sowing. Neonicotinoids were under investigation by several NGOs, as there were
suspects that one of main causes of the increasing bee mortality was the use of this chemical. Now, youris.com
reportages found out that the absence of neonicotinoids from maize sowing campaigns restored part of the bee
population in Piedmont, thus demonstrating a direct link between the chemical component and bee mortality.
The large success of this reportage had to be measured by us. We decided to adopt a “light” approach, in order to
indentify information sources that effectively took-up this information from us. Therefore, we decided to make a vey
simple google search by inputting “youris + bees” and “youris + neonicotinoids” to roughly understand the web
coverage of our bee stories. The result of this search, carried out on 10 July 2010, led to the following results:
Name
Type
Country
URL
news
FR
http://alerte-environnement.fr/?p=2834
news
INT
http://cordis.europa.eu/wire/index.cfm?fuseaction=article.Detail&rcn=20218
Helium
news
USA
http://www.www.helium.com/items/273749-the-dangers-of-declining-beepopulations?page=2
Kentucky Ag
News
news
USA
http://kentuckyagriculture.blogspot.com/2010_05_01_archive.html
Treehugger
news
USA
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2010/05/nicotine-bees-population-restored-withneonicotinoids-ban.php
Worldnews.com
news
USA
http://article.wn.com/view/2009/04/21/Bees_bring_more_benefits_than_we_ever_knew/
USA
http://www.alternet.org/food/146374/seven_food_and_resources_crises_on_the_horizon
%2C_and_what_you_can_do_about_it?page=2
USA
http://www.beeonpurpose.info/
IT
http://www.mieliditalia.it/n_media_inglesi.htm
IT
http://www.reterurale.it/api
USA
http://www.sandiegobeekeepingsociety.com/news/bees-restored-to-health-in-italy-afterthis-spring-s-neonicotinoid-free-maize
Alerte
Environnement
CORDIS News
Wires
AlertNet
Bee On Purpose
Mieli d'Italia
Rete Rurale Api
San Diego
Beekeeping
Society
information
site
information
site
information
site
information
site
information
site
Name
Type
Country
URL
Tobacco Facts.
information
site
USA
http://www.tobacco-facts.net/2010/05/nicotine-bees-population-restored-withneonicotinoids-ban
Biobees.blogspot
blog
USA
http://biobees.blogspot.com/
Canaries in a Coal
Mine
blog
USA
http://canariesinacoalmine.blogspot.com/2010/03/bees-restored-to-health-in-italyafter.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Canarie
sInACoalMine+%28Canaries+in+a+Coal+Mine%29&utm_content=Google+Reader
Le Blog des
Abeilles
blog
FR
http://www.apiterra.fr/wp/index.php/193
Fireflyfans
blog
USA
http://beta.fireflyfans.net/mthread.aspx?bid=18&tid=43067&p=1
I've got hives
blog
USA
http://www.ivegothives.com/2010/04/bee-informed-part-3-mystery-of-colony.html
Pierre Terre
blog
INT
http://pierreterre.com/blog/italy-keeps-ban-neonicotinoid-seed-coating-save-bees
Plan Bee Central
(blog Wordpress)
blog
USA
http://planbeecentral.wordpress.com/
Planète sans Visa
blog
FR
http://fabrice-nicolino.com/index.php/?p=819
The Bees Knees
blog
USA
http://liamsbeeblog.blogspot.com/
Beesource
forum
USA
http://www.beesource.com/forums/showthread.php?t=235531&page=5
Expert 123
forum
USA
http://www.experts123.com/q/how-do-you-comment-italys-suspension-of-neonicotinoidseed-coating.html
Beekeeping
Forum
forum
UK
http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=3632
Sott.net
forum
USA
http://www.sott.net/articles/show/208581-Are-Honey-Bees-Being-Killed-Off-by-ChemicallyCoated-Crop-Seeds-
Department of
Primary
Industries
government
AUS
http://new.dpi.vic.gov.au/energy/archive/Energy-calculator/energycalculator
ECSITE
education
INT
http://www.ecsite.eu/?p=7279
education
NL
http://www.bijensterfte.nl/nl/node/216
social media
USA
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mendocino-County-Beekeepers-Guild/501875175439
social media
USA
http://www.facebook.com/persingwoods
social media
INT
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Pierre-Terre/138100469062
social media
USA
http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-American-Progressive-Party/195858376158
social media
USA
http://ja-jp.facebook.com/group.php?v=wall&gid=49764816556
social media
USA
http://kokr.facebook.com/posted.php?id=37432083381&start=10&hash=1b0ec50220f671972c05451
4ca412aa5
social media
USA
http://bgbg.facebook.com/posted.php?id=95263914718&share_id=325573006331&comments=1
social media
USA
http://www.ubervu.com/conversations/www.youris.com/Environment/Bees/Bees_restored
_to_health_in_Italy_after_this_springs_neonicotinoidfree_maize_sowing.kl
Utrecht
University
Facebook
Mendocino
County
Beekeepers Guild
Facebook
Persing Woods
Facebook
Pierre Terre
Facebook
The American
Progressive Party
Facebook
The Honey
Spinner
Facebook
The Honeybee
conservancy
Facebook
Vanishing of the
Bees
UBERVU
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The table reflects the nature of the search, with a predominance of English-speaking websites and a large variety of
sites, from news to social media, for a and blogs. These results have to be considered non-exhaustive: further
monitoring in other major world languages would probably lead to a much larger number of resources referring to out
bees reportages.
These results shows that youris.com is considered an acknowledgeable source of primary journalistic information for
web usage, dressed into an independent format and with a strong editorial identity. youris.com does not simply put
forward press releases issued by research organisation, but steps forward to the transformation of valuable research
information into materials suitable for the on-line press and the blogosphere.
The reportage on the bees, including the original VNR “No Bees No Fruits” can be browsed and read at the address
http://www.youris.com/Environment/Environment_lead_info.kl, section Bees.
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