Fergus Bell
ferg.social
Fergus Bell
@ferg.social
🗞️ Founder & CEO at Fathm
🌱 Founder & Executive Director at Syli
🟣 Senior Fellow & Trustee at John Schofield Trust
Started as a newsroom journalist, now supporting the global news industry as it adapts to AI and the climate crisis.
I'm taking part in a campaign and research exercise exploring healthy masculinity called #HardAsNails. This March, hundreds of men will creatively confront stereotypes by having their nails painted. It will hopefully spark interesting conversations about masculinity...
March 20, 2025 at 5:14 PM
The Fathm team have made it to Delhi and we're making the final few updates before we welcome our first South Asia cohort to the @WAN-IFRA Newsroom Al Catalyst Programme.
February 5, 2025 at 12:40 PM
Reposted by Fergus Bell
The latest edition of our daily roundup on journalism is out, featuring a new piece on Deepseek, a new report on addressing news avoidance and a new project on Israel's shifting public sphere

Click to read, share and subscribe
www.linkedin.com/pulse/journa...
Journalism Today. 29 Jan 2025
By Eduardo Suárez and Gretel Kahn 🗞️ 3 Top News Stories 1. What DeepSeek may mean for journalism and AI.
www.linkedin.com
January 29, 2025 at 10:14 AM
In June 2023 Fathm made the permanent move to a four-day working week and we haven't looked back. If you're thinking about making the move and need tips for how to implement it, we're always happy to share anything from our journey that might be helpful. www.theguardian.com/money/2025/j...
Two hundred UK companies sign up for permanent four-day working week
More than 5,000 workers to benefit from reduced hours with no loss of pay
www.theguardian.com
January 28, 2025 at 9:05 AM
Reposted by Fergus Bell
US banks & the Fed have left voluntary climate initiatives after pressure from Republican states, and now Trump.

But US lenders & asset managers have clients in Europe, where net zero targets continue to apply. Expect further EU-US bifurcation of ESG investing.

www.nytimes.com/2025/01/20/b...
Big Banks Quit Climate Change Groups Ahead of Trump’s Term
Several large U.S. financial institutions, including the Federal Reserve, have withdrawn from the networks after years of growing political and legal pressure.
www.nytimes.com
January 21, 2025 at 7:35 AM
"We will get rid of our fact-checking control, stop demoting fact checked content..."

This is a truly bonkers move from Meta. The world needs to take the threat of misinformation more seriously, not less.
More Speech and Fewer Mistakes | Meta
We're ending our third party fact-checking program and moving to a Community Notes model.
about.fb.com
January 7, 2025 at 2:00 PM
I'm afraid my account has been cloned and whatever bot is running it seems to be messaging people who thought they were following the real me and pivoting to a hard crypto sell. I've reported it but if you've been on the receiving end I would be grateful if you could do the same! Below is the fake👇
January 4, 2025 at 12:57 PM
Reposted by Fergus Bell
White Christmas (1942) is a climate change song
December 21, 2024 at 2:47 AM
"Heatwaves, drought, insect-borne diseases and extreme weather are getting worse because of the climate crisis, putting lives and livelihoods at risk, found the report, the first comprehensive analysis of the state of climate change and health in island states."
Small island nations face climate-induced ‘catastrophe’, warn experts
First comprehensive study on health and climate change in small island developing states lays bare impact of the crisis and calls for action from richer countries
www.theguardian.com
December 10, 2024 at 11:45 AM
“In the future, if climate change is not addressed and is not thoughtfully handled, triathlons can cease to exist."
November 29, 2024 at 3:41 PM
I'm excited to be joining this initiative being led by @ezraeeman.bsky.social. I'm one of the members of the inaugural AI in Media advisory board. Looking forward to getting started!
Some news!

I'm honored to support WAN-IFRA as new Strategic Advisor for AI initiatives, helping shape the dialogue around artificial intelligence in the news media industry working alongside an incredible advisory board of industry experts. More information here: www.wan-ifra-aim.org
November 29, 2024 at 3:37 PM
Reposted by Fergus Bell
✨Just out: the @carbonbrief.org summary of what COP29 means for food, land and nature.

Carbon markets, deforestation, the Rio Trio, Indigenous rights, methane, greenwashing, new NDCs…it’s all in.

w/ @giulianaviglione.bsky.social @daisydunne.carbonbrief.org @orladwyer.carbonbrief.org Yanine Quiroz
COP29: Key outcomes for food, forests, land and nature at the UN climate talks in Baku - Carbon Brief
Carbon Brief explains how food, forests, land and nature featured inside and outside the negotiations at COP29.
www.carbonbrief.org
November 27, 2024 at 12:05 PM
Reposted by Fergus Bell
Is this what the collapse of #AMOC would look like for #Ireland and the #UK? A week-long cold wave and snow followed by a big storm and rapidly rising temperatures? For #adaptation planning this is a real headache www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2024...
Storm Bert: thousands without power as UK is lashed with 70mph gusts
Rising temperatures now likely to cause widespread flooding due to melting ice and heavy rain, say forecasters
www.theguardian.com
November 23, 2024 at 11:59 PM
"It’s been a bad year for climate and we’ve seen a gradual erosion in the public’s commitment to action for a couple of years now. The paradox is, of course, that major climate events are happening more frequently everywhere, yet people are no longer willing to prioritize this."
Huge election year worldwide sees weakening commitment to act on climate crisis
Among sweeping rightwing electoral victories across the globe, the ‘big loser of the elections has been climate’
www.theguardian.com
November 24, 2024 at 7:37 AM
Does a new social network have to actually be "useful"? Or is it ok if we use it for something different this time?
Opinion - The problem with Bluesky: It won’t broaden our horizons: In the wake of Donald Trump’s election win, the social-media platform has enjoyed a surge of new users looking for an alternative to Elon Musk’s X. But will it be useful, if it just creates an echo chamber for the left?
The problem with Bluesky: It won’t broaden our horizons
In the wake of Donald Trump’s election win, the social-media platform has enjoyed a surge of new users looking for an alternative to Elon Musk’s X. But will it be useful, if it just creates an echo chamber for the left?
www.theglobeandmail.com
November 22, 2024 at 11:49 AM
Reposted by Fergus Bell
Carbon Brief’s team of specialist journalists, who are on the ground in Baku, Azerbaijan 🇦🇿 will be hosting a free webinar to discuss the key outcomes from #COP29.

🗓️ When? Monday 25 November, 15:00 (GMT)

Register here ➡️ https://buff.ly/4eIg7vm
November 21, 2024 at 5:21 PM
Reposted by Fergus Bell
Underground wildfires - burning from the Arctic to Indonesia - threaten an outsized impact on climate change. Their astonishing scope is shown by @bloomberg.com journalists Kyle Kim and Armand Emamdjomeh. Thanks to @mparrington.bsky.social and others quoted.
www.bloomberg.com/graphics/202...
Climate Change Is So Bad, Even the Arctic Is On Fire
Around the world, wildfires are moving underground, burning up massive carbon deposits. The resulting emissions threaten to worsen global warming.
www.bloomberg.com
October 16, 2024 at 2:49 PM
Reposted by Fergus Bell
I would love to make a starter pack for UK-based freelance journalists joining Bluesky to help get commissions, please let me know if that's you or someone you've worked with (freelance journalists outside the UK will be next!)
November 20, 2024 at 10:38 AM
What do you know about Spirulina? It’s a wonder plant that could be an asset in the fight against climate change.

BTW climateXchange is nonprofit initiative that supports newsrooms to create solutions-focused climate journalism output like this www.climatexc.org
#climatesolutions #climatejournalism
November 21, 2024 at 12:36 PM
"We have seen first hand that setting targets and sharing expectations with suppliers helps increase the pace of change. The actions we take, such as refusing to take advertising money from fossil fuel producers, can show others what is possible."
What we’ve learned in the five years since our first environment pledge
An update on our progress from the Guardian’s head of sustainability
www.theguardian.com
November 21, 2024 at 12:20 PM
Reposted by Fergus Bell
Calling it now, “climate smart” is about to become the new “natural” label. Just absolutely meaningless, unregulated food marketing BS
November 20, 2024 at 6:00 PM
"There’s enough energy in the waves off America’s coasts to power one third of all the nation’s homes, said Matthew Grosso, the Energy Department’s director of the water power technologies office."
This seaside town will power thousands of homes with waves
A test site off the Oregon coast could be key to unlocking wave power in the United States. Surprisingly, residents aren’t opposed.
www.washingtonpost.com
November 20, 2024 at 7:07 PM
"Oil and chemical companies who created a high-profile alliance to end plastic pollution have produced 1,000 times more new plastic in five years than the waste they diverted from the environment, according to new data obtained by Greenpeace."
Five firms in plastic pollution alliance ‘made 1,000 times more plastic than they cleaned up’
Five oil and chemical companies which promised to divert plastic from environment accused of producing 132m tonnes of it
www.theguardian.com
November 20, 2024 at 7:05 PM
Reposted by Fergus Bell
We have a great opportunity for a trainee community reporter to join the famous @liverpoolecho.co.uk

You don't need any qualifications & can work in our newsroom as you learn on the job. A great chance to get a foot in the industry.

Details here 👇

www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpo...
Make a difference in your community by training to be a reporter
There is an opportunity for a trainee community reporter to come and join our team as part of the NCTJ’s Community News Project
www.liverpoolecho.co.uk
November 20, 2024 at 4:33 PM