Staffers at the Guardian have taken issue with their editor-in-chief, Katharine Viner, over her role in selling off the Observer newspaper to a debt-laden start-up, Tortoise media. The proposed deal has sparked a vicious civil war among staff, who claim they were not properly consulted on the sale and fear it would spell the end of the 233-year-old paper.
Critics say the deal was made behind closed doors, with Viner voting it through at the GMG board despite conducting a listening exercise with staff just last week. “It’s total hypocrisy,” said one source. “Everybody thinks it’s just such a massive betrayal.”
The Tortoise plan is to modernize the Observer and has reportedly lost £4.5m in its last financial year, but critics argue that the sale would be a disaster for the respected title. Ex-Observer editor Paul Webster warned that a merger with Tortoise could spell the end of the paper.
A group of former editors has even urged the Scott Trust to pause the sale and has accused Viner’s successor as GMG chief executive, Anna Bateson, of “mafia-like” tactics in pushing through the deal. The National Union of Journalists is yet to respond, but staff have taken to picketing outside Guardian HQ in London.
The proposed sale has left many feeling angry and betrayed by Viner, with some even calling her “Kath Corleone”. As one staffer noted: “There’s blood in the water. There’s no way that Kath can survive this.”
Source: https://www.thedailybeast.com/blood-in-the-water-civil-war-at-the-guardian-explodes-with-allegations-of-threats-and-intimidation