James Harding defends Observer bid | Gary Jones bows out as Express editor
And we a take closer look at the colourful cast of billionaires and other backers who are behind Tortoise Media's bid to buy The Observer
Welcome to your daily newsletter from Press Gazette on Friday, 20 September, brought to you today in association with Tickaroo - the liveblogging software trusted by more than 200 newsrooms worldwide. Register today for their webinar on September 25th, “Building Audience Trust and Engagement in an Election Year.”
The Scott Trust is facing a full-on crisis over the potential sale of The Observer to Tortoise Media.
News of the approach was shared this week and The Guardian’s owners and commercial leadership are clearly supportive of the deal.
But both Guardian and Observer staff are furious. Around 250 attended an open NUJ meeting and they have passed a motion of no-confidence in the Scott Trust board.
Such a staff revolt is a bigger deal at Guardian News and Media than it would be at other publishers because the title is highly unionised and run on uniquely democratic principles. The journalists themselves, for instance, actually elected editor Kath Viner.
So Tortoise owner James Harding will need to act fast to calm fears if he is to win the race to buy the world’s oldest Sunday newspaper.
I’ve spoken to sources on all sides of the deal and managed to fill in some of the gaps such as: what is Harding’s plan for the title, why are staff so upset and what does he plan to do with the £25m of promised investment.
The Observer hasn’t published an ABC figure since 2021, but I’ve seen internal numbers which suggest it still sells more than 100,000 copies a week which, at £4 a copy, makes it a much bigger business than Tortoise.
And we confirm the sad news that Reach has lost another well-loved national newspaper editor with the departure of Gary Jones from the helm of the Express after six years in the job. The assumption among insiders is that he was either resisting a fresh wave of cutbacks, or was himself a victim of the ongoing downsizing.
Insiders are gutted to lose a well-respected boss who brought campaigning verve to the paper. He also persuaded campaign group Stop Funding Hate to lift its fatwa against Express advertisers.
And finally, let’s spare a thought for the many journalists, printers, distributors and other staff who yesterday lost the fight to keep London’s daily newspaper alive. The London Standard (minus the Evening) lives on and is reborn next Thursday as a free weekly newspaper and website.
From our sponsor
Engage your audience this election season
This global election year has forced us to recognise that audiences want more than horse-race election coverage. They crave news that enables agency and earns back their trust. So, how can publishers do better?
In this free webinar, we’ll discuss how to enhance transparency, authenticity, and engagement in election reporting.
Speakers include:
Victoria Steveley, Deputy Chief Audience Editor at Belfast Telegraph
Pip Tomson, most recently with ITV's Good Morning Britain and GB News
Daniel Mollitor, Business Editor at DPA (German Press Agency)
Naomi Owusu, CEO at Tickaroo
Richard Uridge, Discussion Moderator
New from Press Gazette
EXCLUSIVE: James Harding says plan to buy Observer is boost to ‘liberal journalism’
Observer staff fear for their futures as Guardian colleagues back them in opposing the potential deal.
Who owns Tortoise Media? The billionaire backers behind Observer bid
Tortoise shareholders have deep pockets and a diverse range of backgrounds.
Gary Jones, editor credited with detoxifying Express, bows out
Express editor Gary Jones, who revived reputation of brand, exits after six years in the job.
Newspaper ABCs: Daily Star Sunday circulation falls below City AM
Press Gazette's monthly analysis of ABC national newspaper circulation figures.
Former Guardian media editor Jim Waterson launches London newsletter
London Centric will charge £79.50 per year for original reporting on the capital.
News in brief
The Bureau of Investigative Journalism, Open Democracy and The Bristol Cable have signed up to independent press regulator Impress - which said it could help with their legal bills. (Press Gazette)
The Nottingham Post has been vindicated after publishing articles about a “non-disclosable” police briefing relating to a stabbing attack that rocked the city last year. (Press Gazette)
Footballco recruits CTO from betting media firm to help grow e-commerce business. (Press Gazette)
Axel Springer is set to be split up in a deal that will see private equity firm KKR exit the company's media division - which publishes Politico, Business Insider and Bild and is now valued at €3.5bn - while remaining in its classifieds business. (Financial Times)
The Met Office has accused the Mirror of "clickbait" weather journalism in a Tiktok video. (Politics UK on X)
The Standard's Jimi Famurewa is ending his tenure as restaurant critic amid its weekly print launch. David Ellis will take on the column alongside his role as going out editor and said writing restaurant reviews "is the part of the job that I enjoy most".
Ladbible owner LBG Media says revenue was up 29% organically and 55% overall in the first half of 2024 to £42.3m. Direct sold revenue (as opposed to indirect ads/platform revenue) was more than 50% of the total for the first time in its history. (LBG Media)
Tim Walker's Mandrake political diary has found a new home at Byline Times. It spent 12 years at The Telegraph and then eight at The New European where it finished this month. Walker said the ethos of being an "irritant to those in power" fits the Byline Times ethos.
Substack is adding live video into its app as a "new way to meaningfully engage with your audience". Going live will immediately notify subscribers and the videos can be for those who pay only. (Substack)
Law360's unionised journalists have ended their strike after reaching a tentative five-year contract deal with management that will reportedly lift wages by an average of 12% and features "strong job protections on AI". (Talking Biz News)
Previously on Press Gazette
Google killing publisher voucher codes overnight part of wider trend, says Mail exec
Unified solution offers publishers unrivalled print and digital efficiency (promoted)
David Knowles: Telegraph journalist who made huge impact in a short life
BBC’s Clive Myrie paid at least £66,000 by police, financial services industry and others
How DPG Media invested in print technology to help it focus on digital (promoted)
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.
The awards pit the smallest local newspapers and independent podcasters against the biggest international news organisations. The great leveller is the quality of the story being told.