Longreads and investigative / Harriet Marsden

Tortoise • 13th August 2020

Across the universe

Some historians are thinking big – and they want the rest of us to do likewise. Harriet Marsden reports In the beginning there was David Christian, a Brooklyn-born teacher and originally a scholar of Russian history. In 1989 he was hired to teach a general history introduction at Macquarie University, Sydney, and developed a multidisciplinary course collaborating with colleagues from other academic fields. He called it “Big History”. Biology, physics, geology, politics, history, anthropology,

The Independent • 26th February 2020

How we’ve failed to stop the international tiger trade

Tyger Tyger, burning bright/ In the forests of the night. Perhaps no longer. Since William Blake wrote his most famous poem, an estimated 96 per cent of wild tigers have disappeared. There are fewer than 4,000 left.

The Independent • 8th February 2020

Child sex abuse, corruption and cover-ups: How football can and must move on from its darkest time

Andrew Woodward has no idea how many times he was raped as a child. In November 2016, the ex-footballer waived his right to anonymity and revealed that he had been a victim of sexual abuse for more than six years in the 1980s. The one-time Crewe Alexandra defender named his former coach, a convicted paedophile who police would later say had “almost an insatiable appetite” for young boys: Barry Bennell.

The Independent • 2nd December 2019

Even for Pussy Riot, gender equality must begin at home

In Pussy Riot, male members are in short supply. But while the Russian punk feminist collective does not have a defined list of participants, one man, Pyotr Verzilov, is usually included. The husband of Nadezhda “Nadya” Tolokonnikova (the group’s most famous member), is well known thanks to fighting with his wife while she was in prison, gatecrashing the 2018 football World Cup final in Russia and the fact that he was poisoned last year, allegedly by intelligence agents.

Tortoise • 15th November 2019

‘Wokeness’ nods off

The BBC’s identity correspondent Megha Mohan recently tweeted: “Note to editor; no-one in diverse circles uses the word “woke” anymore. In fact, it’s the clearest indication of the insular nature of their world if they file copy using it in 2019.” Or as an ABC foreign affairs reporter, pithily responded: “That word is whiter than frightened milk.”

The Independent • 20th October 2019

‘I could well die in here’: The story of Charlotte Nokes and the thousands still locked up on indefinite sentences

Life is fleeting, life is precious, and I have wasted too much time in oblivion. So wrote Charlotte Nokes while she was a prisoner at HMP Peterborough. She was originally sentenced to a minimum term of 15 months, but by the time she was found dead in her cell on 23 July 2016, she had served more than eight and a half years.

The Independent • 10th October 2019

‘This is not what we fought for’: The battle to end Iran’s ban on female football fans

When Iran beat Cambodia 14-0 in its home qualifier for the 2022 Qatar World Cup last night, only one corner of Tehran’s stadium cheered. A small section, ringed with metal fencing, was packed full of jubilant Iranian women, sporting painted faces and national flags. Hundreds more queued up outside. It was a pocket of celebration in a nearly empty stadium. Because for the first time in four decades, Iran had allowed women to buy tickets to a match. It was too late for Sahar Khodayari. Almost a m

The Independent • 2nd October 2019

Who knew storytelling would be so profitable? The success of Serial, five years on

Hae Min Lee was a typical high school student in Baltimore 1999. A popular Korean American girl, she was bright, pretty, romantic. On 13 January 1999, she was last seen driving from school to pick up her younger cousin. When she failed to turn up, her parents reported her missing. Police concluded that by that time, she was already dead.

The Independent • 24th August 2019

The first female American Airlines captain who piloted a flight on 9/11

Ladies and gentlemen, this is Captain Bev speaking. There’s been a crisis in the United States and all of the US airspace is closed. We’re going to be landing our aeroplane in Gander, in Newfoundland...” On 11 September 2001, those words were spoken on a Boeing 777 somewhere over the north Atlantic. Bev was Beverley Bass, the first female captain in American Airlines history.

The Independent • 6th March 2018

International Women's Day: What are matriarchies, and where are they now?

There is a school of thought that believes human society was originally matriarchal. From around 1.5 million years ago, women were revered as priestesses and honoured for their ability to bear children. But somewhere around 3,000BC, the balance shifted, and – so scholars believe – society was thereafter dominated by men; the patriarchy was born.

The Sunday Times • 11th December 2016

Blair Jr at centre of silky tax move

Nick Blair was involved in a deal to move Hector Herrera to FC Porto in 2013 At the age of only 27, Tony Blair’s second son, Nick, made a spectacular entrance into the sharp-elbowed world of football agents three years ago when he helped to seal a multimillion-pound transfer deal.

The Sunday Times • 11th December 2016

A bit of wizardry can save stars hundreds of thousands

More than 180 football stars across the Premier League have set up companies that allow them to avoid millions of pounds of tax on income from their clubs. An investigation by The Sunday Times has found that the footballers — including the majority of the England squad — are taking advantage of an arrangement with the tax authorities to minimise their tax on “image rights” payments.

Atavist • 3rd May 2016

A Year of Silence: The story of Sheku Bayoh

A year ago today, Sheku Bayoh was killed in police custody. His injuries were numerous. The facts were unclear. The media were largely uninterested. The investigation has been dogged with accusations of racism, harassment, tampering with evidence, and police cover ups. One year on, and the investigation is still ongoing. The family of this young man from Sierra Leone still have no closure. Now, on the anniversary of his death, the question remains. What happened to Sheku? And why?

Harriet Marsden

Across the universe

How we’ve failed to stop the international tiger trade

Child sex abuse, corruption and cover-ups: How football can and must move on from its darkest time

Even for Pussy Riot, gender equality must begin at home

‘Wokeness’ nods off

‘I could well die in here’: The story of Charlotte Nokes and the thousands still locked up on indefinite sentences

‘This is not what we fought for’: The battle to end Iran’s ban on female football fans

Who knew storytelling would be so profitable? The success of Serial, five years on

The first female American Airlines captain who piloted a flight on 9/11

International Women's Day: What are matriarchies, and where are they now?

Blair Jr at centre of silky tax move

A bit of wizardry can save stars hundreds of thousands

A Year of Silence: The story of Sheku Bayoh

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