Journalists from the Guardian Media Group are revolting against a planned sell-off of The Observer, citing concerns that this could affect staff financial security. The National Union of Journalists voted to condemn the “flawed analyses” that led to the decision to sell the Sunday title to Tortoise Media. According to a person in attendance, the NUJ members from The Guardian and The Observer “expressed their fury” over the deal at a meeting on Wednesday. Over 200 staff members joined via video link
Source: “They’re selling us as commodities of staff.” This is shocking. It’s a great way to shut down The Observer and not have to accept responsibility for closing one of the oldest Sunday newspapers.” Tortoise is a new start-up, founded by James Harding a former editor. It has committed to raising a total of 25 million PS for The Observer. Before entering into negotiations with GMG, the outlet’s executives approached investors to gauge their interest. They received positive feedback on the deal. The investment is believed to be in addition to The Observer’s operating costs and will help build its digital presence.
The NUJ stated in its motion: “The proposed sales cannot offer The Observer or its staff the same level of security as they strive to maintain the reputation that they have earned for excellence, independence and courage. The Observer’s staff, freelancers and the newspaper as a whole are not protected once the paper is owned by a small business that has limited resources to withstand headwinds. These could be temporary lulls of sales at newsstands or readers revenues, or downturns in advertising.
One employee said that employees were worried about their job security under Tortoise’s ownership. They said: “It seems like a way to get rid of a large number of staff who won’t be protected by The Guardian.” It appears to be trying to get us in a position where we have no choice but say that we are not Guardian Journalists.
GMG’s spokeswoman said that negotiations with Tortoise had “just begun”. She said: “We are transparent with our staff because this is an offer that could be a significant investment and needs to examined in detail. We are open to any internal discussion and engagement about this.
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