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.
The Ferret is committed to doing things differently, and we believe that transparency should be at the heart of journalism.
We want to be as open as possible with our readers and members about how we do stories, where we get funding, and the decisions we make.
The Ferret is currently 37 per cent funded through memberships and donations, 52 per cent from grant funding, and 11 per cent from other sources such as content sales and events.
Some of our funding comes through grants organisations and charitable bodies, which helps us to hire staff, cover core costs and produce investigations.
A full list of our funders is available here.
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Our stories make a difference. They were cited 12 times by politicians at Holyrood in 2024.
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This is the latest report we send to our members for each AGM.
The Ferret is avowedly non-partisan. This means that we are politically neutral and will not endorse any political party, or political cause.
We have no position on Scottish independence or Brexit.
Additionally, none of our journalists are members of any political party and we do not accept donations from political parties, or any organisation that seeks to influence our editorial independence.
Part of our commitment to transparency is being open and honest when we’ve made a mistake. If a published article has an error that comes to light, we will make sure we correct and update the story as soon as possible. We will add a note saying what has changed and when.
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Our full complaints policy is available here.
