
Sensemaker Audio
Why are prisons so full?
The government has announced it will let some prisoners out early in England and Wales due to overcrowding. Is that enough to solve a growing crisis?
Sensemaker Audio
The government has announced it will let some prisoners out early in England and Wales due to overcrowding. Is that enough to solve a growing crisis?
Sensemaker Audio
Nearly one year ago, the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody sparked protests across Iran. The unrest triggered national protests which were met with brutal repression, leading to a number of deaths. So what’s happening in Iran one year on?
Sensemaker Audio
A previously unknown and unsigned musician has topped the US charts with a song that blames urban elites for the troubles of working-class Americans. How did the right turn “Rich Men North of Richmond” into a hit?
Sensemaker Audio
The descendants of former British prime minister William Gladstone have travelled to Guyana to apologise for their family’s role in the slave trade.
Sensemaker Audio
The former neonatal nurse has been sentenced to a whole-life order for murdering seven babies in her care and attempting to murder six others. Now the focus is on the hospital where she worked and how she got away with it for so long.
Sensemaker Audio
How some Russians with lots of money and close links to Vladimir Putin have managed to sidestep sanctions.
Sensemaker Audio
Rapper Tory Lanez has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for shooting Megan Thee Stallion. Three years after the incident and 8 months after he was found guilty in a US court – he’s still denying it.
Sensemaker Audio
July was the world’s hottest month on record and one city in particular experienced extreme temperatures for a 31-day streak. How are places like Phoenix coping with the affects of climate change?
Sensemaker Audio
Violence is rife and some boys spend more than 100 days in solitary confinement at the young offender institution in Kent. It has had problems for years, so what can be done to fix it?
Sensemaker Audio
The government has announced it will let some prisoners out early in England and Wales due to overcrowding. Is that enough to solve a growing crisis?
Sensemaker Audio
Nearly one year ago, the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody sparked protests across Iran. The unrest triggered national protests which were met with brutal repression, leading to a number of deaths. So what’s happening in Iran one year on?
Sensemaker Audio
A previously unknown and unsigned musician has topped the US charts with a song that blames urban elites for the troubles of working-class Americans. How did the right turn “Rich Men North of Richmond” into a hit?
Sensemaker Audio
The descendants of former British prime minister William Gladstone have travelled to Guyana to apologise for their family’s role in the slave trade.
Sensemaker Audio
The former neonatal nurse has been sentenced to a whole-life order for murdering seven babies in her care and attempting to murder six others. Now the focus is on the hospital where she worked and how she got away with it for so long.
Sensemaker Audio
How some Russians with lots of money and close links to Vladimir Putin have managed to sidestep sanctions.
Sensemaker Audio
Rapper Tory Lanez has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for shooting Megan Thee Stallion. Three years after the incident and 8 months after he was found guilty in a US court – he’s still denying it.
Sensemaker Audio
July was the world’s hottest month on record and one city in particular experienced extreme temperatures for a 31-day streak. How are places like Phoenix coping with the affects of climate change?
Sensemaker Audio
Violence is rife and some boys spend more than 100 days in solitary confinement at the young offender institution in Kent. It has had problems for years, so what can be done to fix it?
thinkin
Over the course of six jaw-dropping episodes, the Sweet Bobby podcast tells the story of Kirat Assi and one of the most extraordinary examples of catfishing you’re ever likely to hear. When the investigation began, Tortoise’s Alexi Mostrous could never have predicted the twists, turns, deceptions and reveals in Kirat’s story. We don’t want to share any spoilers now, but join us for this very special ThinkIn where we’ll get into the stories behind the story of Sweet Bobby, meet some of the characters involved, and explore what this sensational story says about trust, relationships, and our online lives. editor and invited experts Liz Moseley Members Editor, Tortoise Alexi Mostrous Head of Investigations, Tortoise Amrit Maan Solicitor; founder and director, Punjab Arts; managing director of The Punjab Restaurant, Covent Garden Harkirat (Kirat) Assi Artistic director, Punjab Arts
thinkin
Shukri Abdi died in 2019. Her family still don’t know what happened to her. Join us to hear more about their fight for justice. Our daily digital ThinkIns are exclusively for Tortoise members and their guests.Try Tortoise free for four weeks to unlock your complimentary tickets to all our digital ThinkIns.If you’re already a member and looking for your ThinkIn access code you can find it in the My Tortoise > My Membership section of the app next to ‘ThinkIn access code’.We’d love you to join us.Shukri Abdi was born and raised in a refugee camp in Kenya. She arrived in the UK with her mother and siblings in January 2017, aged 10, after fleeing war in Somalia. Her body was found in the River Irwell in Bury in June 2019. The circumstances surrounding her death, and the events leading up to it, remain a mystery. Greater Manchester police initially deemed her drowning a “tragic incident” with no suspicious circumstances. The inquest was opened in February but adjourned with no resumption date. Her case has received renewed attention following the death of George Floyd and the subsequent Black Lives Matter protests. Andy Burnham, mayor for Greater Manchester, is calling for answers. This ThinkIn is an opportunity to join Tortoise’s investigations team listening to perspectives from those close to Shukri’s case, and to cases like it, in search of those answers.Chair: James Harding, Editor and Co-founder, TortoiseOur special guests are:Nimo Omer is a freelance journalist and North America editor at the Meridian Magazine, specialising in topics surrounding race and migration.Lauren Seager-Smith, CEO Kidscape, a charity focussed on children’s safety, with an emphasis on the prevention of harm by equipping children with techniques and mindsets that help them stay safe. Kidscape’s Child Protection programmes are now taught UK-wide in thousands of schools and community groups. Their mission is to provide children, families, carers and professionals with advice, training and practical tools to prevent bullying and protect young lives. She is also Non Executive Director at WokenUp, a board member of the UK Safer Internet Centre, Children’s Charities’ Coalition on Internet Safety and the Internet Matters Expert Advisory Group. She is a Member of the England Committee, Action for Children.How does a digital ThinkIn work?A digital ThinkIn is like a video conference, hosted by a Tortoise editor, that takes place at the advertised time of the event. Digital ThinkIns are new to Tortoise. Now that our newsroom has closed due to the coronavirus outbreak, we feel it’s more important than ever that we ‘get together’ to talk about the world and what’s going on.The link to join the conversation will be emailed to you after you have registered for your ticket to attend. When you click the link, you enter the digital ThinkIn and can join a live conversation from wherever you are in the world. Members can enter their unique members’ access code to book tickets. Find yours in My Tortoise > My Membership in the Tortoise app.If you have any questions or get stuck, please read our FAQs, or get in touch with us at memberhelp@tortoisemedia.comWhat is a Tortoise ThinkIn?A ThinkIn is not another panel discussion. It is a forum for civilised disagreement. It is a place where everyone has a seat at the (virtual) table. It’s where we get to hear what you think, drawn from your experience, energy and expertise. It is the heart of what we do at Tortoise.
thinkin
From his best selling and prize winning book, East West Street and BBC podcast The Ratline, to his epic career as one of the UK’s most celebrated human rights barristers, Philippe Sands continues to shed light on the darker side of humanity. The Ratline tells the tale of familial love, deceit, and denial in the aftermath of the Nazi regime. The renowned QC investigates the life and death of Otto von Wachter – the Nazi governor, responsible – though his son is not convinced – for the murder of hundreds of thousands of Jews and Poles, including some of Sands’ family members. His latest book of the series is both a history and a memoir of this mysterious story. Chair: Merope Mills, Editor and Partner, Tortoise This special ThinkIn is exclusively for Tortoise members. If you’re not yet a member but would like to come, you can buy a ticket for £50. The ticket includes entry to the Philippe Sands ThinkIn for you and a friend, and one year’s Tortoise membership. As a member, you get access to our app, Sensemaker emails, the Tortoise Quarterly as an ebook and 10 ThinkIn tickets for the year. If you would like to bring a friend, you can reserve their spot by emailing us at thinkin@tortoisemedia.com with their name and email address. What is a Tortoise ThinkIn? A ThinkIn is not another panel discussion. It is a forum for civilised disagreement. Modelled on what we call a ‘leader conference’ in the UK (or an editorial board in the US), it is a place where everyone has a seat at the table. It’s where we get to hear what you think, drawn from your experience, energy and expertise. It’s where, together, we sift through what we know to come to a clear, concise point of view. It is the heart of what we do at Tortoise. Drinks from 6.00pm, it starts promptly at 6.30pm. If you are late to a ThinkIn you can ‘SlinkIn’! If you would like to contribute to this ThinkIn, let us know by emailing thinkin@tortoisemedia.com We film our ThinkIns so we can watch them back, edit the best bits and share them with members who weren’t there in person. Members can find their ThinkIn booking code in My Tortoise, under My Membership.
thinkin
Miscarriages of justice are, statistically speaking, a rarity. Violent crime is nasty and cruel. And yet the world of podcasts and documentaries has been revived by the true crime genre, much more so than film or books. Some say crime stories are social pacifiers, a means of asserting the social order. Others say it’s a way of exploring what we are capable of. What appeals about it? Does it obscure or illuminate human nature and the way the criminal justice system really works? What is a Tortoise ThinkIn? A ThinkIn is not another panel discussion. It is a forum for civilised disagreement. Modelled on what we call a ‘leader conference’ in the UK (or an editorial board in the US), it is a place where everyone has a seat at the table. It’s where we get to hear what you think, drawn from your experience, energy and expertise. It’s where, together, we sift through what we know to come to a clear, concise point of view. It is the heart of what we do at Tortoise. Drinks from 6.00pm, starts promptly at 6.30pm. If you are late to a ThinkIn you can ‘SlinkIn’! If you would like to contribute to this ThinkIn, let us know by emailing thinkin@tortoisemedia.com We film our Thinkins so we can watch them back, edit the best bits and share them with members who weren’t there in person. Members can find their ThinkIn booking code in My Tortoise, under My Membership.
Sensemaker
When domestic abuse leads to suicide, should it be called something else?
Sensemaker
Sensemaker
Donald Trump is on the edge of a third criminal indictment as trial dates start colliding with key dates in the electoral calendar
Sensemaker
What just happened
Quarterly
Alexi Mostrous untangles the extraordinary web of deceit and manipulation revealed in Tortoise’s chart-topping podcast
Go behind the scenes and take a closer look at the complex world the catfisher used to trick Kirat
Slow View
Brighton’s Palace Pier, built in 1899, is still standing proud but the once regal West Pier is a different story, writes Paul Caruana Galizia
Slow View
John Darwin famously took a canoe out to sea to fake his own death so that his life insurance could save him from bankruptcy. But his wife Anne took most of the blame. Hattie Garlick wonders why
Sensemaker
What just happened