Reach chief executive Jim Mullen has written to staff saying “I have kept my word” on job cuts at the group as parts of the business enact redundancies.

Mullen previously wrote to staff at the start of 2024 to say that, after making more than 700 job cuts in 2023, the business planned to end 2024 with “the teams that we have starting the year”.

However recent weeks have seen team restructures and consequent redundancies at titles including the Sunday Express, Scotland’s Sunday Mail and the Irish Sunday Mirror.

In each case the Sunday titles have been moved into a seven-day merged print and digital operation, with a resulting loss of jobs.

Sunday Express editor David Wooding has left Reach as part of the changes, The Guardian has reported, and Sunday Mail editor Lorna Hughes has also elected to leave according to an email seen by Hold the Front Page.

The NUJ Reach group chapel said the recent redundancies “concern more than two dozen talented journalists leaving the company”.

“Our members are mindful of Jim Mullen’s words as we entered 2024 about staff not having ‘one eye over their shoulder’ after a corrosive year of hundreds of lost journalists’ jobs.

“Yet that is exactly what is happening currently, particularly if you are in a print-facing role…

“The constant threat of cutbacks, particularly among the national titles, is a major source of demotivation and drain on morale. This group chapel calls on the company to make 2025 a redundancy-free, growth year at Reach.”

Separately on Friday, Daily Mirror editor-in-chief Caroline Waterston emailed staff saying the staff of the daily newspaper will be merged with that of celebrity magazine OK!. Waterston, who was previously editor of OK!, added the brands “will remain completely distinct” and that she did “not expect this change to result in any reduction in roles”.

Reach CEO says company will end 2024 with more staff than at conclusion of 2023 restructure

On Friday November 22 Mullen emailed staff saying “external commentary” on the company was “noisy, distracting and, to be honest, a bit lazy at times”.

His commitment for 2024, he said, “was about growth, that there would be no more large-scale cuts and that the size of the overall business was about right for the year ahead.

“I have kept my word and have not changed this commitment.

“And I’ve kept my commitment to being upfront with you all about the fact that our business will have to evolve, adapt and continue to change to better suit the changing preferences of our audiences, their chosen channels and our advertisers.”

Last month Reach announced it would be hiring 60 new editorial staff with a focus on “audience writers” and “general assignment journalists” who will cover breaking stories and trending topics. Mullen said this meant the company will conclude 2024 “with more jobs than we had at the conclusion of the 2023 restructure programme”.

“This is not to disparage or dismiss the feelings of colleagues whose roles have been impacted by changes that are part of the running of our business…

“As CEO, I understand that it is my role to make decisions that are not always popular but that I believe are right for the business. I recognise that, at times, it means I won’t win any popularity contests, but I will never shirk from being up front and honest with you.”

In its statement earlier in the week, the NUJ Reach group chapel said the 60 new roles were “of course welcomed.

“But our members cannot avoid the feeling that in some way sacrifices are being made in print – where three quarters of Reach’s revenue still comes from – to fund changes the company wants elsewhere. This is no reflection on anyone being recruited to Reach, but does lead to speculation on the wisdom of the actions being taken.”

There has been a move away from standalone Sunday editorial teams across the news industry. Last year News UK proposed a merger of the Scottish Times and Scottish Sunday Times and Mail Newspapers brought the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday “much closer together”.

Several dedicated Sunday operations continue, however, including The Sunday Times, The Observer and The Sunday Telegraph, as well as FT Weekend and i weekend.

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Guardian and Observer journalists have agreed to a 48-hour strike in protest at the planned sale of The Observer to Tortoise Media.

Meanwhile, Tortoise has come out punching and issued a statement insisting that it has a plan to save The Observer from irrelevance and closure under its current owners.

And Guardian Media Group management has issued an update to staff saying Observer journalists who don’t want to join Tortoise may be offered voluntary redundancy.

The strike will take place on Wednesday and Thursday 4 and 5 December – the earliest point at which it is legally allowed to happen. Press Gazette understands that a second 48-hour stoppage has been pencilled in for the following week.

Journalists have opted for 48 hours, rather than 24, to maximise disruption and the stoppage would be likely to disrupt print production.

The decision to stage the walkout came after a union meeting on Wednesday attended by several hundred staff. Press Gazette understands the vote was overwhelmingly in favour of a strike.

Press Gazette understands that around 500 journalists at The Guardian and Observer titles are members of the NUJ and around 400 took part in the official strike ballot which took place ahead of today’s meeting.

Some 93% of those voting agreed to strike action, suggesting overwhelming opposition amongst staff to the Tortoise Media bid for The Observer.

Staff remain concerned about job security for the 70 Observer journalists who would transfer across to Tortoise Media and questions remain over funding for the bid.

Tortoise Media majority shareholder and founder James Harding has promised £25m of investment in The Observer over five years to turn it into a self-funding, paywalled newsbrand. The plan is to attract 100,000 new digital subscribers.

However, Observer insiders have now been told that the planned investment in place is £20m.

According to a Tortoise Media spokesperson the situation with investment is as follows: £25m will be invested over five years (with more near the start), £20m is to come from new investment and a further £5m will be invested from profits which Tortoise expects to make in the latter part of the business plan.

Journalists question whether this will be enough to cover the gaps in Observer coverage of sport, business and foreign news that would be left by departing The Guardian, and they see loss-making Tortoise as a precarious owner.

NUJ representatives met Guardian Media Group management in ACAS-brokered talks on Thursday and were told that due diligence for the Tortoise Media bid has now been completed.

One Observer insider said the mood is “very dark” and there is an expectation that the deal looks likely to go ahead. Guardian editor-in-chief Kath Viner, who also sits on the Scott Trust board, is understood to have power of veto over the deal and one insider said journalists are hopeful she will block it.

The GMG board is now putting the offer to the Scott Trust board for a decision in principle at its next meeting next week. The Scott Trust is the not-for-profit company which owns GMG and has the ultimate say over whether to sell The Observer.

Press Gazette understands the deal will need 75% approval from the 12-person Scott Trust board in order to go ahead.

NUJ representatives on The Guardian and Observer believe that under their house agreement with management, the proposed deal should be suspended whilst the matter is in dispute. They have also questioned why there is apparent haste to push the deal through before Christmas under what is seen as a Tortoise-imposed timetable.

GMG is currently in a period of exclusive negotiations with Tortoise Media to buy The Observer, but Press Gazette understands at least one rival consortium has expressed an interest in buying the world’s oldest Sunday newspaper, which is believed to sell around 100,000 copies per week.

GMG chief executive Anna Bateson has hinted at cutbacks and changes to The Observer if the Tortoise deal does not go ahead, warning staff in a letter last month that if the deal does not proceed there would be “a strategic audit of The Observer which would involve some difficult choices – and that would need to happen urgently”.

Guardian management: Talks with NUJ continue

A spokesperson for Guardian News and Media 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.

“Our priority is to serve our readers and support our staff, so that the Guardian and the Observer can continue to promote liberal journalism and thrive in a challenging media environment.”

Tortoise Media: ‘We want to save the Observer from closure’

Tortoise Media issued the following statement following the strike vote:

“We want to save The Observer. Everyone can see it is heading down a path to irrelevance and, probably sooner rather than later, closure. In the last 15 years, sales on a Sunday are down 70 per cent, the staff has shrunk by more than 60 per cent, the paper no longer has foreign, business or sports coverage of its own; home news is likely to be next; how long do you think The Guardian will keep two sets of critics reviewing the same plays, films, art and music? The Observer is a print-only brand in a digital age, its journalism lives, briefly and unloved, on The Guardian website.

“We have heard from a lot of Observer journalists who are excited about our ambition for the paper – the people with digital skills, the money for new staff jobs and a bigger editorial budget and the plan for growth that we bring. They also know the Guardian’s plan for ‘an urgent audit’ of The Observer if the deal doesn’t go ahead is code for folding it in or closing it down.

“We want to work with the unions, but we don’t think they’re right to defend things staying as they are. The path of managed, accelerating decline is not the answer. The majority of people who have voted in this ballot don’t work on the paper and this deal doesn’t directly affect them.

“We hope the NUJ will listen to the growing number of voices on The Observer looking to see it given a new lease of life, investment in journalism and a plan for the future.”

Following the Tortoise Media statement Press Gazette spoke to an Observer insider who said it was wrong to suggest the strike does not have strong support inside the Observer team. They said support for the strike was, if anything, stronger at the Observer than it was across Guardian/Observer chapel as a whole.

Guardian CEO Bateson says Observer staff may be offered voluntary redundancy

Guadian CEO Bateston has issued an update to all staff confiming that the Tortoise bid for the Observer will now go to the Scott Trust for final approval.

She said: “There was a GMG board meeting last week. They reviewed the current state of negotiations, the strategic position of the Observer and the due diligence that has been undertaken. The board gave its support to management to continue to pursue the proposal from Tortoise. The proposal will now be considered by the Scott Trust.

“In terms of the due diligence process, while we have completed much of this work, we continue to negotiate on some of the transitional services. I hope to be able to outline more on this in the next couple of weeks.

“We have been holding regular meetings with Observer staff and the NUJ for the past seven weeks to discuss the potential sale of the Observer. Yesterday, we continued our talks with the NUJ at ACAS. It was a further opportunity for both sides to exchange views, hear different perspectives and try to find common ground. That process is ongoing but we are able to update you on some of the areas we were able to make progress on.

“We have listened to requests from Observer staff and, at ACAS yesterday, we informed the NUJ that we are considering offering voluntary redundancy to Observer staff if the deal goes ahead. This would be on the same terms we offered to editorial colleagues in the summer. Suzy Black, HR Director, will be writing to the Observer team to explain this in a bit more detail.”

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It was a phone call that promised to unlock a story. An unfamiliar voice told me that a man related to an underworld dispute I was investigating had just been released from prison. He was willing to meet me. Five minutes later, I was in a taxi to the edge of town.

It was the mid-90s, I was nearly 30 and could not quite believe that I was reporting for a national newspaper.

As soon as I walked into the bar, though, I sensed my mistake. The cheerless estate pub was in darkness, and empty, save for a gaggle men surrounding my putative subject. They exuded menace, he looked ill at ease. I was invited to conduct my interview by a leather-coated man whose voice I recognised from the phone. Who he was, or how he related to the story, I never learned. I should have walked out, but hunger to understand a criminal turf war clouded my judgement.

As my questions were parried or ignored, I began to realise that my subject was not there of his own volition.

Cigarette smoke and dread hung in the air. After half an hour, my hosts announced that I was ‘a time waster’. As it had cost them dear to facilitate this opportunity, I would now have to pay them. They demanded a sum equivalent to a week’s wages. I had no cash. I started to stand, but was pushed back onto my stool. A second later, a knife was at my throat.

The blade remained there for a seeming eternity. Eventually a man appeared with whom I had some trifling previous encounter. He ordered my release and waved me off.

As soon as I had recovered my composure, I called my news editor. “Oh, you should never meet these people in unfamiliar places”, he intoned. No more was said on the subject. Reporting it to the police, I assumed, would cost me my few contacts. I eventually decided that as I had survived, I was tougher for the experience. Soon I wore the encounter as a badge of pride.

On mature reflection, I realise this was my second irresponsible mistake. No one should suffer such behaviour at work – nor online bullying, name calling, offensive language, violent threats, attacks, stalking or the many other harassments that journalists face daily. Unless we record and report issues, they will likely get worse.

Nick Watt’s pursuit across Whitehall by anti-lockdown protesters might be the emblematic incident of contemporary journalist harassment – but the thousands of offensive social media posts and menacing messages are no less important.

Had I made more fuss I might have prevented others from suffering similar – or at very least made my news editor’s advice better known. An unreported offender, of any kind, is a danger to every other journalist pursuing stories.

So I welcome the launch of the NUJ’s Journalists’ Safety Tracker – an online portal facilitating recording and tracking of all abuse and intimidation aimed at media workers. It is one strand of the work of the Government’s National Committee for the Safety of Journalists, and is open to all journalists to submit.  It should allow industry, government and police to understand the scale of problems and unpick trends.

[Read more: News industry urges police to ‘break cycle of abuse’ against women in journalism]

NUJ general secretary Michelle Stanistreet called the launch “a landmark moment”. “Tracking trends of the unacceptable abuse too often encountered by journalists is vital. Sexist and racist language targeted at women journalists and those from minority ethnic backgrounds, physical attacks and online harassment can now be systematically captured alongside the state-sponsored threats we know to exist.”

The tool is supported by employer groups such as the Society of Editors. It will only work, though, if journalists actually record incidents.

Although initiated during the last Parliament, it has the wholehearted support of the new incumbents at DCMS. Media Minister Stephanie Peacock MP said: “A free press depends on journalists’ ability to do their job without abuse, attack or intimidation. The Safety Tracker will help us gain a real time understanding of the frequency and type of abuse news gatherers face in the UK, particularly after journalists experienced harassment while covering this summer’s riots.”

I got plenty of copy out of the underworld feud, although I never got to the bottom of why they were at each other’s throats. On balance, I was lucky indeed to get away with my own neck intact. Had I made more of the incident then, it might have prevented others getting in the way of potential harms.

My hope in relaying the story now is that it persuades other journalists to record abuse – physical or digital – on the Tracker, and thereby contributing to making the world safer for us all.

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BBC-funded Local Democracy Reporters working at various publishers have complained of low pay and being asked to write stories outside their brief.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service is an effort to fill gaps in the UK’s regional public service reporting. Under the current contracts, 18 media companies employ 165 LDRs to cover patches across the UK, producing stories that are distributed for free to the BBC and more than 1,000 other news titles around the country.

The BBC is due to retender contracts for the scheme next year.

Publishers who successfully bid for LDR contracts are provided approximately £38,000 (outside London) or £40,500 (inside) by the BBC annually to cover the expenses associated with employing each reporter, including salary, national insurance and management costs.

The contracts also stipulate minimum salaries for LDRs of around £24,000 outside London and £27,000 inside. The differences between the stipulated minimum salaries and the total sums allotted by the BBC have previously led to clashes between the NUJ and LDR contract holders: the union accused Newsquest last year of withholding BBC cash from its reporters, which the company and two peer organisations disputed.

Under the terms of the contracts LDR salaries are guaranteed to increase by either 1.5% or in line with the retail prices index — whichever is less. LDR partners may increase pay above this rate at their discretion, however, and indeed the largest LDR contract holder, local publishing giant Reach, was paying non-trainee LDRs outside London a £31,200 minimum last year.

The NUJ said in a statement following a recent Local Democracy Reporter summit there are “significant differences in rates offered journalists carrying out the same work across different locations.

“Employers are expected to pay, as a minimum, their own salary levels if they are higher than the BBC set minimum. However, the NUJ has highlighted an existing lack of transparency by many LDRS suppliers on approaches to regional and local pay.

“In some cases, LDRs have been given only the 1.5% uplift in April when their newsroom colleagues have received higher annual pay increases. LDRs of similar experience can be paid about £5,000 more than colleagues elsewhere in the same group.”

The union has called on the BBC to stipulate that LDRs “cannot be given less than the general pay increase enjoyed by their colleagues” and to make sure that “local minimum pay rates of suppliers are transparent to their workforce so LDRs can be assured contractual arrangements involving public money are being adhered to”.

Asked about the NUJ criticisms, a spokesperson for the BBC said: “The BBC is completely committed to the ongoing success and development of the LDRS, and we will shortly be announcing a new funding model for the 2025-2027 contract period.

“As part of that process, the BBC remains in discussion with industry partners to ensure increased funding is reflected in salary levels.”

Some Local Democracy Reporters report being pushed to do stories outside their contracted beat

As well as the pay issues, the union said it was “increasingly concerned” at reports from LDRs at the recent LDR Summit that they were being pushed to publish more than the maximum 40 stories a month they are contracted for, and that some had been used “as substitute reporters” to cover things that would typically be assigned to a non-LDR journalist.

Chris Morley, the NUJ’s northern and Midlands senior organiser, said in the statement: “The number of LDR members at our summit and their geographical and employer spread meant this was a representative snapshot of what is happening on the ground in the LDRS.

“It was tangible that many LDRs felt they were being unreasonably pushed around to do things that were of dubious relevance to the LDRS and its original brief. There was frustration that publishers were seeking to extract more and more from them to the obvious detriment to the founding principles of the scheme and other partners of the service.

“Our members feel the BBC is not doing enough to keep its contractual obligations adhered to and in reality are presiding over a laissez faire, permissive regime where the boundaries are being constantly pushed to the expense of the core duty to provide unique content public interest journalism.

“The upcoming retendering process is a golden opportunity for the BBC to reset the service to solve the pay anomalies for LDRs and to make sure the journalistic success of the scheme is not tarnished by any selfish opportunism of suppliers.”

What Local Democracy Reporters say

One Local Democracy Reporter, who works at a National World title, told Press Gazette they had been stuck near the minimum BBC-stipulated salary for years.

They said: “I’ve been ‘lucky’ in that usually I do have the time to pursue stories and haven’t felt pressured to do much outside of the LDRS remit. And when that has happened, I’ve usually stated that it’s not in the remit, and that’s fine.”

But they added that on papers such as theirs “where roles have been cut year after year, there is, I find, a pressure to not let the team down and sometimes that means writing up a press release that I normally wouldn’t have covered”.

A Reach LDR who spoke to Press Gazette said the situation described by the NUJ did not match their experience. They were not under pressure to write high-traffic stories and that they have been able to push back when editors have “overstepped the mark”.

“My only minor complaint is they could pay us more,” they said. “I have thought about retraining and doing something with a higher salary. But I enjoy the job quite a lot to be honest.”

The post NUJ voices Local Democracy Reporter concern over pay and working outside their brief appeared first on Press Gazette.

Guardian and Observer journalists have voted in favour of possible strike action in protest at proposals to sell The Observer to Tortoise Media.

The combined NUJ chapel has already passed a no-confidence motion in the board of the Scott Trust in protest at the Observer sale plan.

According to the NUJ, an “overwhelming” 93% of the group’s journalists, on a turnout of 70%, indicated their willingness to take strike action and 96% voted in favour of action short of a strike.

The union says it has now informed GMG of its intention to formally ballot members for industrial action.

The union said: “The resounding decision is in opposition to the proposed sale of The Observer and follows confirmation by the Guardian Media Group last month that it is engaged in exclusive talks with Tortoise Media.”

At a meeting of the NUJ Guardian & Observer chapel on 24 October, representatives agreed a formal postal ballot process should now proceed, with journalists urged to vote yes to participating in industrial action.

According to the NUJ: “Journalists are agreed that they have no choice but to consider industrial action to protect the much-loved title and its role providing valued journalism within the media landscape.

“No engagement with journalists or the NUJ was sought prior to negotiations by GMG and the union has voiced its deep-rooted concerns over the viability of the title and journalists’ jobs if it is sold to James Harding’s startup. The company, not yet profitable, has pledged £20m capital investment with plans to implement a paywall if the bid is accepted.”

NUJ general secretary Michelle Stanistreet said: “Journalists are resolute in their opposition to the Observer sale for reasons understood by its readers, many of whom have indicated their support for members.

“The hurried decision to pursue talks without prior engagement with the very journalists who ensure the title’s success is shocking and ill-judged, but reps are committed to resolving the dispute and stress there is still time to avoid industrial action. There must now be an end to transfer talks and a willingness by the Scott Trust to demonstrate its commitment to the Observer.”

A spokesperson for Guardian News and Media said: “Guardian Media Group announced last month that it was entering into exclusive negotiations about the offer from Tortoise Media to buy the Observer. We were transparent about the offer so we could openly engage with Observer staff and we will continue to do so. The offer proposes an investment in the future of the Observer, including building a digital presence for the Sunday newspaper, and those negotiations are ongoing.”

Earlier this week former Observer editor Roger Alton gave his blessing to the Tortoise Media bid.

He said: “Clearly the Scott Trust, owners of the Guardian, wants to wash its hands of the Obs, which it has always seemed to view as an unwanted and charismatic neighbour arriving at a sedate family dinner. In my view, Tortoise would clearly be an ideal new owner. It too has a proud record in major campaigns, its journalism is widely admired, its podcasts pioneering too.”

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Former Observer editor Roger Alton has given his backing to Tortoise Media‘s bid to buy his old title.

Alton was one of three former Observer editors to accuse Guardian Media Group owner the Scott Trust of abrogating its responsibilities to the title by putting it up for sale.

But writing to Press Gazette, Alton has made clear that he supports Tortoise Media’s bid. Meanwhile, the NUJ is currently balloting Guardian and Observer staff over potential strike action in protest against the deal.

The 70 Observer journalists who would transfer across to Tortoise have concerns about job security working for a stand-alone title.

Roger Alton: Tortoise would offer Observer ‘a massive new shot in the arm’

Alton writes: “I had the great privilege of editing the paper for nearly a decade from 1998 (though I had also spent a fantastic few months working there as a teenager in the 1960s, which convinced me that this was the life everybody should want, and that newspapers were the lifeblood of a healthy society).

“So I feel great loyalty and affection for the paper, which is after all the oldest Sunday paper in the world (b 1791) and has not just been responsible for some of the bravest and best campaigns of recent years, but is also a source of great fun and entertainment and some of the best writing around.

“This is why I am so cheered by the arrival of Tortoise media. Clearly the Scott Trust, owners of the Guardian, wants to wash its hands of the Obs, which it has always seemed to view as an unwanted and charismatic neighbour arriving at a sedate family dinner.

“In my view, Tortoise would clearly be an ideal new owner. It too has a proud record in major campaigns, its journalism is widely admired, its podcasts pioneering too. And it has on its staff some of the best journalists in the country. It is also utterly committed to preserving the newspaper as a print product, as well as developing a substantial digital presence.

“My belief is that Tortoise would not just be an ideal custodian of the traditions and qualities of the Observer, but would also, as a highly-skilled multi-media organisation, offer a massive new shot in the arm.”

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Update 18 October 2024: The Nottingham branch of the NUJ has issued an open letter hailing the Nottingham Post’s IPSO win over Nottinghamshire Police as “a victory for the free press”.

The letter, addressed to Nottingham Post editor Natalie Fahy, can be found in full at the bottom of this article.

Original story, 19 September 2024: 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.

The Reach-owned title reported in February and March that Nottinghamshire Police had held a “non-disclosable briefing” for press about contact they had with Valdo Calocane before he committed a triple murder spree.

In June last year Calocane stabbed to death two university students, Barnaby Webber and Grace O’Malley, and school caretaker Ian Coates.

The Nottingham Post and its website Nottinghamshire Live published the headline: “Police don’t want us to tell whole story of attacks investigation / Police ask Post not to publish details around June 13 attacks.”

It said of the briefing, which 35 reporters attended remotely under the agreement that the information was non-reportable: “We believe this unprecedented step is an attempt to prevent reporting.”

They then followed up with: “Reported twice for ‘stalking’ before he went on to kill / Flatmate twice told police he was being stalked by Calocane who, within a year, became a killer.”

And: “Why the Post is publishing details from police briefing with non-disclosure clause,” along with associated social media posts.

Nottinghamshire Police billed it as ‘non-disclosure briefing’

Nottinghamshire Police had argued it was inaccurate to report it had asked the publication to sign a non-disclosure agreement because no legal document had been drawn up or signed.

However the publication was able to provide an email it had received with the subject: “Non-disclosure briefing with the Chief Constable.”

The email read: “The following non-disclosure briefing will be taking place today with the Chief Constable. You will need to confirm in writing that you agree that this is a non-disclosure briefing, none of the information in this briefing is for reporting.

“You won’t be invited into the meeting unless you can confirm and accept the above with an email.”

The editor responded to confirm the attendance of a reporter, who sent their own email which read: “Thanks for sending over the link to register – I confirm to abide by the non-disclosure briefing agreement.”

After the briefing the editor sent a further email asking: “Would you be able to explain please why this briefing was subject to a non-disclosure agreement?”

In a follow-up email the police said: “The reason we can’t talk about some of the information in the public domain is because it could prejudice the independent investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) and the review being conducted by the College of Policing.”

In its ruling, IPSO said: “In circumstances where the publication was required to commit in writing not to report the information which was disclosed at the briefing as a condition of attendance, the Committee did not consider that it was significantly inaccurate to describe the arrangement in the terms used by the newspaper.”

The police force took issue with the suggestion it was keeping information from the families of the victims and the public and argued that background briefings with “off-the-record” information have long been held – the only difference in this case was the scale of it with so many journalists attending.

IPSO said in response that the publication was entitled to use its own characterisation of the briefing as “unprecedented” especially as it could not remember a previous time in the past decade where it had to confirm in writing the terms of a “non-disclosure” briefing.

“In addition, this was supported by the complainant’s own submissions – that the Nottingham Attacks and the high level of media interest was unprecedented in itself, so that it held a large off-the-record briefing, which it had not done before,” the complaints committee said.

Nottinghamshire Police also complained about a post claiming the Chief Constable was “hiding away” from the victims’ families but IPSO said this was presented as a quote, having come from a son of one of the victims, so it was not inaccurate.

The force had also complained about the fact it had not been asked for comment but IPSO said it had been alerted by Nottinghamshire Live to the fact that it was planning to publish information from the briefing and that there is no obligation to offer a right of reply, especially considering the article “did not include any inaccurate, misleading or distorted information”.

Editor: ‘I just knew something wasn’t right’

Nottinghamshire Police had wanted a front page print and online correction and apology but ultimately the complaint was rejected.

Nottinghamshire Live editor Natalie Fahy said: “I’ve worked as a journalist for nearly 20 years and I just knew something wasn’t right about the way we were being asked to commit to a promise in writing before being allowed to attend this briefing with Nottinghamshire Police.

“We increasingly find that various institutions try to curtail our freedoms as an independent press and it’s important to take a stand when any of them go too far.

“I hope no police force tries to do something like this again to any other news team and that the communications team and the National Police Chiefs’ Council use this ruling to improve their working practices moving forward.”

Read the full IPSO ruling here.

Nottingham NUJ branch open letter to Natalie Fahy hailing the NUJ decision

“Dear Natalie,

“The Nottingham branch of the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) was pleased to learn of the Independent Press Standards Organisation’s (IPSO) decision not to uphold a complaint against the Nottingham Post, filed by Nottinghamshire Police earlier this year.

“We were disturbed to learn in February of Nottinghamshire Police’s attempt to use a “non disclosure briefing” to prevent reporting of information vital to the public’s understanding both of the case itself, and, crucially, the many interactions between Valdo Calocane, the police, and local mental health services in the months and years prior to the attacks.

“Unequivocally, a fact backed up by IPSO’s ruling, it was in the interest of the people of Nottingham and the grief-stricken families of the victims of the Nottingham attacks to make that information known. It is to your credit that you stuck to this public interest duty.

“The ruling is also a victory for freedom of the press, a principle at the very core of the NUJ. Journalists serve a number of vital functions in a democracy, not least in holding public servants, politicians, and powerful people to account. If journalists and media outlets are prevented from reporting information in the public interest, the public suffers.

“We thank you for fighting for the principle of press freedom, and hope that lessons will be learnt from this incident. Above all, serving and protecting the public must be the top priority for everyone in the privileged position to do so, public servants, officials, political representatives and the free press alike.

“Regards, the Nottingham branch of the NUJ.”

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The BBC plans to make a net reduction of 130 roles in its news and current affairs department, ending interview programme Hardtalk, tech show Click and the Asian Network’s bespoke news service as part of a £24m cost-cutting drive.

The closures are part of a broader BBC plan to cut 500 jobs across the corporation by March 2026 in order to create a total of £700m in annual savings relative to 2022.

The proposals would see 185 roles closed in total in BBC news and current affairs teams, with 55 new roles opened.

A further 25 post closures are proposed in the media operations team which supports the production of the BBC’s news, radio and some sport services.

BBC News chief executive Deborah Turness told staff of the changes in an email on Tuesday, saying the corporation proposed savings equivalent to 4% of the current budget.

“We have worked hard to find savings that don’t require us to close roles,” she said. “In fact, more than 40% of these savings will come from non-staff measures including reductions to spend on contracts, suppliers, distribution and physical buildings.

“But with staff costs accounting for 75% of our overall budget, I’m sorry to say that post closures are unavoidable.”

Hardtalk currently airs nightly Monday to Thursday on the BBC News Channel and has a podcast. It had been described as the “flagship” current affairs interview programme for BBC World News (one of the two previous TV channels that merged into the current BBC News Channel last year).

Turness wrote that Hardtalk will be closed “as we focus on continuous live and breaking output on our News Channel, and do more to use and promote the high impact interviews and important conversations that are happening every day across our platforms”.

Hardtalk presenter Stephen Sackur posted on X that the closure was “depressing news for the BBC”.

“A brilliant team of producers and researchers is being disbanded just as BBC DG Tim Davie is trying to persuade the British Government that the journalism of the BBC World Service is such a vital expression of democratic soft power that the taxpayer must fund it. Whatever the outcome o f that, it seems it will be too late to save Hardtalk – for so long a pillar of the World Service schedule.”

BBC Click is described as “the BBC’s flagship technology programme” and airs on the BBC News Channel (formerly BBC World News).

Co-presenter Lara Lewington said on X: “The BBC gave us an amazing opportunity to cover the tech that has, and will transform our lives, in ways we could never have imagined. It is a shame to see our dear show come to an end at this moment of AI transformation and incredible acceleration in innovation and possibility, but such are the economic constraints.”

The BBC says that Click is being “relaunched and renamed” to Tech Now rather than closed fully, “shifting from its traditional TV format to one where the films work best for digital”.

Also under the proposals, domestic BBC radio stations would begin airing World Service summaries between midnight and 5.30am rather than their own domestic summaries and the 5.30am News Briefing on Radio 4 would cease.

The cuts announced on Tuesday do not impact the World Service, which Turness said was because “we are in discussion with the government about its current funding levels.

“When those discussions are concluded we will be able to shape plans for the future and share them.”

Director-general Tim Davie has this week been vocal about the effect funding cuts are having on the World Service, saying they are opening the way to the growth of state news outlets from the likes of Russia and China: “Perhaps most worrying from the BBC point of view is that we can now see clear evidence of the fact that, when the World Service retreats, state-funded media operators move in to take advantage.”

Details of closures and changes at BBC News

The Asian Network’s news service includes programmes such as The Ankur Desai show, 60 Minutes and Asian Network News Presents, all of which will be closed along with 18 associated posts. The station will instead begin airing Newsbeat bulletins which are also used on Radio 1 and 1Xtra.

BBC 5 Live will no longer produce its own overnight news programme, which will instead be handled by the BBC’s nations and local teams, resulting in the closure of eight posts.

The proposals also include the merging of four “On The Day” newsdesk divisions, Home, Foreign, Content and Live, to create “a single, story-led structure”.

Turness wrote the goal of the change was to “manage demand, reduce duplication and prioritise live, digital and high impact journalism”.

Davie has previously instructed BBC News to reduce overall output by 20%.

The BBC said it will increase the number of digital roles in time zones outside the UK, “closing some roles in London and opening new positions in Sydney” as part of a “follow the sun” digital strategy that will allow it to better operate around the clock.

Turness told staff: “We are doing everything we can do avoid compulsory redundancies. Earlier in the summer we launched a Voluntary Redundancy (VR) scheme. Many of the roles proposed for closure in News align with expressions of interest in VR, and there are also expressions of interest in other roles where there might be opportunities for redeployment. Anyone potentially impacted by today’s announcements will be able to register for VR on the same terms.”

The cuts were first indicated in July as part of the BBC’s annual report for the year to the end of March 2024 which attributed the budget squeeze in large part to a freeze on the licence fee that meant it is now £1bn worse off a year than it was in 2010/11.

NUJ decries new BBC cuts as ‘an assault on journalism’

Last month the BBC has announced plans to cut up to 115 editorial and production jobs in the nations and regions, which themselves followed cuts to BBC local radio and output such as Newsnight.

Outgoing NUJ general secretary Michelle Stanistreet said the new cuts “represent a damaging assault on journalism and news at a time when the UK needs greater plurality and diversity of news and trust in journalism is under attack at home and abroad.

“Some of these decisions represent comparatively modest savings yet will disproportionately undermine the breadth and range of news content the BBC currently provides.”

Laura Davison, the union’s broadcasting organiser and incoming secretary general, added: “It is unclear how much journalism at the BBC can withstand without decisive action and investment that recognises the immense benefit of independent, credible news and current affairs programming. The inevitable loss of talent will serve as a double whammy to the organisation, where under-resourced teams must now strive to ensure the sustainability of journalism valued by the public.

“As we unpack detail of proposals, we will bring together NUJ reps to consider next steps alongside the scale and impact of these damaging plans.”

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Guardian and Observer journalists have agreed they may take industrial action in protest at plans to sell The Observer to Tortoise Media.

The move comes as a group of prominent cultural figures, many of whom have contributed to The Observer, submitted an open letter to Press Gazette blasting the possible sale, saying it is “disastrous” and values the paper “at or near zero”.

Up to 400 staff attended a meeting of the combined Guardian and Observer NUJ chapel on Thursday (3 October) where strong feelings were aired opposing the deal.

The packed mandatory meeting went on for more than an hour and was a mixture of in-person and via Google Meet.

Two votes were passed unanimously: to put the matter “into dispute” and “if necessary” to hold “industrial action”.

The Guardian and Observer titles are owned by the Scott Trust, whose purpose is “to secure the financial and editorial independence of the Guardian in perpetuity…remaining faithful to its liberal tradition”.

Press Gazette understands staff complained about what was seen as a failure of the Trust to protect plural liberal journalism in tough times. Some spoke about a sense of “betrayal” amongst Observer journalists who have worked at the company for 30 years or more.

There was also concern raised that readers who have made financial donations in order to support Observer journalism will feel misled if the title is sold.

Mention was also made of The Guardian’s “Not For Sale” marketing campaign last year which emphasised the title’s editorial independence. Some staff at the meeting said it was ironic that in fact The Observer did seem to be for sale and apparently at a nominal price.

Guardian Media Group announced on 17 September that it was in a period of exclusive negotiations to sell The Observer to Tortoise Media, which is mainly a podcast publisher.

Tortoise founder and main shareholder James Harding has not yet revealed who is financially backing The Observer bid which is said to include £25m of investment over five years (over and above the title’s running costs). But he has assured staff that the deal will be a boost to liberal journalism.

Around 70 Observer staff would transfer over with the deal.

Both the Scott Trust and Guardian management appear keen to do the deal, with chief executive Anna Bateson describing it as “an exciting opportunity” to build The Observer and “allow The Guardian to focus on its growth strategy”.

Press Gazette understands that Harding has met with some Observer staff but there are still widespread concerns about job security if the deal goes through. Guardian and Observer journalists currently benefit from an NUJ house agreement which includes a no compulsory redundancies promise.

A Guardian spokesperson said: “We are in negotiations about the offer from Tortoise Media to buy the Observer and we are grateful to everyone who has fed their thoughts into discussions so far. One of the reasons for being transparent about the offer was so that we could openly engage with Observer staff. There is still a lot of information to work through and we will continue to discuss internally.”

Prominent cultural figures blast Tortoise bid for The Observer in open letter

Also on Thursday a group of more than 70 prominent UK cultural figures including Oscar-winning actors and directors and some of the UK’s leading novelists and playwrights addressed an open letter to the Scott Trust and Guardian Media Group describing the possible deal as “a betrayal” and calling on them “to reject this ill-considered offer at once”.

Among the signatories were actor Ralph Fiennes, musician and broadcaster Jarvis Cocker, broadcaster Carole Vorderman, playwright Tom Stoppard and actress Lesley Manville.

The letter in full:

The news that the Guardian chief executive and editor-in-chief are actively considering a takeover of the Observer by Tortoise has left us shocked and dismayed. While Tortoise is a respected media outlet, we believe that the move would be disastrous for the world’s oldest Sunday newspaper and its journalists, for the Guardian and for liberal journalism.

While figures of £100m are being bid for other publications, this poorly funded approach sets the value of the Observer at or near zero. The proposal also envisages moving it from a resilient and well-funded newspaper publisher to a small, loss-making digital startup whose funding for the takeover would in all likelihood come from private equity.

Is Tortoise really committed to continuing with the Observer in print? If it were to discontinue the newspaper or if the business were to fail, the Guardian’s editor-in-chief and chief executive and the Scott Trust, which owns Guardian Media Group, would go down in history as being responsible for the demise of the last liberal Sunday newspaper.

The immediate financial threat to the newspaper’s journalism, and its staff, is clear. Even if it were to survive, the Observer would be much changed – cut off from its network of foreign correspondents, sports reporters and business journalists. Leading writers, familiar to the paper’s readers for years, would be gone. Guardian supporters would lose the Observer’s voice and presence on the Guardian website and app. And if, as seems inevitable, the Observer’s politics, arts and culture coverage is to go behind a paywall, then its unique voice in Britain’s national conversation will be muted.

The Scott Trust, the Observer’s parent for 30 years, prides itself on providing a home for journalism free from the taint of corporate interests. Its engagement with this offer, however, suggests that the Observer’s award-winning reporting is something that the organisation, with its £1.3bn endowment, is no longer interested in protecting.

We call on Guardian Media Group and the Scott Trust to reject this ill-considered offer at once, and to retain the Observer as a key element of its seven-day print and online operation. Failure to do so would be a betrayal of the Observer, its staff and its readers.

Yours sincerely,

Monica Ali (author)

Joan Bakewell (journalist and peer)

Julian Barnes (author)

Mary Beard (classicist and broadcaster)

Frank Cottrell Boyce (screenwriter and novelist)

Rosie Boycott (journalist and peer)

Asa Butterfield (actor)

Dorothy Byrne (former television news executive)

Simon Callow (actor)

Bridget Christie (comedian)

Eliza Clark (author)

Jarvis Cocker (musician and broadcaster)

Jonathan Coe (author)

Richard Coles (author and priest)

Stephen Daldry (director and producer)

Janie Dee (actress)

Jeremy Deller (artist)

Clint Dyer (director and actor)

Richard Eyre (director)

Ralph Fiennes (actor and producer)

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall (chef and broadcaster)

Nicole Flattery (author)

Michael Frayn (playwright and author)

Mark Gatiss (actor and director)

Bobby Gillespie (musician)

Howard Goodall (composer)

James Graham (playwright)

Hugh Grant (actor)

Colin Greenwood (musician)

Philippa Gregory (author)

Armando Iannucci (writer and producer)

Sheila Hancock (actress)

David Hare (playwright and director)

Robert Harris (author)

Jonah Hauer-King (actor)

Lord Peter Hennessy (historian and peer)

Billy Howle (actor)

Toby Jones (actor)

Asif Kapadia (filmmaker)

Jackie Kay (poet and author)

Helena Kennedy (barrister and peer)

Peter Kosminsky (writer and director)

David Kynaston (historian)

Duncan Kenworthy OBE (producer)

Daisy Lafarge (author and poet)

David Lan (playwright)

Dame Hermione Lee (biographer and academic)

Anton Lesser (actor)

Adrian Lester (actor and director)

Damian Lewis (actor)

Julian Lloyd Webber (musician)

Joe Lycett (comedian)

Caroline Lucas (politician)

Kevin MacDonald (director)

Lesley Manville (actress)

Miriam Margolyes (actress)

Eddie Marsan (actor)

Robert McCrum (author)

David Morrissey (actor and filmmaker)

Ian McEwan (author and screenwriter)

Stephen McGann (actor)

Robert Macfarlane (author and academic)

Sophie Mackintosh (author)

Sienna Miller (actress)

Abi Morgan (playwright and screenwriter)

Michael Morpurgo (author)

Blake Morrison (poet and author)

Mike Newell (director)

Bill Nighy (actor)

Megan Nolan (author)

James O’Brien (broadcaster)

Mark O’Connell (writer)

Andi Oliver (chef)

Miquita Oliver (presenter)

Michael Ondaatje (poet and writer)

Richard Ovenden (librarian and author)

Chris Packham (naturalist and broadcaster)

Pawel Pawlikowski (filmmaker)

Maxine Peake (actress)

Sarah Perry (author)

Alistair Petrie (actor)

Jonathan Pryce (actor)

Philip Pullman (author)

Steve Punt (comedian)

David Puttnam (film producer)

Mark Rylance (actor)

Michael Rosen (author)

Dominic Savage (director)

Tom Shakespeare (sociologist)

Lemn Sissay (author and broadcaster)

Gillian Slovo (author)

Delia Smith (TV presenter and cookbook writer)

Tom Stoppard (playwright and screenwriter)

Olivia Sudjic (author)

Wolfgang Tillmans (photographer)

Carol Vorderman (broadcaster)

Harriet Walter (actress)

John Ware (journalist)

Michael Wynn Jones (writer, editor and publisher)

Shoshana Zuboff (author)

Note: This list was updated on 9 October.

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Some Observer journalists say they have been left with more questions than answers after a series of meetings with Tortoise founder James Harding about his proposed deal with Guardian Media Group to buy the title.

A mandatory Guardian/Observer NUJ chapel meeting is set to be held on Thursday at 11am to “decide on our next steps”. Internal scepticism about the Observer deal is reflected by the fact NUJ chapel officers said they “will be recommending that the chapel puts the matter into dispute”.

Journalists at the Guardian and Observer passed a vote of no confidence the titles’ owners, The Scott Trust, after it was announced on 17 September that Tortoise is in exclusive talks to buy The Observer.

Since then, Press Gazette understands Harding (who is also the largest single Tortoise shareholder) 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.

One Guardian insider summed up the mood saying: “If the deal doesn’t go through then what is future of The Observer? The whole issue has weakened security for staff as they think either now there is a ‘for sale sign’ over The Observer or they limp on with dubious commitment from the owners.” 

Questions remain among Observer staff as to how Tortoise deal will be financed and its effect on jobs

Staff concerns appear to centre around three main areas: finance, quality and job security.

Harding has said £5m per year will be made available for investment in The Observer over and above the title’s usual runnings costs for a period of five years. But insiders fear this money could be quickly swallowed up paying for things which currently do not appear on The Observer accounts such as: online editing and production; sports, business and international coverage; coverage of Scotland and north of England; legal support; and IT and content management systems for both print and digital.

Staff have also yet to be given any information about who is providing the finance for the deal and whether any additional purchase price is being offered for The Observer, beyond the promised investment. Press Gazette has previously detailed the current Tortoise Media shareholders.

Insiders say they have yet to see a business plan or even a Powerpoint presentation providing detail about Harding’s plans for The Observer. Press Gazette has previously reported that Tortoise plans to grow The Observer with the help of an online paywall.

Staff fear that journalistic quality will suffer under the new owners without the support of the wider Guardian team (which comprises more than 1,000 editorial staff).

Job security appears to be the biggest concern among the 70 Observer staff who would transfer across with the deal. One insider said simply that staff are happy working for Guardian News and Media (GNM), which is the trading name for the combined Guardian and Observer business, and they do not want to move.

GNM has never made compulsory redundancies so its staff have some of the most secure jobs in UK journalism. Press Gazette understands that staff frequently move between The Guardian and The Observer, so they feel there are more career opportunities within the wider organisation. GNM owners the Scott Trust also benefits from a £1.3bn trust fund which is there to support the journalism of The Guardian in perpetuity. And, unlike most UK news businesses, GNM’s primary focus is on producing journalism (rather than turning a profit) free from commercial pressure and true to founder CP Scott’s liberal values.

Press Gazette understands that Harding wants to adopt an Atlantic-style model. The US monthly went from losing $20m per year to profitability and now has more than one million subscribers in print and online.

But insiders fear this will be hard to replicate in the smaller and more crowded UK market.

Guardian editor Kath Viner is understood to have told staff that any deal has to be a good one for The Observer as well as The Guardian.

A Guardian spokesperson said: “We announced last week that we are in talks with Tortoise Media about their offer to buy the Observer. Those exclusive negotiations have only just begun. It is important to be transparent with staff because it is a potentially significant investment that needs to be looked at in detail. We are engaging with staff and welcome every opportunity for internal discussions on this.”

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