Jake Loader

Jake Loader is a freelance journalist studying journalism at the University of Sheffield. He is editor-in-chief of The Tab Sheffield with stories in a number of outlets, including The Telegraph, the BBC, and YorkshireLive. Exclusives broke by Jake have reached national papers, including a scoop on the University of Sheffield hiring for Hong Kong's police service which was run in The Times.

Dailystar.co.uk •

‘I visited Pablo Escobar’s notorious slum and it felt safer than Birmingham’

Not so long ago, walking into Medellin’s sprawling Comuna 13 slum would have likely been a death sentence. The area was plagued with violence and home to infamous drug lord Pablo Escobar’s bloody Medellin cartel, guerrilla fighters and other armed groups who earned the area a reputation as the most dangerous place in the world. It took just five minutes of walking up the steep hill towards the infamous former warzone before I was confronted with the instantly recognisable image of Escobar. RE
Express.co.uk •

Fears Putin will unleash Novichok on civilians

Vladimir Putin has been tipped to use the lethal poison Novichock against civilians rather than soldiers, an expert has warned, as Russia’s war continues to rage in Ukraine. Novichock was infamously used in 2018, when former Russian military officer and double agent Sergei Skripal and his wife Yulia were poisoned in Salisbury. As the war in Ukraine continues, and as Russia loses more annexed ground, US officials are afraid Putin could turn to chemical weapons, before resorting to a nuclear atta
BBC News •

Sheffield University: Residents complain about building site

People living near the construction site of a new university building have complained about the noise and dust being produced. Work started on the University of Sheffield's Faculty of Social Sciences building last May, but problems mean half of it is now being knocked down. Connor O'Callaghan, who lives on nearby Marlborough Road, staged a protest in a camping chair at the site last week. The university has apologised for the disruption caused to residents.
The Tab •

‘The neighbours from hell’: Furious residents slam uni over deafening demolition

Furious residents have lashed out at the University of Sheffield over the “deafening” demolition of the £65m Social Sciences building. Families living just 20 metres away said that the uni has been an “awful” neighbour and proved themselves to “not care” about local residents over the building, which builders have begun to tear down due to structural problems. Reverend and the Makers guitarist and Milburn frontman, Joe Carnall, has a garden that opens up onto the building site. He recorded the
The Telegraph •

Vigilante 'paedophile hunters' prevent police focusing on dangerous targets, officer warns

Vigilante "paedophile hunters" catch the lowest-threat offenders and prevent police focusing on the most dangerous targets, a senior officer has warned. Assistant chief constable Dan Vajzovic said the hunters often catch people with an under-developed mental capacity and no previously disclosed interest in children. The National Police Chiefs' Council lead for online child sex exploitation activist groups said: "It's that differentiation between a serious, organised criminal who's going to carry out a contact offence and someone who is having a chat which is technically illegal but not necessarily in the public interest to prosecute.
YorkshireLive •

Worried university lecturers demand face-to-face teaching is suspended

Concerned lecturers at the University of Sheffield have demanded all face-to-face teaching is suspended until their health and safety can be guaranteed. The University of Sheffield branch of the University and College Union (UCU) has issued a request of five demands amid concerns that face-to-face teaching will cause the spread of coronavirus. In an open letter to the University's Vice Chancellor Koen Lamberts, the UCU said it was “deeply concerned” and stressed the risk that face-to-face teac