Guardian journalists begin strike over planned Observer sale

About 200 Guardian journalists and supporters picketed its north London offices this morning, armed with pink hats, cupcakes and dogs.
Members of the National Union of Journalists are walking out for the first time in more than 50 years.
The 500 staff, who are protesting at the planned sale of The Observer to Tortoise Media, will strike for 48 hours, forcing the newspaper and its website to rely on freelancers and pre-written stories.
Standing alongside journalists such as Simon Hattenstone and Carole Cadwalladr were media figures including the presenter Anne Robinson, the artist Grayson Perry and the comedian Stewart Lee.
Also in attendance was Mick Lynch, general secretary of the RMT union and one of the driving forces behind the rail strikes last year.
The Observer’s owner, the Scott Trust, has offered last-minute concessions to staff but implied the sale would go ahead. The trust’s chairman, Ole Jacob Sunde, said it would stay on as part-owner in any deal to sell and pledged that it would ensure The Observer had “secure and sustainable long-term funding”.
He also said the trust would ensure any future owners of The Observer “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”.
Cadwalladr said: “Things do have to change. The Observer has been neglected and under-resourced by The Guardian for many years.
“Now, to say, ‘You’re not The Guardian, and we will sell you off without consultation, in secrecy,’ there is something here which just does not sell right.
“Our demands are so modest: all we are asking for is a pause to look at the other options, to have a really rational conversation which also involves the journalists and, critically, the readers.”
Hattenstone said before the strike: “I love my work and feel incredibly sad that it’s come to this. But I also feel so proud of my fellow journalists who’ve united to resist the plan to ‘sell’ the Obs to a loss-making startup.”
Another senior Observer journalist said: “We’re striking because we believe the proposed deal poses an existential risk to The Observer. The proposed deal makes no financial sense as any Sunday newspaper needs to be part of a seven-day news and media operation, and it will massively limit the reach of our journalism.”
The union said the strike coincides with The Observer, the world’s oldest Sunday newspaper, marking 233 years since it first began publication.
Laura Davison, who has been elected as the next NUJ general secretary, said: “The massive vote to take this step shows journalists’ desire to publicly highlight to readers and those in charge their collective concerns about the future of the title.
“The Observer holds a unique and important place in public life and our members care about the next chapter in its history.
“The union is calling for a pause in the exclusive talks to provide more time to consider alternatives and ensure decisions are in the best interests of both titles.”
A list of supporters published by the NUJ included Ralph Fiennes, Michael Morpurgo and Sienna Miller.
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A Guardian spokesperson said: “We recognise the strength of feeling about the proposed sale of The Observer and appreciate that NUJ members wish to make their views heard. While we respect the right to strike, we do not believe a strike is the best course of action in this case and our talks with the NUJ continue.
“We have a plan in place to minimise the impact of strike action on staff, readers and subscribers and we will continue to publish online and produce the print edition as usual.”
Tortoise Media said it will invest £25 million in The Observer “as a successful print and digital business” with “its own digital identity”.
It said: “The Observer is one of the great names in journalism. It’s the world’s oldest Sunday newspaper, a place for investigative reporting, independent thinking and an intelligent guide to interesting living. We want to build an Observer fit for the 21st century.”
Tortoise’s biggest shareholder is its editor, James Harding, the former director of the BBC and editor of The Times, followed by the billionaire Thomson family, the majority owners of Thomson Reuters. Its other directors include the Soho House founder and owner Nick Jones.
It said its new backers for the Observer deal included Standard Investments, a backer of media start-ups in the US, and This Day, a philanthropic foundation.