Podcast: The Tip Off

A tragedy in the English Channel got Aaron Walawalker thinking. How could it be that people were dying, their boats sinking in one of the busiest stretches of water in the world?This is how Liberty Investigates went to battle over FOI rejections, knocked on doors and analysed shipping data to reveal the shocking reality behind deaths at sea.Read all about it: https://libertyinvestigates.org.uk/articles/coastguard-effectively-ignored-19-reports-of-small-boats-before-november-2021-tragedy/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/apr/29/uk-coastguard-left-channel-migrants-adrift-in-lead-up-to-mass-drowning Hosted and produced: Maeve McClenaghan Audio production support: Chloe BehrensSound design and audio mixing: Alec CowanOriginal music: Claudia MezaTheme music: Dice muse Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The horizon near Ali’s house is filled with flames. Owen Pinnell and Jess Kelly, from BBC Arabic, can't stop thinking of them. And back in the UK, Unearthed's Joe Sandler Clarke is digging into his own investigation.This is the story of how journalists worked with citizen journalists and scientists to delve into the impact of oil drilling around Basra, Iraq.Read all about it:https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001cm32 https://projects.unearthed.greenpeace.org/big-oil-iraq/ https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/apr/27/ali-smoke-choked-bp-oilfield-death-gas-flaringHosted and produced: Maeve McClenaghan Audio production support: Chloe BehrensSound design and audio mixing: Alec CowanOriginal music: Claudia MezaTheme music: Dice muse Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You will have heard about the BBC Newnight interview with Prince Andrew - it was a seismic scoop that reverberated around the world.But how did it happen? The answer is one woman: Sam McAlister. This is how she bagged the interview of the decade.Read all about it: https://www.hive.co.uk/Product/Sam-McAlister/Scoops--The-BBCs-Most-Shocking-Interviews-from-Prince-And/27025330https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QtBS8COhhhMhttps://variety.com/2023/film/global/netflix-prince-andrew-film-scoop-gillian-anderson-rufus-sewell-1235514568/ Supported by Studio To Be.Hosted and produced: Maeve McClenaghan Audio production support: Chloe BehrensSound design and audio mixing: Alec CowanOriginal music: Claudia MezaTheme music: Dice muse Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hannah Al-Othman sits in her car in front of a stranger’s house. Inside is a man who might be responsible for a woman’s death. A man whose name is known to a lot of people, but who has not yet been brought to justice.In this episode we hear how Hannah and her colleague David Collins uncovered a shocking story of silence and inaction.Read all about it:https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/i-believe-british-soldiers-killed-my-sister-agnes-wanjiru-now-i-want-the-truth-rbc69q9pf https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/british-army-soldier-murder-mother-kenya-9hffnjqqv https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/crying-with-laughter-british-soldiers-joked-about-mothers-murder-on-facebook-fkj9s6stb Supported by Studio To Be.Hosted and produced: Maeve McClenaghan Audio production support: Chloe BehrensSound design and audio mixing: Alec CowanOriginal music: Claudia MezaTheme music: Dice muse Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After working for years to put together the pieces of how a massacre had gone unsolved, Barry and his team publish their findings. But that is far from the end of the story…This is how Barry got sucked into the story himself - after being arrested and taken to court, all for trying to report the truth.Read all about it:https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/may/31/northern-ireland-judge-rebukes-police-for-seizing-papers-from-journalistshttps://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-48504287https://www.irishnews.com/news/northernirelandnews/2019/09/19/news/rte-to-screen-loughinisland-documentary-no-stone-unturned-1716947/Hosted and produced: Maeve McClenaghanProduction support: Cheeka AyersTheme music: Dice MuseThis series of The Tip-Off is brought to you with support from the Bureau of Investigative Journalism and funding from Charities Aid Foundation.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The violent, protracted conflict known as The Troubles claimed many innocent victims in Northern Ireland. But one atrocity stood out for journalist Barry McCaffrey - the massacred of six men in the quiet, tiny village of Loughinisland. The killings stuck with him, in part because it seemed so clear who the suspects were, so why were they walking free?Barry explains how he spent years digging into what happened after the massacre, an investigation that would be developed into the acclaimed Alex Gibney film No Stone Unturned. It is a story that would have unintended consequences… Read all about it:https://www.thedetail.tv/articles/loughinisland-collusion-or-mythhttps://www.amazon.co.uk/No-Stone-Unturned-Aidan-OToole/dp/B078HQSC2MHosted and produced: Maeve McClenaghanProduction support: Cheeka AyersTheme music: Dice MuseThis series of The Tip-Off is brought to you with support from the Bureau of Investigative Journalism and funding from Charities Aid Foundation. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

A video of an extrajudicial killing haunts Aliaume Leroy - but how do you get to the truth from a short film posted on social media? Aliaume found himself banding together with open source investigators across the world in a race to uncover the truth behind the atrocity. This is the story of how they did it.Read all about it: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/world-africa-45599973/cameroon-atrocity-finding-the-soldiers-who-killed-this-womanHosted and produced: Maeve McClenaghanProduction support: Alice MillikenTheme music: Dice MuseThis series of The Tip-Off is brought to you with support from the Bureau of Investigative Journalism and funding from Charities Aid Foundation.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In a crowded tent at Latitude Festival, journalist Charlie Mole explains how he tracked back how a conspiracy theory had grown and developed, finally ending up on US national news.In this show, recorded in front of a live audience, Charlie explains how the death of a young Democrat staffer, sparked an elaborate story about revenge killings, secret leaks and shady forces at work.Help support the show: www.patreon.com/thetipoffRead all about it:https://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/bbc/conspiracy-files-murder-in-washington-bbc2/5127901.articlehttps://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-trending-43727858Hosted and produced: Maeve McClenaghanProduction support: Cheeka AyersTheme music: Dice MuseThis series of The Tip-Off is brought to you with support from the Bureau of Investigative Journalism and funding from Charities Aid Foundation.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Hundreds of miles apart, journalists Jessica Purkiss and JD are working to get answers. They are looking for accountability and justice for an Afghan man named Masih. Masih’s entire family was wiped out in an airstrike, on his house in a remote part of Afghanistan. This is the story of how Masih worked with journalists around the world to get to the truth. Read all about it: https://www.thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2019-06-03/us-bomb-kills-afghan-familyhttps://youtu.be/cUNihuiCp3oHosted and produced: Maeve McClenaghanProduction support: Alice MillikenTheme music: Dice MuseThis series of The Tip-Off is brought to you with support from the Bureau of Investigative Journalism and funding from Charities Aid Foundation. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Journalist Louise Tickle is one of a handful of reporters who covers a secretive and little known area of UK life… the family courts. In this episode she explains the many challenges she faces in reporting even the most egregious cases of wrong-doing, and talks through a potentially precedent setting case.Read all about it:https://openfamilycourt.wordpress.com/https://www.patreon.com/louisetickle https://www.theguardian.com/society/2019/feb/19/right-open-family-courts-scrutiny-high-courtHosted and produced: Maeve McClenaghanProduction support: Cheeka EyersTheme music: Dice MuseThis series of The Tip-Off is brought to you with support from the Bureau of Investigative Journalism and funding from Charities Aid Foundation.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

For years Alon Aviram and Adam Cantwell-Corn followed a story - a story that took them to dingy warehouses, stake-outs in cars, and undercover work in ice cream vans. This is how the Bristol Cable tracked alleged wrongdoing in one of the city’s well-known businesses.The multi-award winning investigation took years and had big impact… this is how they did it.Read all about it: https://thebristolcable.org/2019/05/finally-exposed-how-lopresti-ice-cream-boss-kept-men-in-slave-like-conditions-tenants-and-families-in-squalor-but-people-spoke-out/https://thebristolcable.org/2019/10/revealed-an-anti-slavery-court-order-was-made-against-local-boss-lopresti-heres-evidence-it-may-be-being-breached/Hosted and produced: Maeve McClenaghanProduction support: Alice MilikenTheme music: Dice MuseThis series of The Tip-Off is brought to you with support from the Bureau of Investigative Journalism and funding from Charities Aid Foundation. Thanks to our Patreon supporters who make these stories possible - you can support us at: https://www.patreon.com/thetipoff See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Amelia Gentleman’s work exposing the Windrush Scandal is some of the most impactful and well-renowned journalism of recent years. But where did it all begin?Amelia explains how a simple email she received while on holiday, set off a chain of events that would lead to arguably the biggest story of her illustrious career.Read all about it: https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-windrush-betrayal/amelia-gentleman//9781783351848Hosted and produced: Maeve McClenaghanProduction support: Alice MillikenTheme music: Dice MuseThis series of The Tip-Off is brought to you with support from the Bureau of Investigative Journalism and funding from Charities Aid Foundation.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

While researching the effects of the One Child Policy in China, LA Times journalist Barbara Demick stumbles upon an extraordinary story: twin sisters, one of whom was forcibly adopted away to the USA. Barbara sets off to find the missing twin, and reunite the family. Read all about it:https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2019-08-07/how-a-journalist-discovered-and-reunited-identical-twinsHosted and produced: Maeve McClenaghanProduction support: Alice MillikenTheme music: Dice MuseThis series of The Tip Off is brought to you with support from the Bureau of Investigative Journalism and funding from Charities Aid Foundation.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Jodi Kantor was given a beat and had been pointed at a tweet - a single tweet, without any names included that would set her on a months-long investigation. Teaming up with Megan Twohey, the two New York Times’ journalists set off to uncover one of the biggest scandals of the decade: a slew of allegations against movie mogul Harvey Weinstein.(Weinstein and lawyers representing his former company went on to deny all wrong-doing.)This is the story of what went into breaking a major story that started a viral, online movement. Read all about it: Jodi and Megan’s book She Said is out now and available from all good booksellers: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/586563/she-said-by-jodi-kantor-and-megan-twohey/Hosted and produced: Maeve McClenaghanProduction support: Cheeka EyersTheme music: Dice MuseThis series of The Tip-Off is brought to you with support from the Bureau of Investigative Journalism and funding from Charities Aid Foundation.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Ayo Awokoya had an idea and she couldn’t let it go. This is how a talented and tenacious freelancer followed her instincts to uncover a shocking story - revealing modern day slavery practices happening in European agriculture. The work later won the Frontline Club Award for Print.Read all about it: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jun/20/tomatoes-italy-mafia-migrant-labour-modern-slaveryHosted and produced: Maeve McClenaghanProduction support: Cheeka EyersTheme music: Dice MuseThis series of The Tip-Off is brought to you with support from the Bureau of Investigative Journalism and funding from Charities Aid Foundation. Thanks to our Patreon supporters who make these stories possible - you can support us at: https://www.patreon.com/thetipoff See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week we offer you a taste of something new... enjoy an extract from new podcast series The Immaculate Deception.Fertility doctor Jan Karbaat was renowned for getting amazing results. Women who were desperate for children would visit him at his Rotterdam clinic and always leave pregnant. But when the clinic closed, rumours began about the methods Karbaat used to achieve his success. The children conceived at the clinic - the Karbaat Kids - began asking difficult questions about what happened to their mothers. What happened in Dr Karbaat’s clinic? From Somethin’ Else, The Immaculate Deception is a story about a doctor who was determined to create life - by any means possible. Reported and hosted by Jenny Kleeman. Find it now wherever you get your podcasts. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Peter Geoghegan is standing on a train station platform when he sees it - a large advert in a free-sheet newspaper that will set him off on an investigation into the dark world of campaign spending.In this episode we hear how he worked to unravel the secrets behind the Brexit campaigning by Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist Party - as he attempts to follow their funding to the source.Read all about it:Peter’s book Democracy For Sale: Dark Money and Dirty Politics is out now https://www.hive.co.uk/Product/Peter-Geoghegan/Democracy-for-Sale--Dark-Money-and-Dirty-Politics/24069555 Hosted and produced: Maeve McClenaghanTheme music: Dice Muse  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

HuffPost UK's Nadine White is onto a story- following allegations of fraud and wrong-doing in a well-publicised British church. But why has no-one else spotted the story? Could it be because these are black victims?In response to Nadine's findings, SPAC Nation denied the allegations and said that it has thousands of members and police should carry out the review and take whatever measures they deemed fit.Read all about it:https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/spac-nation-pastors-church-knife-crime_uk_5dc47ee4e4b0eb0ef22b13d8https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/spac-nation-opinion-media-politicians_uk_5dcd91f1e4b03a7e0296d035Hosted and produced: Maeve McClenaghanProduction support: Cheeka EyersTheme music: Dice MuseThis series of The Tip-Off is brought to you with support from the Bureau of Investigative Journalism and funding from Charities Aid Foundation. Thanks to our Patreon supporters who make these stories possible - you can support us at: https://www.patreon.com/thetipoff See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Samir Jeraj and Natalie Bloomer have decided to team on to take on an investigation… they want to know if and how police forces are sharing information with immigration officials, and they are about to uncover some shocking findings. Read all about it:https://www.politics.co.uk/news/2017/04/05/met-police-hands-victims-of-crime-over-to-the-home-office https://www.politics.co.uk/news/2017/08/11/sex-worker-robbed-at-knifepoint-faces-deportation-after-conthttps://www.politics.co.uk/news/2017/11/28/woman-reports-rape-to-police-and-is-arrested-on-immigrationHosted and produced: Maeve McClenaghanTheme music: Dice Muse  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Omar Radi is working in dangerous circumstances. His journalism is exposing how tribal lands are being snatched away from inhabitants in Morocco, only to be sold off at exorbitant rates. He knows this work is making him enemies… but he has no idea just how serious things will get.Support Omar:Sign the Amnesty International Ireland petition: https://www.amnesty.ie/urgent-action-morocco-stop-harassing-journalist-omar-radi/Write to or tweet at your Moroccan Embassy, in the UK: https://www.moroccanembassylondon.org.uk/en/Contact%20us.html / @MOROCCOinUK Hosted and produced: Maeve McClenaghanTheme music: Dice Muse  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.