The Ferret
The Ferret is Scotland's member-owned investigative journalism outlet, founded circa 2016 in Edinburgh, producing original investigations, fact checks, and explainers on Scottish politics, environment, and human rights for a readership of 2,000+ paying members funded entirely by subscriptions and donations.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2016
- Headquarters—
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What The Ferret does
The Ferret is Scotland's member-owned investigative journalism outlet, founded around 2016 and headquartered in Edinburgh, operating as a private non-profit with a small team of approximately nine staff. It produces original investigative reporting, fact checks through its dedicated Ferret Fact Service arm, long-form explainers via its fortnightly De-noiser series, and cross-border investigations covering Scottish politics, environment, human rights, climate, the arms trade, dark money, and far-right extremism. Its editorial scope is regional, serving a Scottish readership with accountability-focused reporting.
The outlet's technology platform is a digital journalism website built on Ghost CMS, distributed directly via theferret.scot, with no disclosed APIs, mobile applications, or software integrations. Content is freely accessible online, supported by an integrated direct-to-reader revenue mechanism that includes membership subscriptions starting from £5 per month, one-time and recurring donations, and gift memberships. The organization has secured project-based journalism grant funding from partners including Journalismfund Europe and Investigative Reporting Project Italy (IRPI), and has piloted participatory journalism through a Community Newsroom in Glasgow.
The business model is reader-funded and explicitly positions itself as independent of billionaire and corporate ownership, with revenue derived from a base of 2,000+ paying members plus donations. Distribution is concentrated on direct website traffic, email newsletters, and organic social media on Facebook and X, with RSS feeds as an additional channel. No advertising, enterprise contracts, or institutional investors are identified as revenue sources.
The Ferret firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Ferret
- Legal name
- The Ferret
- Website
- https://theferret.scot
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2016
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- The Ferret is Scotland's member-owned investigative journalism outlet, founded circa 2016 in Edinburgh, producing original investigations, fact checks, and explainers on Scottish politics, environment, and human rights for a readership of 2,000+ paying members funded entirely by subscriptions and donations.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Ferret business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Membership subscriptions: Reader-funded membership model where subscribers pay monthly fees starting from £5/month to support independent investigative journalism
- Donations: One-time and recurring donations from supporters, including gift memberships
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Standard membership starting from £5/month |
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels4 records
The Ferret product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Ferret is a member-owned investigative journalism outlet that publishes investigative reports, fact checks, long reads, and deep-dive explainers covering Scottish politics, the environment, human rights, the arms trade, and social issues. Its work is funded by reader subscriptions and donations, with two named editorial products: the Ferret Fact Service (fact-checking of claims by politicians and public figures) and the De-noiser series (fortnightly explainers on complex topics).
Product overview
The Ferret is Scotland's member-owned investigative journalism outlet. It publishes investigative reports, fact checks, deep-dive explainers (De-noiser series), and long reads across topics including politics, climate, human rights, health, and arms trade. The organization does not operate as a technology product company with software offerings, APIs, or integrations.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- De-noiser: A fortnightly series of deep-dive explainers on complex issues facing Scotland, the UK and beyond.
- Ferret Fact Service
Products and services
- The Ferret (investigative journalism membership) Member-funded investigative journalism service publishing original reporting on Scottish politics, the environment, human rights, the arms trade, dark money, and social issues. Designed for general readers in Scotland and the UK who want independent accountability journalism.
- Ferret Fact Service Fact-checking service that verifies claims made by politicians and public figures, published through The Ferret. Aimed at general readers seeking independent verification of political and public-figure statements.
- De-noiser series Fortnightly series of deep-dive explainers that break down complex issues facing Scotland, the UK and beyond for general readers.
Quantifiable outcome
- Investigations have sparked change across Scotland
Companies that use The Ferret
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
The Ferret technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
The Ferret partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor.
- Journalismfund EuropeminorFunder supporting the Scotland's Seas in Danger investigative series on marine environment. This is a project-based journalism grant, not an operational partnership.
- Investigative Reporting Project Italy (IRPI)minorInternational journalism partnership for the Scotland's Seas in Danger project, where IRPI will publish related investigative work later. Cross-border investigative collaboration.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
The Ferret competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- openDemocracy: Independent, reader-funded investigative journalism outlet covering UK and global politics, power, and accountability — operates the same nonprofit investigative model as The Ferret, with comparable editorial positioning.
- The Bristol Cable: Member-owned investigative journalism cooperative based in Bristol; mirrors The Ferret's cooperative funding model, member-driven accountability journalism, and small newsroom operations.
- Full Fact: UK's leading independent fact-checking organization verifying claims from politicians, media, and public figures — directly competes with The Ferret's Ferret Fact Service for fact-checking credibility, training contracts, and grant funding.
- DeSmog: Investigative journalism outlet focused on climate disinformation, lobbying, and the fossil fuel industry — comparable in scope of investigations and similar in operating model as an independent investigative newsroom.
- Byline Times: Reader-funded UK investigative and accountability journalism outlet focused on power, media, and democracy — directly comparable independent newsroom model targeting similar civic audiences.
- The Bureau of Investigative Journalism: UK-based nonprofit investigative journalism outlet producing award-winning investigations across public interest topics; shares The Ferret's grant-funded, impact-driven editorial model.
- The Ferret Fact Service: Sub-brand of The Ferret — included here as an internal peer reference for fact-checking specialists like Full Fact, which provides comparable UK fact-checking services to which The Ferret competes for audience attention and grant funding.
Emerging players
- Bellingcat: Open-source investigative journalism collective producing investigations on conflict, extremism, and accountability — comparable investigative methodology though broader international scope than The Ferret's regional focus.
Broad incumbents
- The Guardian: Major UK newspaper with substantial investigative journalism and reader-funded revenue model (though much larger scale); relevant competitor for reader attention and Scottish accountability reporting market.
Others
- Centre for Investigative Journalism (CIJ): UK organization providing training and resources for investigative journalists; adjacent peer given The Ferret's media literacy training work and overlap in investigative journalist training ecosystem.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
The Ferret social profiles
Digital presenceThe Ferret financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Ferret leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
The Ferret funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Ferret M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Ferret
What does The Ferret do?
The Ferret is a member-owned investigative journalism outlet that publishes investigative reports, fact checks, long reads, and deep-dive explainers covering Scottish politics, the environment, human rights, the arms trade, and social issues. Its work is funded by reader subscriptions and donations, with two named editorial products: the Ferret Fact Service (fact-checking of claims by politicians and public figures) and the De-noiser series (fortnightly explainers on complex topics).
Is The Ferret a public or private company?
The Ferret is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was The Ferret founded?
The Ferret was founded in 2016. It employs 1 to 10 people.
How does The Ferret make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Membership subscriptions are the primary driver. The others are donations.
Who are The Ferret's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are openDemocracy, The Bristol Cable, Full Fact, DeSmog, Byline Times, The Bureau of Investigative Journalism and The Ferret Fact Service. Bellingcat is listed as an emerging player. The Guardian is listed as a broad incumbent. Centre for Investigative Journalism (CIJ) is listed as an others.
Does The Ferret have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Ferret.