For Fact's Sake

Hungarian-American billionaire George Soros has once again been in the news, after figures on the American right linked him to the prosecution of Donald Trump. But its not the first time the former banker has been linked to conspiracy theories around the world. Ali and Paul spoke to disinformation expert Ernie Piper about the man himself, how to critique him properly, and how blaming George Soros...

This week's podcast looks at the far right in Scotland and the UK. Ali and Paul interview Jamie Mann, a fellow Ferret journalist who regularly reports on the activities of the far right. He told us about the activities of Patriotic Alternative, a far right group which has gained a high profile attaching itself to various protests across the UK, and explained how the far right uses misinf...

In 2022, dozens of people were arrested for planning an attempt to overthrow the German government. It was linked to the 'Reichsbürger', a disparate movement of conspiracists who believe the current government in Germany is illegitimate. We spoke to Claire Burchett, an expert on the radical right in Germany, about the so-called 'Reichsbürger plot', the broad set of beliefs behind it, and its links...

Ali and Paul speak to Dr Lisa Sugiura from the University of Portsmouth about the Incel movement, a misogynistic online subculture that has been linked to violent attacks around the world. We find out why anyone would want to self-identify as an ‘involuntary celibate’, how Incels interact with other aspects of the so-called ‘manosphere’, and what impact movements like this have on women and girls....

This week marks the one-year anniversary of Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. To mark this milestone Ali and Paul spoke to Dr Precious Chatterje Doody, an expert on Russian disinformation. She told us how the Kremlin’s justifications for the war have evolved in the last year and explained why much of the misinformation it produces is not meant for a Western audience. Also on episode 3 of For F...

ChatGPT is the incredible AI chatbot that's taken the internet by storm, and led many of us to wonder if our jobs will soon be obsolete. But could it result in realistic looking misinformation being spread? Analysts at misinformation monitoring group NewsGuard tested the chatbot with some false narrative prompts, and received some scary results. We spoke Lorenzo Arvanitis from NewsGuard about the...

We've got a brand new series of podcasts, and a brand new name. The FFS Show is now For Fact's Sake! Paul and Ali are still here with great new podcast-exclusive guests and fact-checking. This week we spoke to Robert Lawson, an associate professor in sociolinguistics at Birmingham City University, and an expert on masculinity and how men communicate online. He explained the appeal of Andrew Tate's...

It's the last FFS Podcast of the year, and we've got a festive topic this week. We're speaking to journalist and author of 'Why We Need Unions' Eve Livingston about misinfo around the Christmas strikes. And Ali and Paul will be discussing our fact check on the controversial SNP claim that Scotland has 25% of Scotland's offshore wind potential. The FFS Show  is only possible thanks to you...

This week's episode is a special one, focusing on our series in conjunction with The Herald called Who Owns Urban Scotland. Ali and Paul are back, and we're joined by Ferret co-editor Karin Goodwin, who explains the difficulties in tracing the owners of major properties and land in Scotland's cities and towns. Secrecy domains, tax havens, complex company structures and remote ownership are all cov...

Are you confused about what's happening at the Manston migrant centre, and what the situation is with people crossing the channel in small boats?  Ali and Paul take a look into these issues in the latest FFS Show podcast. 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...

Have you ever searched for your health symptoms on Google and freaked yourself out? That’s the topic of today’s FFS Show podcast interview. Ali spoke to health researcher  Taleen Ashekian  from Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, Canada, about the increasing use of Dr. Google and a phenomenon called ‘cyberchondria’. Ali and Paul also look at a claim about what Liz Truss will be entitle...

Ali Brian and Paul Dobson dig into a claim from Scottish Labour leader that 1 in 7 Scots are on an NHS waiting list. You can read the full fact check here with all the source details here: https://theferret.scot/claim-700000-scots-on-nhs-waiting-list-half-true/ And we also speak to Rhiannon Davies from Greater Govanhill CIC about neighbourhood disinformation and an exciting new collaboration with...

Ali is joined by Ferret journalist Jamie Mann for episode 39 of the FFS Show. This week we look at flat earth theory. Ali interviews marketing expert Dr Carlos Diaz Ruiz from Hanken School of Economics in Helsinki. He explains how promoters of the flat earth conspiracy use marketing techniques to spread the theory, and how such techniques are present in other grand conspiracies such as QAnon. Show...

This episode features Ferret journalist Paul Dobson in the co-host chair, and he and Ali discuss the Scottish Government's new rent freeze announcement . Ali also spoke to Professor Sander van der Linden from the University of Cambridge, about his research into the idea of inoculating people against misinformation. Show notes: Professor van der Linden's book, Foolproof: Why We Fall for Misinformat...

This week Karin Goodwin, co-editor of The Ferret, joins Ali to talk misinformation, sewage and how you can tell if you're speaking to an expert. Ali spoke to Professor Thora Tenbrink , a real expert of linguistics and communication, who explained how often good communicators are listened to even when they don't know what they're talking about! The FFS Show  is only possible thanks to you...

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...

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 h...

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...

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 gov...

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...

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 Dooms...

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...

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...

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 join...