James Oliver: Why Scorsese is only half-right about streaming
Cinema is a unique and precious art form. Which doesn’t mean Netflix is all bad
Slow down, wise up
What’s different about Tortoise is slow news. Not breaking news, but what’s driving it.
Our award-winning team doesn’t cover every story but takes the time to reveal just one a week. Calm, clear reporting on the stories that matter most.
sensemaker our daily roundup of the news that matters
Elite embarrassment
26 February 2021
Giles Whittell
- Joe Biden ordered US air strikes on Iran-backed militia targets in Syria that killed “up to a handful” of people.
- Shamima Begum was told she can’t return to the UK to appeal the decision to strip her of UK citizenship for joining Isis.
- Boris Johnson thanked Blackpink, the K-pop girl band with 35 million Instagram followers, for taping a message on the importance of acting against climate change.
In January, there’s Davos. All year round, there’s McKinsey. If ever one company served as a lightning rod for criticism of – and conspiracy theories about – global elites, it’s the consulting firm with 650 partners, dozens of governments on its client list and more than $10 billion in annual revenues (although as a partnership it doesn’t have to say how much more).
our big five
wealth
Exodus economics
If foreign-born workers are leaving the UK in droves, what will be the long-term effect on the economy?…
new things
our planet
100-year life
Belonging
sensemaker daily | catchup
the pandemic
Everything you need to know about Covid-19
For a year now, one story has dominated the news cycle above all others. We’ve aimed to take the long-view of Covid-19: we’ve investigated the catastrophe of the test and trace system, the crisis in care homes, and the extended after-effects of the disease.
This week
Tax and Honour
Sir Jim Ratcliffe is one of Britain’s richest men. But how much do we know about the plastics mogul – and his tax affairs?
Our recent Files
WallStreetWins
Wall St has been braced for the big one; a moment of real disruption that changes the financial world forever. Some people thought Gamestop was that moment. Was it really?
A year of Covid
We’ve all been affected by the pandemic, but few as severely as Geoff Woolf, the father of reporter Nicky Woolf. This is the story of his 306 days in hospital – and beyond
Corinna & the king
She was his lover. He was the king of Spain. And they were both at the centre of a strange, luxurious world of hunts, deals and “donations”
The Trump hangover
Joe Biden may be in the White House, but his predecessor has left more than just tan stains
a four-part podcast series
Hidden homicides
How many women are killed – but not counted?
The vaccine
Our way out of the coronavirus pandemic has been discovered – but not yet delivered.
Immigration & asylum
As the post-Brexit era begins, what does Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s vision of “global Britain” mean?
More of our Files from 2020
Year of the Screen
From Zoom calls to gaming sessions, from Netflix binges to smartphone-led protests, this is how 2020 panned out
Feminism Inc.
The Wing was the perfect haven for professional women – until it wasn’t. Here’s what happens when corporate feminism turns sour
Halloween 2020
Leaks, delays, mistakes and recrimination. This Halloween, there was nothing scarier than the British government’s handling of the second lockdown
Trans Rights
Earlier this year, JK Rowling stepped into one of the fiercest debates of our time – gender and trans rights. Why?
Meet the editor
“In my recent journalism, I’ve been digging into the dysfunction at the heart of the UK government. Here’s an example, along with some other recent Tortoise articles I’ve enjoyed.”
Matt d’Ancona
Our members like
Photo essays
Our friends in the North
Xiomara Bender
29 June 2019
Bitter harvest
Mariano Silletti
16 November 2019
The wee muckers
Toby Binder
12 October 2019
Circus Love
Stephanie Gengotti
02 August 2019
Line in the sand
Pascal Maitre
7 February 2020
Life at the top
Kadir van Lohuizen and Yuri Kozyrev
27 April 2019
No agua, no vida
John Trotter
30 November 2019
Isolated from the world
Jordi Ruiz Cirera
10 March 2019
Europe’s last pastoral
Rena Effendi
16 March 2019
Crunching the numbers
Discovering stories in big datasets.
Responsibility 100 Index
A ranking of the FTSE 100 companies on their contribution towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals, measuring their commitment to key social, environmental and ethical objectives such as carbon reduction, gender equality and good business practices.
The Global AI Index
Which countries are winning the race for the future?
Coronashock
The pandemic didn’t affect all of Britain equally.
Net zero
Tortoise members have been working on how to get to net zero carbon emissions by 2030.
Fighting for justice
Hidden Homicides
How many women are killed – but not counted? In the UK, we’re told that two women a week are killed by a current or former partner. But these are just the killings we know about…
My mother’s murder
In October 2017, Daphne Caruana Galizia was murdered by a car bomb in Malta where she lived and worked. She was a prolific reporter, juggling dozens of stories at the same time.
Happy the elephant
A judge will decide whether Happy is unlawfully detained and can leave her zoo for an elephant sanctuary. It is a milestone case – not least for our relationship with animals.
Campus justice
We have spent months examining the handling of rape and sexual assault cases on campus at UK universities.
The reckoning
As Britain begins to reopen, there is a need for a reckoning: what has happened during this pandemic; how have decisions been taken; and what must be done differently?
Arts & Culture
Slow Reviews
Our new series focuses on the cultural artefacts – books, movies, albums – that really made their mark
Trans Rights
Earlier this year, JK Rowling stepped into one of the fiercest debates of our time – gender and trans rights. Why?
Policing black music
How Drill – the sound of Chicago’s streets – rewrote the rules of the music business
The Future of History
What should history look like today – as a subject of study, but also an area of action and protest?
Creative Sensemaker
Our weekly guide to all that’s best in culture and the arts – movies, streaming, books, music, galleries and much else.
Gangster movies: Ten of the best
Creative Sensemaker: The curious case of Sia’s disaster movie
Creative Sensemaker: Streaming success
Big five
The forces changing our world
The 100 year life
health. education. living. public policy.
Our planet
environment. natural resources. geopolitics.
New things
technology. science. engineering.
Belonging
society. identity. countries. beliefs. arts.
Wealth
investment. fairness. prosperity.
