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Joanne Murphy, Senior Conference Producer at Kisaco Research, joins Lara Schmoisman on Coffee Nº5 to pull back the curtain on Beauty Connect LA - one of the industry’s most strategic gatherings for founders, investors, and innovators. From retail readiness and AI-powered insights to the evolution of “clinical credibility,” Joanne breaks down what’s really shaping the beauty ecosystem in 2025 and how connection drives every deal. We talk about: How Beauty Connect LA intentionally brings together founders, investors, retailers, and creators to drive real growth—not just visibility Why AI and e-commerce are reshaping beauty’s playbook, from distribution to data The “Retail Ready” mindset: what brands must have in place before pitching to Sephora, Ulta, or Target How today’s consumer demands efficacy, education, and evidence—and what that means for product storytelling Why sponsors and tech partners need to teach, not just sell—and how connection fuels collaboration The rise of social commerce and how founders are becoming their own media channels Behind the scenes of Beauty Connect’s one-on-one meetings and how the right conversation can lead to real partnerships Listen to the full podcast episode here.

The truth about what gets you on the beauty shelf - and keeps you there. Read the full report here for the below: Introduction Beauty Breakouts: How retailers identify emerging brands Retail Readiness for Mid-Size Brands: The non-negotiables for getting stocked Polishing your Pitch: Avoiding common mistakes when presenting to buyers Scaling Successfully: Building systems to support growth Flixmedia: Accelerating digital shelf performance Retailer Hotlist: Categories and trends that are winning the shelf Top Takeaways: Start your retail roadmap Beauty Connect LA: What to expect in 2025

Date: March, 2023 Photo by National Cancer Institute  on Unsplash   If your doctor told you that oral contraceptives would regulate your periods, banish your acne and release you from the burden of your menstrual cramps, what would you do? For almost 40 years, general practitioners (GPs) have been prescribing female patients the same treatment – oral contraceptives. This seemingly one-fits-all approach simply masks the signs of underlying health conditions, delaying diagnosis and leading to potentially detrimental outcomes. Struggling to get valuable information and treatment is a problem faced by many women across the UK. In the last two years, there have been 38 petitions demanding that the government provide more research, education, and support for women’s health issues. One, titled ‘ Increase funding for research into Endometriosis and PCOS’ , received 101,910 signatures. This led to a parliamentary debate in November 2021 and, subsequently, the creation of the Women’s Health Strategy. Lottie Saunders began experiencing irregular periods, bloating and skin problems aged 14. She was finally diagnosed with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) and suspected Endometriosis last year, at 21 years old, after her condition worsened with severe cramping and thinning hair. Reader in Reproductive Physiology at St George’s University, Dr Suman Rice, has extensively researched PCOS and explained that the diagnostic criteria for the condition, which affects around one in ten women, have been historically flawed. “There was no defined consensus for diagnosis so, in the early two thousands, they created the Rotterdam criteria. You had to have two out of the three symptoms: irregular cycles or no menstrual periods, high androgens coming from the ovaries, and arrested follicles,” she said. High levels of androgens - “male” hormones - cause the ovaries to enlarge and the fluid-filled follicles that contain the eggs to stop growing, known as polycystic ovaries, which prevents ovulation. Saunders’ suspected diagnosis, Endometriosis, is a condition where tissue grows outside of the uterus, often spreading to the fallopian tubes or ovaries, which causes pain and can prevent normal pregnancy. A laparoscopy - “keyhole” - surgery is the only definitive diagnostic method, used to detect abnormal tissue and, if necessary, to remove it. Photo by Melany @ tuinfosalud.com on Unsplash It was only through comparing her experiences with other women that Saunders realised she may have these conditions. Her GP, at Wallace House Surgery in Hertford, never mentioned the possibility, instead, only prescribing the contraceptive pill. “It did help regulate my periods but didn’t help with anything else, and my pain has still worsened years later.” She asked her GP for a referral to a private gynaecologist, which led to her eventual diagnoses. While it took Saunders six years to receive a suspected diagnosis of Endometriosis and be scheduled for a diagnostic laparoscopy in March this year, the average time of diagnosis from the onset of symptoms is eight years for the one in ten women suffering with the condition. All the women we spoke to, who were eventually diagnosed with PCOS or Endometriosis, were given combined oral contraceptives (COCs) as the first line of treatment, with minimal advice and no tests or referrals given. This is consistent with National Institute of Excellence’s (NICE) guidelines , which is reviewed every five years and advises GPs against gynaecologist referrals and ultrasound scans until patients have been menstruating for eight years. COCs contain synthetic forms of hormones progesterone and oestrogen. Among more minor side effects of nausea and headaches, they also include increased risks of breast and cervical cancer, and blood clots, leading to complications such as strokes and heart attacks. Charlotte Kemble, a 23-year-old with PCOS, was prescribed the pill after suffering with extremely irregular periods, pain, cystic acne and excessive sweating. She expressed a lack of advice about symptom management from GPs at her surgery in Essex and said that the pill made her mental health worse. She has researched her own PCOS-friendly diet and regularly exercises, which has helped her mentally and physically. NICE guidelines state that GPs should “inform women diagnosed with PCOS about the possible long-term complications, including type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease”, for which they should be screened. None of the women we spoke to were offered these tests. By treating women with COCs without exploring underlying issues, Dr Rice worries that women face dangerous consequences. This can be particularly true when trying to conceive, if a woman’s treatment has not been tailored to the current stage of her reproductive life and what her goals might be. The increased risk of weight gain and insulin resistance presents new dangers for pregnant women with PCOS, who “are more at risk of getting gestational diabetes, hypertension and preeclampsia.” The guidelines recommend COCs as a first line of treatment for women’s reproductive issues, with no mention of sleep, stress or exercise, and only non-specific dietary advice for “overweight” individuals to reduce the risk of diabetes. Numerous studies have proven the benefits of alternative treatments, including Chinese acupuncture for reducing pain, studied by Yang Xu and Wenli Zhao at the Tianjin Academy of Integrative Medicine in 2017, and gluten-free diets, in a study by Megan Marziali and Talia Capozzolo in The Journal of Minimally Invasive Gynaecology in 2015. The guidelines do “not support the use of traditional Chinese medicine”. In her two decades working as a GP, Dr Semiya Aziz at Chase Lodge Hospital in London said doctors “must look at [NICE guidelines] for basic advice regarding treatment”. Consultant dietician Ursula Philpot noted that legal consequences will be faced by GPs who don’t follow NICE guidelines. She uses international guidelines when working with PCOS patients. “Where there are gaps in the knowledge, we look at primary research and independently critique that evidence to discuss with patients. “There isn’t a great deal of evidence around diet and hormonal imbalance. There haven’t been many high-quality trials, and it is under-resourced,” she said. The UK Clinical Research Collaboration (2015) showed that less than 2.5% of publicly funded research in the UK was dedicated to reproductive health. GP Dr Aziz said: “I do believe alternative therapies are beneficial, but we can't really advocate them as doctors since there has not been enough scientific research done to validate the benefits”. From dietician Philpot’s point of view, “without lifestyle interventions in national guidance, it’s far too easy to say it’s a hormone issue and the pill will help.” Photo by Nik  on Unsplash   Her advice for PCOS patients – who require an average 400 fewer calories - is generally to “reduce sugar and large or carbohydrate-based meals”. This helps to combat hunger, fatigue and cravings, that result from difficulties in controlling blood sugar. Rarely seeing NHS patients, Philpot explained, “we often see people whose GP recommended a low calorie, low carbohydrate diet and they end up bingeing. Although the intention is there with GPs, they are going at it far too hard and fast in 10-minute appointments. It's much better to take the time to explore their relationship with food”. With guidelines recommending against referring patients, Lottie Saunders had to request her own referral to a private gynaecologist at Rivers Hospital in Sawbridgeworth, which cost £200 per appointment. Only then was she diagnosed with PCOS. She felt her gynaecologist "actually cared” and improved her fatigue symptoms by reducing stress-levels and focusing on sleep. A GP at Saunders’ surgery for almost 30 years, Dr David Mclees said: “It’s important for clinicians to work within the scope of their training and to refer onwards to those who are more specialised.” But NHS waiting lists for appointments are growing, with a Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists report from March 2022 showing that 610,000 women were on gynaecology waiting lists - a 69% increase since pre-pandemic. People are seeking private healthcare to receive fast diagnoses and treatment, but YouGov polling for the IPPR in 2022 showed that 59% of UK patients would wait longer than 18 weeks because they could not afford it. Sophie Burrows, 23, was able to speed up her diagnostic laparoscopy surgery for Endometriosis when she accessed private health insurance through her job. After visiting her GP about period pain eight years prior, she was given the contraceptive pill and not sent for any tests until three years later, when her symptoms became unbearable and affected her work. With blood tests and scans coming back normal (as they do with endometriosis), she was prescribed painkillers for another two years before being put on a waiting list for the surgery. Photo by Elen Sher  on Unsplash   “The consultant said that she'd give me a laparoscopy,” she explained, turning down an NHS appointment for the surgery and cancelling her referral. “Then my private consultant decided she [wanted me] to try the Mirena coil as a hormonal management method instead.” Burrows was made to wait a minimum of three months, by which time she was still experiencing pain and no longer had access to private health insurance. She restarted her NHS referral, which was pushed back three times due to the pandemic, but she finally received a diagnosis of “deeply infiltrating” endometriosis in January this year. Of the top ten-ranked universities in London for qualifying GPs, only St George’s University MBBS courses contain relevant compulsory modules, such as obstetrics and gynaecology, with a 5-week mandatory placement at a clinic covering those areas. Another, King’s College, has no related modules on key courses for qualifying GPs. University College London has only one module dedicated to “Women’s Health and Men’s Health” in their five-year MBBS degree. After completing a four-year medical student program, a two-year foundation program is required to practice as a doctor in the UK, before choosing training in a specialised field. GP David McLees qualified in Medicine in 1988 from the University of London, where he spent two months focused on Obstetrics and Gynaecology. While he is well-educated in the field, he said, “it is up the individual to keep up to date with changes in medical practice.” Qualified GPs must partake in continuing professional development (CPD) - earning 50 hours of CPD points per year – with events that allow professionals to share, learn new skills and stay up to date with the latest developments. There are no CPD topics specific to reproductive health issues, with the closest being menopause and fertility problems. Dr Aziz said: “In all the courses I've been to regarding menopause and hormones, I very rarely see male doctors there. It's always females”. Dr McLees argued: “We need to appreciate the time constraints of fitting in CPD to the work schedule when there are other mandatory topics that need to be covered yearly, such as Resuscitation Training.” An analysis of complaints from the General Medical Council (GMC) in 2019 found that women were more than twice as likely to complain about male doctors not listening to them than men about female doctors. Lottie Saunders initially saw a male GP but after one consultation, she asked for a referral as she felt “dismissed” and that a woman would “better understand her condition”. In August 2022, the then Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Steve Barclay, presented to parliament a 10-year Women's Health Strategy for England, sparked by a debate that followed the petition titled “Increase funding for research into Endometriosis and PCOS”. This was shaped by a survey with 100,000 responses from women and 400 experts, with aims to “improve the way the health and care system listens to women's voices” and “boost health outcomes for women and girls”. The new government strategy led to the appointment of a Professor Dame Lesley Regan as the country’s first Women’s Health Ambassador in June 2022, to support its implementation and raise awareness for an initial 18-month period. She has been recognised for her work as Honorary Consultant in Gynaecology at St Mary’s Hospital and Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Imperial College. Professor Dame Lesley Regan did not provide a comment for publication. The strategy outlined the appointment of a deputy and a clinical women’s health lead in the NHS as “immediate commitments”, but there has been no progress on these positions. Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Mental Health and Women's Health Strategy, Maria Caulfield, did not provide any updates on these appointments. She responded to our questions with a letter that was sent to MPs in England on 25th January 2023, about one-year priorities, which only mentioned reproductive health conditions in relation to support in the workplace. Patient Safety Commissioner Henrietta Hughes, who was appointed in July 2022, said: “Female patients have told me they were called hysterical. All health professionals need to ensure they are listening to patients. Only then can we reduce the incidence of injury and harm from medicines and medical devices.” Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has failed to comment on the Women’s Health Strategy or reproductive health. In his New Year’s Address, he made the NHS one of his top priorities and set a series of goals, such as reducing wait times and achieving faster care for patients. Previously, he has abstained from votes such as the introduction of ‘buffer zones’ - to prevent anti-choice gatherings outside abortion clinics - and the continuation of a two-year trial of a “pills by post” scheme that allowed abortions pills to be taken at home. Photo by Alexander Grey  on Unsplash   After fourteen years of inadequate support, Sophie Burrows is now scheduled for a laparoscopy to remove her “deep and far-spread" endometrial tissue but, even so, there is no guarantee that new scar tissue will not form. “I wish that my endometriosis had been diagnosed sooner, as I do wonder whether my surgery would have been less intensive. My negative feeling moving forward is the possibility that my fertility may be affected,” she said. This investigation was conducted with contributions from fellow journalism students at the University of Roehampton, Vivienne Muehlhaus and Natalie Cox. For more information and guidance you can visit: https://www.endometriosis-uk.org/information http://www.verity-pcos.org.uk/ https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-health-problems/premenstrual-dysphoric-disorder-pmdd

Published in collaboration with the University of Roehampton Nutrition and Health Society With increasing environmental and health-related pressures, 2023 has already been host of many new and exciting advances in nutrition technology. The possibilities are endless, but with more and more ideas coming to life, what changes could we continue to see? Nutrition-focused apps Expert nutritional information is no longer exclusively available to specialists and scientists. Social media platforms, such as Instagram and fast-accelerating TikTok, have contributed massively to the public’s understanding of how to make healthy changes. The public is considering the role that diet plays in their day-to-day lives more now than ever before, taking responsibility for the long-term effects on their health and increasingly having a desire for tools to help them make improvements. With My Fitness Pal leading the way with its meal-tracking app in 2005, mobile phone users can effortlessly scan the barcodes of foods or search for items and view the macro and micro-nutrients. These handy tools have been valuable in helping people with specific health goals and increasing awareness of what they are consuming. Newer applications, such as Lollipop AI Smart Shopping Assistant, are moving the nutrition space into the realm of artificial intelligence (AI). By using information about their users’ goals, dietary requirements and available ingredients, the integrated AI generates curated recipes and tailored shopping lists. One application that took the world by storm this year was Chat GPT, so I decided to test its abilities as a nutritional tool - asking it to create a one-day meal plan that is low in fodmaps, supports female hormonal health and keeps the costs down. These were the results: “Meal 1: Breakfast Low-FODMAP Overnight Chia Pudding - Estimated cost: £1.60 Meal 2: Snack Hormone-Balancing Smoothie - Estimated cost: £1.90 Meal 3: Lunch Low-FODMAP Quinoa Salad - Estimated cost: £2.10 Meal 4: Snack Roasted Chickpeas - Estimated cost: £0.75 Meal 5: Dinner Low-FODMAP Veggie Stir-Fry with Tofu - Estimated cost: £2.60” Wearable sensors and devices Another area in nutrition technology putting the power in the hands of the individual is wearable sensors and devices. Fit Bits and Apple Watches are renowned for their step-counting features, heart rate monitors and integrated calorie trackers, but newer attributes of such gadgets, including glucose levels, hydration status and nutritional information for food, are turning them up a gear. Last year, biomimetic sensors received attention for their role in precision nutrition, using sweat to monitor dietary nutrient intakes in real time. But while the technology is there, this biomarker detection method is undergoing development to cover a wider range of nutrients and improve the repeatability of results. Emerging developments such as non-invasive ketone measurements also present new opportunities for those conscious of controlling blood sugar levels, such as people with diabetes or insulin-related PCOS. Previously dependent on urine and blood testing, ketone levels may now be detected through wearable devices using sweat composition or electrodes identifying particular ions. Advanced Diagnostic Tools for Personalised Nutrition Wearable devices are an exciting advancement in measuring blood sugar levels however accuracy is yet to meet the standard of traditional blood testing – a method which, until recently, would have to be carried out with a health professional. Zoe Nutrition, co-founded by leading professor in the field, Tim Spector, released their blood sugar testing kits in the UK in April this year. Alongside gut microbiome testing – identifying good and bad bacteria in your poop - and blood fat testing, the Zoe personalised nutrition program offers at-home blood sugar test kits. These are then used to design a plan “tailored to your biology”, with food swap recommendations based on your scores. Other advancements have been made on diagnostic tools using nutrigenomics – the study of how our genes interact with the nutrients in our foods and help to effectively personalise our diets. This technology is largely in the research stage, with smaller programs available to nutritionists, but recent attention and investments have shown promise for further developments in the near future. 3D-printed food Moving away from technology that monitors our bodies and over to the foods that we put in them, new technologies are changing the degree to which we can control the quality and sustainability of what we consume. The 3D printed food industry isn’t new to 2023 however these manufactured products are becoming closer to being widely accessible to the public, with breakthroughs such as a 3D printed cheesecake by researchers at Columbia University earlier this year. Other foods, such pizzas, are in the making, and plant-based meat alternatives are well underway with companies such as Redefine Meat, Nova Meat and Mycorena (in collaboration with Revo Foods), experimenting with market possibilities. Furthermore, Steakholder Foods in Israel say they used cells from a grouper fish to print the first ever fish fillet. While mostly used in fine dining and fancy bakeries as of today, 3D printed food presents a more accurate away to track calories and nutrients, improve efficiency in restaurants and digitally share recipe files. There are some obstacles slowing its commercial success, such as high costs and long manufacturing times but there is strong premise from high nutrient contents and the potential to reduce the environmental impacts of foods we consume, like protecting fish populations. Gene-edited food Using specialised enzymes to make specific alterations to food, the concept of gene-editing has shown new promise for nutritional value, crop yield and environmental sustainability in the food industry. In addition to the formation of nutrient-rich crops, gene-editing methods offer improvements in taste and texture and even the possibility of reducing the allergenicity of foods. Aside from the positives, Italy announced this year that they want to ban lab-grown meat in order to preserve food heritage - a decision based on concerns surrounding dangers to the food supply chain and businesses. But despite this, a new Genetic Technology bill was passed in England in March this year, allowing the growing research and science relating to gene-edited food to be utilised when facing issues such as food security and environmental sustainability in the country. Blockchain technology for food traceability Lastly, Blockchain technology has been making headlines in 2023 for its ability to enhance food traceability. In turn, this promotes safe, sustainable and quality food through molecular biology techniques that enable real-time food monitoring using Internet of Things (IoT) devices. The devices hold details, including the product’s origin, preparation and handling, and distribution, which offer increased confidence for stakeholders and consumers. Some difficulties are present in the method’s high dependency on accurate data, requirement for consistency among systems, data formats and protocols, and the high costs involved in the initial building and implementing of a blockchain network. The growing number of technological advancements in the nutrition industry this year indicates an increasing demand from those in it as well as the public. While some of the user-orientated methods are a long way from matching the level of training and experience possessed by experts, they offer an accessible and potentially useful tool for beginners. Industry developments also reveal an exciting trend that we can expect to see continue throughout the second half of 2023.

Welcome to the Bite by Bite podcast with me, Joanne Murphy, where we explore the changes in London’s food scene through a series of bitesize episodes. Today I will be speaking with two gluten-free bloggers, Beth and Alexandra, to understand what it’s like for them to eat out at chain restaurants. For more information on allergen safety and coeliac disease, you can visit the links below: https://www.coeliac.org.uk/home/ https://www.food.gov.uk/ Listen on Spotify

With the rise of TikTok and the platform’s role in making nutrition and health information more widely accessible, an increasing number of cafés and restaurants across London are featuring foods and menu phrasing synonymous with supporting a healthy gut. But what’s behind this growing trend and how much is it actually benefitting us? Watch the video below for a visit to some gut-healthy food spots in London and an interview with a nutritionist for her view on this arising topic.

From lasting changes to Eastern European grocery shops and restaurants to apps changing the ways that we plan a meal out. From chain restaurants that are finally paying more attention to allergens to cafes that are feeding into gut health trends. Digital technology, national events and increased awareness of nutrition are speeding up the cycle of trends and changes in London’s food scene. “Bite by bite: Tasting the future of London's Food Scene” is my dissertation-equivalent piece, a Digital Portfolio, exploring the latest shifts, the impacts that these have on how we eat in the city, and what this will mean moving forward. My documentary-style video, podcast, news story and feature article can all be found on my specifically designed website, accompanied by original photography to bring the food, subjects and people to life. View the website here.

Even after reading many travel features and watching endless documentaries that followed exciting travels across the globe, writing in this style myself was entirely new for me. Once I started writing about my recent trip to Budapest, I realised that I enjoyed describing all of these small moments in detail, translating my thoughts and emotions into a story that people could be inspired by. I hope this piece - the beautiful sights, delicious food and fun escapades - encourages you to visit Budapest and experience it yourself. " Look,” said Barney, pointing to the tranquil River Danube that appeared over the steps at Fővám tér station. So far, his reticent reactions and modest expressions had not given much away but was this enthusiasm the first sign of his appreciation for the city? " You can read the full article on the Timeless Travels Magazine website here .

In this essay I am going to conduct a case study of The Sunday Times multi-award-winning investigation of the murder of Kenyan sex worker Agnes Wanjiru, written in two parts titled, “I believe British soldiers killed my sister. Now I want the truth” and “I’ve killed her: the moment a British soldier ‘confessed’ to dumping a mother’s body into a septic tank”. The authors of this investigation are David Collins and Hannah Al-Othman. Collins, Deputy editor of The Sunday Times’s Insight team, is known for his previous work investigating the murder of Milly Dowler, for which he was named News Reporter of the Year at the Press Awards, the youngest person to have received that award. After receiving leaked documents related to the Agnes Wanjiru murder, he employed one of the paper’s news reporters, Al-Othman, a former political correspondent for Buzzfeed News, to work with him. The focus of the investigation is an incident on March 2012 at a hotel bar in Nanyuki, Kenya, where heavily drunk and rampant British soldiers danced with local women. Sex worker Agnes Wanjiru was brutally beaten and left wounded in a septic tank just meters from the room where she had been seen with a soldier earlier that night. Her body was discovered two months later. The Sunday Times journalists’ objectives are to establish the details of Wanjiru’s murder and present strong evidence pointing to who might have killed her. They also uncover a culture of sexual exploitation within the regiment that created the context for the incident, and they explore the failures by Kenyan and British authorities in the original investigation, which concluded without a single individual being charged for the crime. After obtaining leaked documents that listed the soldiers of a Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment stationed in Nanyuki on the night of the murder, Collins and Al-Othman began their investigation by knocking on doors and putting letters through letterboxes in towns across North West England. The journalists approached the man who had long been rumoured to have murdered Wanjiru. They were given the individual’s name, who they called Soldier X, by another soldier and explored his social media before requesting an interview. Keeble (2007:80) points out that: “An uninformed reporter becomes the pawn in the hand of the source”. In a talk organised by The Centre for Investigative Journalism (2022), Al-Othman revealed that the MoD (Ministry of Defence) advised them against naming Soldier X in the story to avoid legal implications, given he had not been charged with a crime. When presented with rumours that he murdered Wanjiru, Soldier X said he was “not surprised”, claiming they were a result of bullying by peers that he had fallen out with at the time. The suspect might have seen the interview as an opportunity to attest his innocence. A critical voice in the unveiling of Soldier X as the murderer was that of a former member of the Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment that the journalists named Soldier Y. When Collins and Al-Othman knocked on the source’s door, he was eager to talk, describing in detail how Soldier X admitted, “I’ve killed her”, in the hotel’s bar and brought him, along with some other soldiers, to the septic tank where the victim was. Soldier Y claimed that he "told everyone”, including soldiers and senior officers, but no action was taken. The investigation offers no verification of Soldier Y’s allegations and he himself is rumoured to have helped move the body (CIJ, 2022), which may have motivated him to project any blame from himself onto his former comrade. Waisbord (quoted by Wahl-Jorgensen and Hunt, 2012) says that information can come “from connivers, accomplices, and turncoats who give information on the condition they remain anonymous”. One of Soldier Y’s claims, that "everybody” at the military base knew about Wanjiru’s murder, was supported by the accounts of an interview with a source identified as Soldier Z. He informed Collins and Al-Othman that senior officers had heard about the rumours and even described Soldier X as “the one who murdered that woman in Kenya”. The journalists gained access to a hotel log book listing the names of nine soldiers who stayed at the hotel that night. Confidential documents from 2012 seen by Collins and Al-Othman show that a request for DNA testing and questioning of these soldiers was sent by Mohammed Jerumani, chief inspector at Nanyuki police station, to British Royal Military Police officers. Soon after, Jerumani was transferred and two of the soldiers told the journalists they were never contacted. An MoD spokesperson later claimed to have never received the request. They identified further failings in the original investigation, such as a two-year delay to develop crime-scene photographs and documents being passed across departments. The writers already faced a significant challenge in establishing the reliability of individual accounts of events that took place ten years before. “Allegations made by a plausible witness require the same evidential scrutiny as the denials by the criminal” (Burgh, Hugo, 2008:143). They obtained official documents, such as the 25-page report written by Judge Njeri Thuki, and carried out more interviews to corroborate initial reports. Some sources could not be contacted at all, such as lead detective Corporal Ramadhan Jabali, who had died. The night guard at the Lions Court Hotel, who told the authorities he had seen broken glass, blood and soldiers' belongings left in the room of the murder, had been fired from the hotel weeks after the body was found and could not be tracked. This source has since come forward to Kenyan newspaper Nation (Komu and Mwende, 2022), stating that he was never questioned as a witness by the police. Collins and Al-Othman could not obtain more than a mere press statement from British authorities, who refused to comment. To further support their point, the writers quote Kenyan authorities who claimed to be “concerned” about the standard of the original investigation and support an inquiry into the cover up from commanding officers, military police or the MoD. This evidence demonstrates disdain for the victim and a mishandling of the case in both Kenya and the UK. A former infantryman, who was the first to talk to the journalists, provided a candid insight into the British soldiers’ relations with prostitutes. An unnamed sex worker confirmed she had many “quick British customers. The infantryman informed them of rumours circulating among soldiers about the murder of Wanjiru and identified the full names and Facebook profiles from the journalists’ list of initials and partial names. This open source provided them with "easily accessible data material” that allowed the investigation to move forward (Müller, N and Wiik, J, 2021). Al-Othman (CIJ, 2022) revealed that she was asked by the infantryman not to record the interview and had to rely on accurately writing down every crucial detail. Since the soldiers who had been in Nanyuki in March 2021 had by then all returned to the UK, Collins and Al-Othman were able to continue interviewing key witnesses without the need to travel abroad. However, attempts to contact official Kenyan sources were blocked and their requests for information rejected. The journalists sent a Kenyan freelancer, who is not named in the investigation, to collect information and accounts from Agnes’s family and witnesses in the area. As, Lehrman and Wagner (2019: 160) have noticed, “cultural knowledge is best acquired through “immersion journalism” – that is, the practice in which journalists embed themselves deep within the communities they are writing about”. Accounts from Nanyuki residents and police reports confirmed the infantryman’s descriptions of soldiers’ violent behaviour and contacts with prostitutes. Unlike the local and British authorities involved in Wanjiru’s murder, the authors strived to humanise the victim by interviewing her sister Rose and including photos of her daughter. The accounts from her family do do not provide clues about the circumstances of the murder or the person who did it, but they do emphasise how it was “overlooked” by the Kenyan police and British authorities who have failed to bring the case to a close. Collins and Al-Othman were awarded The Private Eye Paul Foot Award for Investigative and Campaigning Journalism in 2022, won a special prize from the Orwell Foundation, and were ‘highly commended’ as Investigation of the Year National at the Society of Editors MFA Awards. In the month after the story was published, a protest was held in the UK pushing for justice against violence towards sex workers and, in July this year, a ban was introduced by the MoD on the British armed forces’ use of sex workers abroad. Despite this success, the case has barely touched social media platforms and a Kenyan press article reported that the murderer is still “walking free” in June this year (Osen, G, 2022). A petition called “Shut down British Training Camp in Nanyuki” was started two weeks after the publishing of the article, shared with the hashtag #justiceforAgnesWanjiru on Twitter, but received a mere 269 signatures. This investigation went far in achieving this form of journalism’s recognised internal goods of “comprehensiveness, vividness, reporting on matters of public importance, truth-telling, originality, and impact. They contrast with external goods, which... include money, fame, social power, and prestige” (Aucoin, James L, 2006:98). In conclusion, Collins and Al-Othman succeeded in clarifying the circumstances of Wanjiru’s murder and presented convincing witness accounts pointing to the culprit. They also unveiled strong evidence, using documents and interviews, of the negligence of the British and Kenyan authorities who conducted the initial investigation. This is an excellent example of investigative journalism because the journalists identified that the research they did had not been done before, leading to there being no prosecution for the murder.
Bibliography
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Aucoin, J (2006) The Evolution of American Investigative Journalism. University of Missouri Press. DOI: 10.1080/08821127.2006.10678028 Lehrman, S, & Wagner, V (2019) Reporting Inequality: Tools and Methods for Covering Race and Ethnicity. New York: Taylor & Francis Group, Milton.
Keeble, R. and Wheeler, S. (2007) The journalistic imagination: literary journalists from Defoe to Capote and Carter. London: Routledge.
Wahl-Jorgensen, K and Hunt, J. (2012). Journalism, accountability and the possibilities for structural critique: A case study of coverage of whistleblowing. Sage Journals , 13(4), 399–416.
Müller, N and Wiik, J (2021) From Gatekeeper to Gate-opener: Open-Source Spaces in Investigative Journalism, Journalism Practice, DOI: 10.1080/17512786.2021.1919543
CIJ (2022) #CIJSummer: Investigating the British Army: The Murder of Agnes Wanjiru [YouTube]. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SxctLjJNXt8 (Accessed: 30 November 2022). Osen, G (2022) UK soldier in Agnes Wanjiru murder still walking free – London press. The Star. Available at: https://www.the-star.co.ke/print/news-page-two/2022-06-20-uk-soldier-in-agnes-wanjiru-murder-still-walking-free-london-press/ (Accessed: 30 November 2022)
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My article about Adult ADHD diagnoses has been published in the mental health and wellbeing magazine, Happiful . The feature covers what comes after diagnosis, with insights from experts as well as people who have experienced it first-hand. It was a very interesting piece to work on and I think it will be an enlightening read for many. You can read the article on the Happiful website here , as well as in their e-magazine and print issue in store or online .

Jack Whitehall sits quietly on a chair facing his parents on the stage, anxiously tapping his foot as they recall childhood memories of him falling asleep in his nanny’s bra or running around a pool naked. The 33-year-old does not seem too impressed with his father Michael’s confident use of the word “tits” as he remembered finding his son with his head in one massive bra cup and his bum in another. The audience at Hammersmith Apollo laughs painfully at the comedian’s embarrassment, which seems to be a common theme at “Jack Whitehall with Hilary and Michael: How to Survive Family Holidays”. Whitehall opens the show with a short set about cyber security and delivers jokes with ease before unleashing his parents onto the stage. He delivers a line about manically clicking squares that contain traffic lights, reenacting the complete frustration and questioning, “AM I A ROBOT?”. The stage set-up is a nod to the exaggerated family dynamic seen in the Netflix series, “Jack Whitehall: Travels with My Father”. Two ordinary grey chairs, one decorated with a cushion, and a grand black leather chair that looked rather menacing in comparison, are positioned centre stage resembling those from Goldilocks and the three bears. The set-up is rather fitting for the child-like role that Jack takes on as he listens to his parents’ stories. Whitehall’s solo set is followed by a lively entrance from his mother Hilary, who leaps onto the stage with a glass of red wine in each hand and a beaming smile on her face. As she finds her seat, a cloud of smoke sweeps the right side of the stage, a leg appearing slowly to a dramatic synth beat that sounded like something from a horror movie. Another leg steps forward from the smoke, and to the cue of Whitehall announcing the “Lord of Darkness”, a stern-faced Michael Whitehall emerges in a three-piece navy suit that is a sharp contrast to his son's loose t-shirt and jeans. Now together, the family proceeds to introduce their new book, ‘How to Survive Family Holidays’, with numerous funny anecdotes, photos of Michael in swimming trunks and home videos of their wacky dancing on the screen behind them. Whitehall asks his parents a series of questions as the host, which usually ends in digs and jokes at his expense. Needless to say, the audience was cringing from second-hand-embarrassment as the cutting jokes, and videos to accompany them, carried on throughout the night. Some hilarity is lost in comparison to the seemingly off-the-cuff comedy seen onscreen. In part, this is due to the facial expressions and death stares being lost in the vast space between the audience and the stage. But, more than that, it is the blatantly scripted jokes and rigid structure that cannot be ignored without the help of a director controlling the conversation or the changing of locations and activities to keep us interested. “Jack’s favourite thing used to be rummaging around in my fanny pack," says Hilary, following a debate with her son about whether it should be called a “bum bag”. Whitehall then quickly begins to recite a story about his mother using a “bum bag” to sneak a whole breakfast buffet up to her hotel room. The description of a breakfast sausage wrapped in a sanitary towel wrapper could not be any clearer and was one of many that made his cringe-worthy anecdotes all the more memorable. The embarrassing mum trope is not new in any way, but there is something particularly cringey about hearing 60-year-old Hilary’s crude jokes on stage. In contrast with the quick-fire banter between the men, her jokes often fail to land and seem forced. Apart from the occasional risqué joke, the night’s humour is easily digestible. And for the most part, it did not involve any politics. This truce lasts until Whitehall applauds his father for getting through the show without sharing his controversial political opinions. Before Whitehall can finish his sentence, his father stands up, pulling out a piece of paper from which he proceeds to passionately read all the things that are wrong with Boris Johnson. “He can’t keep promises” and “he has a ridiculous hair-do," he continues, with obscene language that prompts his son to shout “Sit!”. Whitehall takes the list from his father’s hands and hands him a passage from the family's book to read and close the show. The endless vividly told anecdotes, embarrassing photographs and snidey banter never stop being uncomfortably funny and earn steady laughs throughout. Whitehall’s schtick with his parents does start to wear thin and does not go beyond the mockery that we have already seen on screen. Although it was underwhelming, it was amusing enough to draw interest to more ludicrous stories in the family’s book, which, after all, was the purpose of the show.

The normalisation of cosmetic procedures on social media undermines the serious nature of seemingly minor procedures, and even going under the knife. These ever-shifting beauty standards and perceptions of cosmetic procedures are harmful to how users feel about their appearance, and ultimately how inclined they will be to change it. My podcast includes insightful interviews with an Aesthetic Nurse Practioner, a woman who has undergone cosmetic procedures, and young women who gave a sense of what it is like for those who are hit hardest by the issue. Learn more about the issue below: https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m00149j7/the-instagram-effect https://www.plasticsurgery.org/documents/News/Statistics/2020/plastic-surgery-statistics-full-report-2020.pdf https://www.itv.com/news/tyne-tees/2022-02-24/durham-man-who-spent-25k-on-cosmetic-surgery-speaks-on-social-media-pressures