A group of freelance journalists is launching a new subscription-based, crowd-funded investigations unit to make up for a sharp fall in investigative reporting by traditional news media. Called the Ferret, the web-based project said it plans to draw on successful investigative journalism collectives, including De Correspondent in the Netherlands and the Belfast-based outfit The Detail It launches formally on Tuesday with a crowd-funding appeal to raise £3,800 to fund its first investigation into Scotland’s fracking industry.