Some see the Observer sale as merely an attempt to get 70 employees off the company’s books to clean up the balance sheet after losing £37m last year. At the same time, The Guardian is emphasising its international reach, fuelling fears it is losing sight of its purpose.
“This is about moving away from a commitment to quality UK liberal journalism and is more about going and getting the low hanging fruit around the world, and that’s extremely concerning,” says one journalist. “I don’t think the commercial side of the business really understands the journalism anymore.”
Another senior journalist describes the Observer sale as the “last straw”, adding: “I think there’s a general feeling in the union that this is just the last in a long series of examples of how they completely undervalue their journalists and treat them with contempt.”
There could yet be a way back. Staff have drawn up a counter proposal, calling for a strategic review into the future of the Observer that would include investing in its digital presence. The NUJ has called a meeting on Friday to discuss the latest developments.
One source says: “My big concern is that this could be the opportunity to save the Observer and people are not engaging with how good it could be for the title and its journalists.
“Instead, they are fighting for something that isn’t real at The Guardian – that things stay as they are. The numbers are bad. There will be no more investment for the Observer at The Guardian, only decline and maybe even closure.”
But others have begun scrutinising their employer’s governance structure and are now calling for a more root-and-branch reform. “They’ve totally underestimated it,” says one member of staff. “It’s now not enough to stop the deal for the staff.”
So for Viner, who has made no public comment since the talks were first revealed, the decision to put the Observer up for sale could represent a test of courage. She has previously been criticised over a perceived failure to confront internal conflicts, such as over the reporting of trans controversies.
Viner is expected to attend a leaving party for Paul Webster, the outgoing Observer editor, at the London Welsh Centre next month. One insider suggests that if the deal is still live at that point the “acidity in the air will be enough to sour her prosecco”.
Another journalist claims the authority of Viner – a distant figure to most Guardian journalists rarely seen in the newsroom – is fatally undermined. “Regardless of whether the industrial action stops the sale, this is the end of the line for the editor.”
The Guardian declined to comment on criticisms of management.
