Hannah Westwater

Glasgow

Freelance Journalist at Freelance

Social affairs and inequalities journalist • mag editor Music, football, pop culture, nonsense. she/her

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Articles

How the end of social media fact-checking puts democracy at risk

Jan 22, 2025 | bigissue.com | Hannah Westwater

Politics Mark Zuckerberg announced that fact checking will soon be a thing of the past on Facebook and Instagram.
Inside the UK's first safer drugs consumption room – and how it can save lives

Jan 9, 2025 | bigissue.com | Hannah Westwater

Social Justice The Thistle, Glasgow's safer drugs consumption room, launches this month. It's a radical step in tackling Scotland's drug deaths crisis Just steps from Glasgow’s Barrowland Ballroom, a UK-first drugs pilot is preparing to open its doors. The safer drugs consumption room, set to welcome people from Monday (13 January), will finally launch after a decade of legal maneuvering and tearing down red tape by the city’s healthcare staff and politicians.
Sexually explicit deepfakes ruin lives – a crackdown is long overdue

Jan 8, 2025 | bigissue.com | Hannah Westwater

Social Justice New laws to protect women and girls are an important step, said Hera Hussain, but police must be trained to help survivors Digital abuse experts have welcomed the government’s plan to criminalise the creation of sexually explicit “deepfake” images. Deepfakes are hyper-realistic pictures and videos of people, typically made using artificial intelligence (AI).
ESA benefit: Everything you need to know

Jan 6, 2025 | bigissue.com | Hannah Westwater

Money Disabled people and those with long-term health conditions can claim ESA benefit if they're struggling to make ends meet Staying afloat during the cost of living crisis is tough enough when you’re in a job and on an average wage. Being disabled or having a health condition that limits how much you can work makes it all the more difficult.
Christmas canines! Meet the magical dogs who've changed the lives of Big Issue vendors

Dec 5, 2024 | bigissue.com | Liam Geraghty |Steven MacKenzie |Isabella McRae |Brontë Schiltz |Hannah Westwater

CHRISTMAS SPECIAL: HALF PRICE Big Issue magazine subscription Life In time-honoured Big Issue Christmas tradition, we celebrate all the amazing dogs and the vital work they do for our vendors all year round by: Liam Geraghty, Steven MacKenzie, Isabella McRae, Brontë Schiltz, Hannah Westwater Marlene was born on the streets of Macedonia and spent the first nine months of her as a stray dog, struggling to survive.
Where to get a free Christmas dinner in your community this year - Big Issue

Dec 2, 2024 | bigissue.com | Hannah Westwater |Isabella McRae |Liam Geraghty |Anita Bhadani

As the cost of living bites, charities and restaurants are offering a free Christmas dinner and and festive cheer this year.
DWP winter fuel cuts forcing pensioners to choose between heating and eating

Nov 23, 2024 | bigissue.com | Hannah Westwater

Social Justice Older people are "neglected" by the government, with tens of thousands set to fall into poverty after losing the winter fuel payment The Labour government is allowing poverty to “seep into every part of people’s lives”, experts have said after ministers committed to cutting the winter fuel payment.
'Cruel' winter fuel benefit cuts will send pensioners to hospital, DWP warned

Nov 21, 2024 | bigissue.com | Hannah Westwater

Social Justice Scrapping the winter fuel payment for nearly 10 million pensioners will drive down old people's health and hit the NHS, campaigners said The government’s “cruel” decision to cut winter fuel payment for nearly 10 million pensioners will “cause huge suffering and harm the NHS”, experts have warned.
Unemployment benefits: How and when to claim them

Nov 13, 2024 | bigissue.com | Hannah Westwater

Social Justice If you're out of work and struggling, unemployment benefits might be enough to help you get by. Here's what to know about claiming and eligibility Around 1.8 million people in the UK were claiming unemployment benefits as of September 2024. That’s up nearly 30,000 on the month before, and an increase of more than 253,000 compared to the same time last year.
Types of homelessness: From rough sleeping to sofa surfing

Nov 13, 2024 | bigissue.com | Hannah Westwater

Housing Get familiar with the different types of homelessness in the UK and how they're affecting people during the UK's housing crisis When we think of homelessness, a lot of people envision someone forced to sleep on the streets. And that’s a real crisis in this country – in England on a single night last Autumn, which is thought to be an underestimate. But there are several different types of homelessness, each with its own challenges. The UK is in the depths of a housing crisis.