The concern isn’t gaming itself, experts stress. It’s that large youth-dense platforms can become a social lifeline for some isolated young people, creating opportunities for grooming when moderation is inconsistent
www.theferret.scot/far-right-using-gaming-to-recruit/
Far right actors are shifting to less “overt branding” inside games, using anonymous profiles and coded language designed to bypass moderation systems, experts say
www.theferret.scot/far-right-using-gaming-to-recruit/
Researchers warn that real-time chat in games can create relationships that might not exist in the real world, which can make grooming harder for parents, teachers and police to spot
www.theferret.scot/far-right-using-gaming-to-recruit/
Gamer silhouette facing a glowing monitor; headline about far‑right groups using gaming to recruit the next generation of Nazis.
🔴NEW: Far-right groups are increasingly using coded language and imagery on gaming platforms to bypass content moderators and radicalise young people, experts have warned.
Our latest investigation: www.theferret.scot/far-right-using-gaming-to-recruit/
Underwater image of a salmon swimming in green water, with other fish in the background. A red text box overlays the lower half of the image reading: “‘Weak’ salmon farm watchdog: 100 investigations and just two warning letters.” The Ferret logo appears in the top corner.
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
https://www.theferret.scot/weak-salmon-farm-watchdog-100-investigations-and-just-two-warning-letters/
The UK Animal and Plant Health Agency has sent just two warning letters to salmon farms on poor fish welfare in the last six years. But it won't say which farms. My latest for @theferret.scot.
www.theferret.scot/weak-salmon-...
A quote attributed to Reform UK’s Richard Tice, pledging to strip powers from Holyrood and revive fracking in Scotland, has been widely shared online.
We traced it back to its source. We couldn’t find one. Here's the full fact check 👇
🔴NEW: Former tour guides have come forward with allegations of 'intimidation' and discrimination at Stirling Castle, adding to mounting scrutiny of Historic Environment Scotland.
Read: https://www.theferret.scot/intimidation-and-discrimination-allegations-keep-coming-at-scandal-hit-heritage-agency
Our journalism is powered by readers. The newsletter is the easiest way to keep up.
A weekly round-up of our investigations and what we’re reporting next.
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Scales of justice and gavel on a decorative Sharia book with a question about Sharia's influence in Scotland.
Reform UK politicians have claimed Sharia law threatens the British “way of life” and called for “Sharia courts” to be shut down. Our latest piece tests those claims against what actually exists in Scotland
https://www.theferret.scot/does-sharia-law-have-an-influence-in-scotland/
Scales of justice and gavel on a decorative Sharia book with a question about Sharia's influence in Scotland.
Sharia is often portrayed as a shadow court system. In reality, it mostly covers religious practice and family matters such as marriage and divorce.
We look at how that works alongside Scots law in our latest De-noiser
https://www.theferret.scot/does-sharia-law-have-an-influence-in-scotland/
Scales of justice and gavel on a decorative Sharia book with a question about Sharia's influence in Scotland.
A 2024 poll by Hope Not Hate found 37% of people believe parts of Britain are “under the control of Sharia law”. We’ve examined how accurate if at all that is in Scotland and what Sharia councils actually do
https://www.theferret.scot/does-sharia-law-have-an-influence-in-scotland/
Black-and-white image of the University of Edinburgh’s Old College courtyard, with a domed tower rising above stone buildings. The Ferret logo sits in the top left and a red label reads “REVEALED”. Large white text over the lower half says: “Edinburgh Uni staff are losing their jobs. Their boss has two”. Smaller text underneath adds that Sir Peter Mathieson has confirmed he is being paid for a board role at a university spin-off despite the university’s apparent financial crisis.
🔴NEW: The principal of the University of Edinburgh has confirmed he is working a paid second job while overseeing cuts that have seen hundreds of staff leave the institution.
Read the full story: https://www.theferret.scot/edinburgh-job-loss-mathieson/
🔴NEW: We reveal behind-the-scenes lobbying over the controversial Coul Links golf plan — backed by two US businessmen.
The project was rejected in 2020 over environmental fears. But now transparency concerns are mounting over a revived bid 👉 bit.ly/4kYdMl3
Some wind farms falling short on community payments are owned by international finance firms.
One is backed by a fund managed by US asset management giant BlackRock. Another traces its ultimate ownership to the Cayman Islands.
Read the full story 👉 bit.ly/4rIcDzY
John Carroll says his nighttime rounds are protecting the community. Critics say his “abhorrent” views on Hitler, the Holocaust and race are incompatible with his adopted role.
https://www.theferret.scot/self-styled-nightwatchmen-patrol-a-scottish-village-their-leader-is-a-nazi
🔴 Posts on social media claimed Swinney had stayed in Mandelson’s residence last year when on a trip to the US.
11.02.2026 09:40 — 👍 5 🔁 7 💬 1 📌 0
🔴 Glasgow's CCA, which folded in January, is to be investigated by the Scottish charity regulator over its financial governance. The Ferret has spoken to several former CCA staff members about financial concerns: https://www.theferret.scot/cca-to-be-investigated-over-financial-governance-concerns/
10.02.2026 15:31 — 👍 9 🔁 8 💬 0 📌 1
A person removes a book from a library shelf. Text overlay: "Books are being challenged in Scottish schools. Librarians fear a 'chilling effect' on freedom of speech."
🔴NEW: Books are being removed or restricted in Scottish school libraries following complaints, creating a “chilling effect” that campaigners warn threatens both freedom of speech and inclusive education.
Read the story: https://www.theferret.scot/books-scottish-schools-librarians/
The Ferret De-noiser cover with distorted image of a building and text asking if AI misinformation could sway the Scottish election.
Global experts warn of “swarms of collaborative, malicious AI agents” able to infiltrate communities and fake consensus.
What would that look like in a Scottish election?
We took a deep dive into the evidence: https://www.theferret.scot/could-ai-misinformation-sway-the-scottish-election
The Ferret De-noiser cover with distorted image of a building and text asking if AI misinformation could sway the Scottish election.
Bot farms, fake personas and AI-generated slang: one study found 1,300 Iranian-backed accounts pushing political messages into Scottish timelines.
What does that mean for Holyrood 2026?
Find out more: https://www.theferret.scot/could-ai-misinformation-sway-the-scottish-election
lizzie johnson @lizziejohnsonnn · 49m I was just laid off by The Washington Post in the middle of a warzone. I have no words. I'm devastated. Quote lizzie johnson @lizziejohnsonnn · Jan 25 Waking up without power, heat, or running water. (Again.) But the work here in Kyiv continues. Warming up in the car, writing in pencil — pen ink freezes — by headlamp.
INBOX: Washington Post Ukraine Correspondent Lizzie Johnson announces that she has been laid off in the middle of a below-freezing war zone without power, heat, or running water.
04.02.2026 17:11 — 👍 9816 🔁 4423 💬 206 📌 429
🔴NEW: One of Scotland’s high-profile salmon companies has accused other producers of failing to report lice infestations at fish farms “honestly”, according to emails obtained by The Ferret.
Find out more:
The success of the film The Zone of Interest, which dramatises the Höss family’s life beside Auschwitz, raised fears House 88 could become a pilgrimage site for extremists. Instead, it is being turned into a global centre to counter them
Photograph of a concrete stairwell inside a building, split by a wooden banister. The number “1937” is marked on one of the steps. A red title card overlays the bottom half of the image.
The team behind House 88 say their focus is on perpetrators: how someone like Rudolf Höss is radicalised to commit mass murder. They argue that understanding that process is crucial, because similar patterns keep repeating
http://www.theferret.scot/house-88-auschwitz-counter-extremism
Staircase in the former home of the SS officer who ran Auschwitz, with text: "Inside House 88: The former home of the SS officer who ran Auschwitz."
In a modest house beside Auschwitz, a new centre on extremism is reclaiming the number “88” from neo-Nazis. Once home to SS commandant Rudolf Höss, it is now House 88, a research hub on hate, radicalisation and antisemitism.
Read more: http://www.theferret.scot/house-88-auschwitz-counter-extremism
Reports today say approving the UK’s biggest untapped oil field could risk breaching international law, as profits would flow to a company linked to the occupied West Bank.
This is an issue The Ferret has reported on since 2022. Our key investigations 👇🧵
Update: the full feature will be published on Sunday 1 Feb
30.01.2026 10:07 — 👍 7 🔁 4 💬 0 📌 0We’re publishing a reported feature on Fri 30 Jan, during Holocaust Memorial Day week, following a visit to House 88 beside Auschwitz-Birkenau. To receive it (and our journalism each week), subscribe to The Ferret newsletter: https://www.theferret.scot/newsletters/
28.01.2026 08:53 — 👍 6 🔁 4 💬 0 📌 0We’ve been reporting in Poland at House 88, beside Auschwitz-Birkenau. The full feature is out Fri 30 Jan, during Holocaust Memorial Day week — you can get it via The Ferret’s weekly newsletter: https://www.theferret.scot/newsletters/
27.01.2026 12:38 — 👍 18 🔁 16 💬 0 📌 3
