It’s been a couple of months now since we started hosting a regular Open House at our Community Newsroom in Glasgow.
Developed in collaboration with Greater Govanhill, the event welcomes locals, professionals, and people with lived experience to contribute their perspectives on issues often overlooked by the mainstream media, with each session exploring a different theme.
Yesterday, we met to discuss food insecurity. Last summer, the Scottish Government announced a “cash-first” plan, setting out a human rights approach to tackling food insecurity. But has progress been made? What do we need to do to make sure everyone has the income they need to put good food on the table?
We asked our community what they think, and we’ll share what they said in due course.
Why not join us next time? Our next meeting is in June — we’d love to have you there from 9:30 to 11:00 AM on Friday, 28th June.
And please read on to find out what we’ve achieved this past month, and how our journalism makes a difference in communities, both here in Scotland and beyond.
We uncovered hateful comments
Earlier this month, Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party suspended two Scottish general election candidates after a Ferret investigation found they shared posts by prominent far right figures and made hateful comments about trans people on social media.
Among these candidates was Stephen McNamara, described as a “proud tax avoider” on his Twitter bio. McNamara’s statements included labelling trans people as having a “severe mental illness” and suggesting that their “days are numbered.”
David McNabb, another candidate, shared a video from far-right commentator Katie Hopkins and made a derogatory remark about first minister Humza Yousaf, implying he is “more Pakistani than Scottish.”
Reform suspended both candidates and launched an “immediate investigation” after The Ferret brought their comments to light.
Our story, which we released in tandem with the Daily Record, also gained attention from The Sun and The National.
Our journalism raised some questions in Holyrood
Scottish Greens MSP Maggie Chapman questioned the Scottish Government about what it is doing to support the mental wellbeing of asylum seekers accommodated in hotels in Scotland, citing our report on asylum seeker suicide attempts.
Our investigations inspired further reporting
An exclusive by The Ferret on mounted fox hunts allegedly hunting illegally appeared in the Daily Record, The Mirror and the BBC.
Our work was recognised at the Scottish Press Awards 🏆
We are thrilled to announce that we received three nominations for the Scottish Press Awards! 🎉Our Scotland’s Secret Owners series is up for Journalist Team of the Year, our Sheku Bayoh: The Inquiry podcast for Podcast of the Year, and Ferret co-editor Karin Goodwin was nominated for the Nicola Barry Award. Wish us luck! 🤞
