The Ferret

The Ferret Scotland's award-winning online investigative journalism cooperative - independent, reader-owned and transparent. Join us. But The Ferret will not be dour.

Join The Ferret now and help build a better media: https://theferret.scot/subscribe/

Good, investigative journalism is suffering in Scotland. The advertising revenues that have traditionally funded journalists to uncover scandals are being swept away in the whirlwind of the electronic information revolution – and nobody is quite sure what to do about it. We believe that something has to be done.

In a democracy like ours few things are more important than a free, fair and independent media holding the powerful to account by discovering their secrets. Without serious, fact-based journalism in pursuit of the public interest and beholden to no-one, Scotland would be a smaller place. That is why we are now proposing The Ferret: a new platform for investigative journalism unlike any that have gone before. It will not be owned by some distant corporation: it will be owned by its members and run as a not-for-profit operation in Scotland. It will not be aligned with any political party or any vested interest. It will be utterly transparent and totally accountable in all it does. It will be challenging, irreverent, cheeky even. It will tap into the rich vein of Scottish journalism to produce good writing, exclusive, and must-read stories. And it will listen to its readers, who will all have a say in what it does. There is still much detail to work out. We are open to suggestions on the best combination of grants, donations, subscriptions, crowdfunding, sales and other sources of income to help transform an important idea into a working reality. We welcome all thoughts on how we should be organised, and how members should be involved. But this is the starting point. Scotland needs good, investigative journalism and the Ferret is our way of helping to ensure that. Let us know what you think and watch this space. If you’d like to follow our progress, please become a supporter of The Ferret.

Migration's alleged link to increased crime has been back in the spotlight in recent years, but what does the data say?W...
26/11/2025

Migration's alleged link to increased crime has been back in the spotlight in recent years, but what does the data say?

We took a deep dive into the evidence in our new De-noiser series.

https://bit.ly/4p6kwhV

Naval officials warned of legal action, spoke of the need to “calm some nerves” and said they were “deeply uncomfortable...
24/11/2025

Naval officials warned of legal action, spoke of the need to “calm some nerves” and said they were “deeply uncomfortable” with information proposed for release. One was anxious to avoid “another crazy Friday”, while another complained of becoming a “zombie” after a long week
https://bit.ly/3XJznCE

Emails reveal that naval chiefs piled pressure on environment watchdog to hide details of radioactive contamination on the Clyde.

🔴 NEW: Emails reveal that naval chiefs piled pressure on environment watchdog to hide details of radioactive contaminati...
23/11/2025

🔴 NEW: Emails reveal that naval chiefs piled pressure on environment watchdog to hide details of radioactive contamination on the Clyde.

Our latest: https://bit.ly/48bhTnw

The new factories would produce explosives and propellants used in weapons such as guns and artillery and are viewed by ...
21/11/2025

The new factories would produce explosives and propellants used in weapons such as guns and artillery and are viewed by some as necessary to make the country less dependent on US firepower
https://bit.ly/4idApAv

Government names areas being assessed for new munitions plants after The Ferret uncovers hidden details in a botched FoI response.

💥 IMPACT: The UK Government has publicly announced sites in Scotland are being considered for new munitions factories, ...
20/11/2025

💥 IMPACT: The UK Government has publicly announced sites in Scotland are being considered for new munitions factories, just a day after we revealed secret details of the plan.

https://bit.ly/49tGFll

“Now they want us to make money by manufacturing explosives for armed conflict” https://bit.ly/4o1YaMU
19/11/2025

“Now they want us to make money by manufacturing explosives for armed conflict”
https://bit.ly/4o1YaMU

A botched freedom of information response has revealed sites in the frame for the UK’s expanding weapons programme.

🔴 NEW: The MoD accidentally revealed that Scottish sites - including Grangemouth and Finnart on Loch Long - were being a...
18/11/2025

🔴 NEW: The MoD accidentally revealed that Scottish sites - including Grangemouth and Finnart on Loch Long - were being assessed for new munitions factories. In total 12 sites across the UK have been reviewed.

Read our investigation: https://bit.ly/4peZvkD

The MoD meant to hide its shortlist for new arms factories. Instead, bad redactions exposed them all — including Grangem...
18/11/2025

The MoD meant to hide its shortlist for new arms factories. Instead, bad redactions exposed them all — including Grangemouth.

Read the full story 👉 https://bit.ly/4i6z6Dm

"There needs to be a complete register exposing foreign property owners to stop Putin’s cronies stashing their cash in o...
17/11/2025

"There needs to be a complete register exposing foreign property owners to stop Putin’s cronies stashing their cash in our country”

A Russian oligarch praised by Vladimir Putin has amassed a UK property portfolio under the veil of secretive offshore trusts, The Ferret can reveal. Anti-corruption campaigners say our investigation is a “shocking indictment” of the UK’s “dirty money” defences.

🔴 NEW: A Russian oligarch praised by Vladimir Putin has amassed a property portfolio in Scotland and England under the v...
16/11/2025

🔴 NEW: A Russian oligarch praised by Vladimir Putin has amassed a property portfolio in Scotland and England under the veil of secretive offshore trusts.

Anti-corruption campaigners say our investigation is a “shocking indictment” of the UK’s “dirty money” defences
https://bit.ly/4rfPLbQ

“You're like, ‘oh my god, this is the first time in my life I've ever been arrested’”https://bit.ly/49Ad4Xx
14/11/2025

“You're like, ‘oh my god, this is the first time in my life I've ever been arrested’”
https://bit.ly/49Ad4Xx

Photographer Rayna Carruthers has been documenting pro-Palestine protests in Scotland for two years, particularly in recent months, following the proscription of Palestine Action by the UK Government.

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The Ferret is an investigative journalism project based in Scotland.

You can subscribe for just £2.50 per month.

The Ferret is a co-operative. When you subscribe, you become a part-owner of the project. You can find out more about us here: https://theferret.scot/about-us/

Avowedly non-partisan, The Ferret is also home to The Ferret Fact Service.