With the general election just days away, The Ferret has been keeping its beady eyes on the political landscape. From exposing candidates promoting conspiracy theories to uncovering the powerful figures behind campaign donations and meticulously fact-checking politicians’ claims, we’ve had our paws full.
While politicians will come and go, our commitment to holding power to account remains steadfast. Thanks to our dedicated members and readers, we’ll soon be burrowing even deeper into the power dynamics within Scottish politics and society.
As we officially end our crowdfunding campaign, we’re thrilled to announce that with the incredible support of more than 260 people, we’ve not only reached but surpassed our £10,000 goal. This milestone will enable us to launch round two of our acclaimed ‘Who Runs Scotland’ series.
And this is just a glimpse of our busy June! Read on to discover more about our achievements this past month and how our journalism is making a difference in Scotland and beyond.
We discussed the ethics of sharing your story
Earlier this month, Ferret co-editor Karin Goodwin was joined by multi-award-winning writer, commentator, and performer Darren McGarvey in Glasgow for an event at the Glad Cafe. They explored what it means to share your lived experience of trauma on the public stage and discussed how the media and third sector can best amplify those stories in a safer way. .
This event was part of Indie News Week, a campaign designed to give communities a chance to meet their local journalists, learn more about the people behind indie outlets, and understand the effort that goes into accurately and fairly covering the lives of their fellow citizensresidents.
Want to keep up with any future events from The Ferret? Follow us on Eventbrite.
Our journalism raised some questions
Richard Lucas, the leader of the Scottish Family Party, faced scrutiny on the BBC following an interview with Simon Crane from PA Scotland/Homeland, which we first reported on. During the interview, Lucas highlighted Reform UK’s decision to dismiss Scottish candidates over controversial remarks, citing findings from our investigation.
Also last month our journalist Paul Dobson appeared on BBC Radio 4’s More or Less programme to discuss SNP ‘misinformation’ around claims about oil and gas jobs. You can listen to our contribution from 16 minutes onwards here.
Our stories inspired further investigations
In May, we uncovered that the founder of an anti-migrant chat group, which featured pro-Nazi material, now leads the Scottish branch of a far-right political party. This story not only made headlines in the Daily Record but was also followed up by Pink News.
Additionally, an exclusive by The Ferret about Reform candidates liking conspiracy theorist posts was featured in The Times, while the Guardian cited our investigation into oil spills in marine protected areas.
A month of awards
Our team has been busy this month, attending several awards ceremonies and receiving recognition for our work. We were honoured to be the runner-up at the Scottish Press Awards for our podcast Sheku Bayoh: The Inquiry. Additionally, Karin Goodwin was recognised with the runner-up position for the Nicola Barry Award. Karin also earned a runner-up spot at the Refugee Festival Scotland Media Awards, highlighting our continued commitment to impactful journalism.
