The Promise, botox, and the far right

Hi ,

We’ve finally made it to the end of January — bravo everyone! 👏 Did you go for a dry or vegan January? Or was it simply enough to make it to payday? Either way, we salute you.

January is a time for resolutions, but one thing that hasn’t changed is The Ferret’s commitment to good journalism. And we’ve had a bustling start to the year, from announcing new partnerships to unearthing stories about landlords allegedly threatening tenants.

Now, let's dive into what kept us on our toes this past month and the impact our journalism has had so far in 2024.

Our mentees got their first byline 🎓

This week, we've had the pleasure to announce our new partnership with the University of Stirling, cementing a relationship dating back several years.

Since last summer, our reporters have been mentoring post-graduate students, and the results of that mentorship have been published this week.

One student, Jennifer Alexander-Jones, investigated the dark side of the cosmetics industry and its sometimes devastating impact on young women. Another, Kai Ford, travelled to Ukraine and produced three stories, a photo essay and a podcast.

...and our mentors made some noise 📣

The Ferret was mentioned in a story by Utility Week on the decision by the Information Commissioner to force the gas company SGN to release videos of hydrogen explosion testing. The decision followed our appeal to ICO against SGN’s initial refusal to release the videos.

Meanwhile, the Times covered our investigation which revealed that a far right activist posed as Home Office inspector to target an asylum hotel. They followed up also on our story about external contract spending by the Promise Scotland team.

Both the Times and the Sun followed up on a story we unearthed about Scottish Courts continued use of coal fires.

The Ferret is a not-for-profit co-operative owned by our journalists and readers. Unlike other media we don't run ads. But we rely on memberships to hold power to account.

If you like what we do, you can support us by becoming a member, with a one-off donation, or you can gift a Ferret membership to friends and family.

Breaking waves: Changes on bathing water policies 🌊

Last year, Ferret journalist and director Jamie Mann reported that the Environmental Rights Centre for Scotland (ERCS) argued that a policy – which only awarded bathing water status to sites with 150 daily visitors – made it 'effectively impossible' for many to attain the status and, consequently, protection from sewage leaks.

The report was published on April 5, and on April 13, ERCS received notification from Environmental Standards Scotland that the bathing water application form had been revised, with references to the need for 150 bathers removed. Until that point, they noted, “Scot Gov had dismissed any need for change.” While it might be a coincidence, ERCS stated, “your article is the only explanation we can see!”

Our stories encouraged transparency

Our recent report on The Promise sparked conversations as well as concerns, prompting The Promise Scotland to launch an 'Ask and Answer' transparency section on their website in response.

If you have any questions about our work, or would like to help us shape our future investigations, you can get in touch with the team at contact@theferret.scot.

As you know, here at The Ferret we pride ourselves in making good journalism that changes things. And you can help us do more of it. It's easy: you can contribute by becoming a member today or with a one-off donation. If these options are not for you, help us spread the word about our work by forwarding this email or following us on social media.

See you next month,

The Ferret team