The Lochaber food bank in Fort William claims energy multinational SSE tried to "rip them off". After a year of fighting – and questions from The Ferret – it has received an apology. But it's still being charged more than £10k.
Following a sharp rise in far right activity, we’ve spent the last three months attending protests, speaking to activists under threat, and tracking anti-asylum seeker demonstrations across Scotland.
Scotland’s largest university has turned to Nous Group at the same time as it is making savings that could lead to nearly 2,000 job losses. Staff say they were misled about the extent of its work.
On For Fact’s Sake this week, we are looking at the role of fact-checking in the Israel-Gaza conflict.
Ali spoke to Lucy Swinnen, an editor at Bellingcat, which is using publicly available videos, images and data to tackle some of the propaganda and disinformation swirling around since October’s escalation.
But with so many people online now using publicly available footage to attempt to debunk narratives in the conflict, is there a danger that open-source investigation can be used to mislead?
Elsewhere on the podcast, Ali and Paul look at Margaret Thatcher’s alleged views on independence, and the disinformation spreading alongside bedbugs in France.
Show notes:
Bellingcat’s investigation into the Al-Ahli hospital attack is here.
Read their guides on how to research using open-source tools here.
Our fact-check on the Margaret Thatcher quote on independence is here.
Ferret Fact Service (FFS) is a non-partisan fact checker, and signatory to the International Fact-Checking Network fact-checkers’ code of principles.
All the sources used in our checks are publicly available and the FFS fact-checking methodology can be viewed here.
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.
Hundreds of protected areas are under pressure from Scotland’s massive deer herd. Most agree deer numbers must be controlled to protect the environment, but are split on what should be done.
Edinburgh University students were “interrogated” by police at their desks over posters featuring Palestinians killed by the Israeli military, prompting dozens to complain.
Unsafe levels of faecal bacteria were recorded at dozens of Scotland’s best beaches this summer. Swimmers and paddlers could be at risk, but officials insist water quality remains high.