The virtue signalling response of many leftists to Elon Musk’s breakout role as an unofficial Trump advisor has been to quit X. This is nothing other than welcome for X users, who are finally getting a break from accounts such as The Guardian…
The exodus of leftists have mainly embraced an alternative platform called Bluesky Social. Among them is Stop Funding Hate – the lefty campaign group that attempts to silence media it doesn’t like – such as the Daily Express, Daily Mail and GB News – by targeting its advertisers. Over on Bluesky, Stop Funding Hate is regularly sharing content criticising Elon Musk and X. Meanwhile, it continues to utilise X itself to promote its own campaigns, of course…
Hypocrisy isn’t unfamiliar to Stop Funding Hate. Its 2023 accounts show its financial income dropped from £107,000 to £74,000, yet at the same time, its sole remunerated director enjoyed a 27% pay rise. Clearly, “go woke, go broke” doesn’t apply…
After the approval by the Scott Trust – which owns the Guardian Media Group – of the sale of the Observer to James Harding’s Tortoise Media last week nerves are far from calming. 125 Guardian and Observer staff have penned a letter – published on the Guardian website – accusing Scott Trust chairman Ole Jacob Sunde of being far from accurate in his claim that the sale of the paper was agreed only after “extensive internal and external consultation.” The staff were having none of it:
“There were no conversations with Observer staff prior to a decision to explore selling the Observer. Observer journalists have not been involved in due diligence relating to the transfer. Several Scott Trust directors have refused to speak to senior Observer staff, including the editor, or simply ignored our approaches. The deal was approved while journalists were on strike… Key questions have been left unanswered. We were told that the rationale for the transfer is that the Scott Trust would never invest in the Observer; why, then, has £5m been found to underwrite Tortoise in exchange for a less-than 10% stake of this company?
Guardian hacks note that putting the Observer behind a paywall would mean the site would only be “accessed by a tiny fraction of that readership.” Striking hasn’t done the job – are principled resignations on the way?
An email has just gone out to all staff at the Guardian and Observer. Deal’s done…
“Dear all,
I wrote to you earlier this week to let you know that the Scott Trust has been reviewing the ownership structure for the Observer over the last few months. Earlier this week, I set out the criteria the Trust has been taking into account to reach a decision. I believe they have now been met.
With that in mind, we have now in principle approved the sale of the Observer to Tortoise Media.
These are the principles we were guided by during the negotiations:
- The Scott Trust to stay on as a part-owner of the Observer
- The Observer to have secure and sustainable, long- term funding
- Other owners of the title to take a long-term view of their investment
- All owners to embody the values of editorial independence, press freedoms and liberal journalism that have been part of the Observer’s ethos since we bought it in 1993.
- The Observer to be governed by a mature board structure, with a role for the Scott Trust on the Tortoise Media editorial and commercial boards
Collectively we have thought long and hard about this decision.”
All that’s left is for the Guardian Media Group and James Harding’s Tortoise Media to sign on the dotted line. The strikes didn’t work then…
The Guardian and The Observer are in meltdown as journalists have ditched their caramel lattes and very important meetings for the picket line. Over 500 journos voted to strike for 48 hours in protest against plans to flog The Observer to Tortoise Media. The slow-news outfit is reportedly ready to cough up £20 million for the title. The Guardian will be wishing they had those minimum service levels it so passionately campaigned against…
Picket lines have popped up outside Guardian and Observer HQ, with disgruntled hacks waving placards in solidarity. Loyal readers have been warned they may spot some changes midweek, with stories online and in print today and tomorrow pre-written, and some will carry anonymous bylines. Meanwhile, Scott Trust chair Ole Jacob Sunde isn’t backing down. While doffing his cap to the striking hacks, he’s doubling down on the sale:
“I fully respect people’s rights to take industrial action… I am confident that this has been – and continues to be – a detailed and thoughtful process.”
Not sure that’ll calm tensions…
The Guardian’s head honchos are trying to work out how to keep the paper in print on the 4th and 5th of December when the majority of their staff look set to strike over the Observer sale. They’re rattling through the usual strikebreaking tactics…
So far bosses have tried getting HR to innocently ask staff what their plans are for the strike days so they can sort out “contingency plans.” That’s much to the chagrin of the NUJ, which responds by saying hacks “are under no obligation to tell their management of their intentions. We are advising all NUJ members at The Guardian and Observer not to engage with such inappropriate requests from the company.” James Harding’s slow news outlet Tortoise has been busy justifying its attempt to buy the Observer by saying “everyone can see it is heading down a path to irrelevance and, probably sooner rather than later, closure.” Not sure that’ll calm tensions…
Editor Kath Viner is reportedly approaching hacks one-on-one to try to convince them not to strike. The paper might want to start gathering a few spare left-wing hacks to bus through the picket line in two weeks’ time. If only the Guardian had those minimum service levels it so strongly opposed…
It’s a sorry day for the Guardian’s dwindling readership as staff vote in overwhelming numbers to strike over plans to offload The Observer to Tortoise Media – a ‘slow news’ startup that can’t even turn a profit in the good times. A staggering 93% of the 600-strong workforce backed strike action, with 96% supporting measures short of a walkout. Not exactly a stampede to board another sinking ship…
Tortoise boss James Harding has spent years pushing his “centrist dad” brand with help from the BBC and other left-wing outlets. Though even Guardian staff aren’t buying into the Observer sale, promising mass walkouts as early as December if the talks aren’t called off. Staff are worried that loyal readers will be left “betrayed” if the paper is sold off to Tortoise, which has already burnt through £16.3 million since it launched in 2018. No doubt panic-stricken progressives will be distraught if press operations do shut down…
UPDATE: Both Guardian and Observer staff will strike on December 4th and 5th.
Burnham said in his main conference speech: “For the historic victory he achieved for us, I am here to say: thank you, Keir.”
