For Fact's Sake

Ali is joined by a new co-host this week, the imaginatively named Ally.

Ferret founder Ally Tibbitt joins the FFS Show to discuss our highly-debated recent fact check on pensions in an independent Scotland.

Ali B then interviews energy and just transition expert Fraser Stewart about the energy crisis and what can be done about it.

The FFS Show is only possible thanks to your support. If you want to help us do more fact-checking work, become a member of The Ferret for just £5 per month.

You can subscribe to The FFS Show on your favourite podcast platform.

Ali is back solo, after Sam's departure, but the FFS Show podcast must go on.

This episode features the second half of Ali and Sam's interview with Eve Livingston, author of Make Bosses Pay: Why We Need Unions, where she explains how the perception of unions has changed over the years, how different types of precarious work have affected union membership and awareness, and how smaller new unions have stepped in to help these workers.

The FFS Show is only possible thanks to your support. If you want to help us do more fact-checking work, become a member of The Ferret for just £5 per month.

You can subscribe to The FFS Show on your favourite podcast platform.

Ali and Sam are back with new podcast, looking at unions and how they have evolved.

We're joined by Eve Livingston, freelance journalist and author of Make Bosses Pay: Why We Need Unions.

We chatted about what sort of misinformation is promoted about unions, what place traditional unions have in the modern workforce, and whether RMT boss Mick Lynch has changed the public perception of industrial action.

In sad news, it is Sam's final podcast for The FFS Show, and he bowed out by subjecting Ali to a highly unfair/rigorous and forensic quiz.

The FFS Show is only possible thanks to your support. If you want to help us do more fact-checking work, become a member of The Ferret for just £5 per month.

You can subscribe to The FFS Show on your favourite podcast platform.

Sam and Ali are back with a special podcast about our latest 'Are Councils Working?' series in conjunction with The Herald.

We take a look at how the series came together, and what hurdles our writers have to overcome when looking into local government.

Freedom of Information woes and inconsistent data release are discussed with Ferret journalists Jamie Mann and Paul Dobson.

As the Russian attack on Ukraine continues, Ali and Sam spoke to Eoghan Macguire on this weeks podcast.

Eoghan is the lead editor at open source investigation group, Bellingcat, which has been tracking and reporting on the conflict using publicly available tools and information.

We spoke about how Bellingcat puts together its investigations, the important work of challenging official government narratives, and how openly available technology is a crucial tool in modern journalism.

• Bellingcat’s work is available on their website here.
• BBC Africa Eye’s ground-breaking investigation, Anatomy of a Killing, is available on Twitter.
• Read Bellingcat’s investigation into the killing of journalist Shireen Abu Akleh.

The FFS Show is only possible thanks to your support. If you want to help us do more fact-checking work, become a member of The Ferret for just £5 per month.

You can subscribe to The FFS Show on your favourite podcast platform.

On the week of the 20 year anniverssary of Scotland's Freedom of Information Act, Sam and Jas speak to Carole Ewart.

On Ali Brian's week off, Sam and Jas take over the podcast to talk about The Ferret's most recent check and give you a look behind the scenes at how it was made.

Carole Ewart, Convener for the Campaign for Freedom of Information in Scotland, joins us for the interview portion of the show. We talk about the history of this piece of legislation, its modern day importance and how the Government may be dragging its feet in protecting this right.

Podcast notes:

• You can support the CFoIS Bill to reform FoISA Bill/Publications – CFoIS 
• Subscribe to the newsletter CFoIS – The Campaign for Freedom of Information in Scotland
• Attend the Scottish Public Information Forum (SPIF) Scottish Public Information Forum – CFoIS

The FFS Show is only possible thanks to your support. If you want to help us do more fact-checking work, become a member of The Ferret for just £5 per month.

You can subscribe to The FFS Show on your favourite podcast platform.

On this episode we talk about the end of the world and all the elements that make up some of humanities' biggest threats.

Sam and Ali talk to Herbert Lin, senior research scholar for cyber policy and security at the Center for International Security and Cooperation and Hank J. Holland Fellow in Cyber Policy and Security at the Hoover Institution, both at Stanford University.

They discuss the Doomsday Clock, its origins, process and efficacy in warning humanity of some of its biggest threats.

Podcast notes:

• Lin's letter to his students, here.
• More about the Doomsday Clock, here.

The FFS Show is only possible thanks to your support. If you want to help us do more fact-checking work, become a member of The Ferret for just £5 per month.

You can subscribe to The FFS Show on your favourite podcast platform.

Ahead of council elections on May 5, the podcast takes a look at democracy and representation.

Sam and Ali welcome Allan Faulds from Ballot Box Scotland to talk about democracy in Scotland, election week and our understanding of representation.

They also discuss the recent fact check on the Big Power Off and rising energy costs.

Podcast Notes:

• Find out more about Ballot Box Scotland.
• Read the Big Power Off fact check.
• Remember you can tell us what we should fact check by filling out this very short form. 

The FFS Show is only possible thanks to your support. If you want to help us do more fact-checking work, become a member of The Ferret for just £5 per month.

You can subscribe to The FFS Show on your favourite podcast platform.

This week on the podcast we discuss cryptocurrencies and some of the new shapes misinformation can take.

We welcome Liv McMahon, a journalist based in Glasgow who writes about the latest developments in technology, digital culture and cryptocurrency. Previously working as a freelance journalist and SEO writer at The Scotsman, where she also wrote regular features about tech for Scotland on Sunday, Liv will be joining the BBC’s Technology & Innovation team in May.

Sam and Ali also talk about the funding behind Channel 4 and some of the recent claims being made about it.

Podcast Notes:

• Follow Live on her twitter or website.
• Remember you can tell us what we should fact check by filling out this very short form. 

The FFS Show is only possible thanks to your support. If you want to help us do more fact-checking work, become a member of The Ferret for just £5 per month.

You can subscribe to The FFS Show on your favourite podcast platform.

Sam and Ali are back for podcast 27 of The FFS Show, and its a special episode to tie in with The Ferret's From the Margins series.

The project involved Ferret journalist Karin Goodwin helping to train citizen journalists with lived experience of addiction, homelessness and mental ill-health to report on how these issues interact for many Scots.

In this special tie-in episode, Sam and Ali are joined by community journalism organiser Rachel Hamada, who has experience working to build community reporting in her role at Bureau Local. She also happens to be one of The Ferret's founding journalists and a current board member.

Show notes:

• Follow Rachel on Twitter.
• The Bureau has a brand new investigation around disability coming on 5 April.
• Follow the work of The Bureau for Investigative Journalism here.
• Our From the Margins documentary was broadcast on BBC One on Monday. You can view it here.

Remember you can tell us what we should fact check by filling out this very short form. 

The FFS Show is only possible thanks to your support. If you want to help us do more fact-checking work, become a member of The Ferret for just £5 per month.

You can subscribe to The FFS Show on your favourite podcast platform.