Investigations into allegations of poor fish welfare at salmon farms by the UK Animal and Plant Health Agency have risen by more than ten times in six years, while site inspections have decreased.
A quote attributed to Reform UK's Richard Tice has gone viral in recent weeks.
New allegations at Stirling Castle dating back eight years have emerged following a string of complaints about its custodians, Historic Environment Scotland, in recent months.
If you’re a journalist, The Ferret wants to hear from you. We publish stories that bring new information to light, to inform debates about pressing issues that are of interest to our readers and the general public. We are especially keen to expose wrongdoing and corruption, and hold the powerful to account.
We strongly encourage story pitches from people of colour and those from marginalised and under-represented communities.
We are looking for: investigations, news stories, and features that shed light on governments, individuals, corporations, and institutions that abuse their power to the detriment of society. We also highlight solutions to problems.
We are not looking for: opinion pieces, commentary, reviews, guest blogs – and we do not accept advertising or advertorials.
A story pitch is a succinct way of explaining what your story is about. Read our website to understand the types of stories we publish and do some research to ensure your story has not previously been covered. We are particularly interested in topics that we do not routinely cover in-house.
Write “STORY PITCH” in the subject line of your email and include any relevant experience and links to previously published work. Emphasise your unique/exclusive angle and explain what the hook is. Tell us who you will be interviewing, what access you have and if you have ideas for visuals. A strong pitch would include the initial paragraphs of your proposed story – 500 words or less is ideal.
Please email contact@theferret.scot
We aim to respond to pitches as quickly as possible but we’re very busy, so please be patient.
If we decide to commission your story, we will confirm by email, agreeing your fee, allowable expenses, a deadline and the rights acquired by The Ferret. We will also agree on the main points to be covered, and ask you to note our terms and conditions. The Ferret is a member of Impress and all our content meets its standards code. We currently pay £145 for a news piece of between 600 to 800 words and £290 for a longer report of up to 1,400 words. We may pay more for investigations depending on the time required. Please also read our guidelines for freelancers.
If you have an idea for a story or investigation you think our reporters should look into please get in touch. To get an idea of the sort of things we publish, check our website. You can email us explaining what the issue you think we should look into is and explain how you think this could be evidenced. We aim to respond to all story tips but please note that we are a small team and may not be able to take this further.
If you are a whistleblower or would like to leak anonymously to The Ferret, please refer to this guide for advice on how to do so safely and securely. You can send leaks and tips to us through our Signal account, which is an encrypted messenger service to better protect privacy. We recognise that people sometimes take personal risks to get information to us. Any information you send us will be treated carefully, and in confidence.
The Ferret embraces working with other media outlets and organisations in Scotland, the UK and beyond either through co-publishing or collaborating on investigations.
We’ve previously worked with the BBC, STV, the Guardian, The Times and Sunday Times, the Herald and Herald on Sunday, the Daily Record and Sunday Mail, the Sunday National, Sunday Post, the i, The Bureau of Investigative Journalism, Firecrest Films, and many more.
Our collaborations have led to many agenda-setting front page stories, revelatory documentaries and TV packages, and our work is frequently cited in the Scottish and Westminster parliaments, by academics, campaigners, NGOs and others.
We also work with local publications and reporters who need support in investigating certain issues. We are also interested in working in collaborative ways with special interest groups.
Get in touch via contact@theferret.scot
To investigate issues effectively and thoroughly, we work with a wide variety of sources and collaborators who are experts in their fields including campaigners, academics, NGOs, advocacy groups, politicians and whistleblowers.
Even if we haven’t worked together, we encourage you to reference our work. Please ensure that The Ferret is credited prominently and that a link is provided to any content on our website that you cite.
