Harding meets Observer staff | Standard's Jack Lefley named new PA editor
And we have the latest ranking of the top 50 news sites in the world
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"There are more questions than answers, and the more I find out the less I know."
Staff at The Observer may well find themselves ruefully humming the 1972 reggae hit by Johnny Nash.
Two weeks after Guardian Media Group announced it was in negotiations to sell The Observer to Tortoise Media, Guardian and Observer staff still have big unanswered questions around who is financing the deal and how a standalone Observer will work.
Most importantly, they fear for their job security.
Guardian News and Media is a uniquely attractive place to work as a journalist thanks to its £1.3bn trust fund, no compulsory redundancies rule and cast-iron safeguards around editorial independence.
Observer staff who have met Tortoise founder James Harding have yet to see anything that convinces them they will be safer in his hands than where they are.
The deal could go ahead whatever, but given the strength of the NUJ at GNM things will get messy if the staff can't be persuaded to get on board. And given The Guardian's raison d'etre is journalism, not profit, the editorial team has a uniquely powerful position and its owners The Scott Trust could face a battle for control of the organisation if they are not careful.
Read our latest report on the fight for the future of The Observer here.
Today we also report on a new editor-in-chief for the UK's national news agency, PA Media: London Standard managing editor Jack Lefley.
And the latest top-50 global ranking of English language news websites shows most continuing their year-on-year growth in August. The Guardian is moving clear of Mail Online in terms of total website visits and was up 2% to 344 million while the Mail dropped 18% to 315 million, according to Similarweb.
Along with number one site the BBC, the UK has three websites in the global top ten and nine in the top 50.
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New from Press Gazette
Tortoise heads for showdown with NUJ over bid to buy Observer
Press Gazette understands Harding has met various Observer staff to discuss their concerns about the deal. But key questions around finance for the acquisition and future business plans remain unanswered by the Tortoise team and Guardian management.
Standard managing editor Jack Lefley to replace Pete Clifton as PA editor-in-chief
“My focus will be on taking PA forward into a new era. That’ll mean accelerating digital transformation, maintaining the exemplary editorial standards that define PA, growing the outstanding video services and making the best use of data in our decision making.”
Top 50 news websites in the world: Traffic pulls back after big July for US politics
Year-on-year, the fastest-growing site in August was again Newsweek (up 141% to 134.9 million visits), which has registered as either the fastest or second-fastest growing brand year-on-year every month since December 2023.
News in brief
Rightmove has rebuffed a fourth, £6.2bn takeover offer from News Corp-owned REA Group. REA Group has now abandoned its bid to buy the UK property listings company. (The Guardian)
Politico is reportedly rolling out a purpose-built AI summary tool for subscribers to its B2B Politico Pro products. The publisher told Press Gazette in February that it had redesigned its websites to make them more readable for scrapers. (Semafor)
Meta chief technology officer Andrew Bosworth has spoken to The Sun about the company's new augmented reality glasses, claiming they are "the first device we’ve ever used that you can imagine replacing the phone and allowing you to be much more connected to the world”. (The Sun)
The Board of Deputies of British Jews, the Jewish Leadership Council and the Community Security Trust say BBC coverage of the Middle East has “led many British Jews to conclude that the BBC has become institutionally hostile to Israel”. (The Times)
Former Question Time executive producer and head of the BBC Radio newsroom Hayley Valentine has been named the new director of BBC Scotland. Valentine, who is currently head of BBC Midlands, will start in her new role in November.
The PPA has opened applications for its second Next Gen Board, through which it aims to amplify voices aged 35 and under and give them an opportunity to work alongside its main board to help shape the future of the industry. (PPA)
Previously on Press Gazette
News media job cuts 2024 tracked: US national network Scripps News shuts with loss of 200 jobs
Future closes titles and events deemed ‘low to no growth assets’
Gaming media group Gamurs cuts 30 staff, blaming Google ‘helpful content’ update
Brand safety a ‘con’ costing news industry billions, new research says
Pay for UK journalists has grown since 2018 after period of stagnation
Weekly London Standard launches with AI Keir Starmer front page
Press Gazette live
The event is open to all journalists producing work targeted at a UK audience. The criteria stipulate that reports must bring important new information to light, show journalistic skill and rigour and make a difference for the better.
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