The Guardian-owning Scott Trust appears to be pressing ahead with plans to sell The Observer to Tortoise Media.

The 12-person board of the Trust, which is a non-profit-making company, met on Monday 25 November to discuss a bid made by Tortoise Media to acquire The Observer.

Tortoise has funding of £20m to invest in turning the Observer into a standalone newspaper with a paywalled website.

Following yesterday’s all-day meeting of the Trust a spokesperson said: “Today the Scott Trust met to discuss the potential sale of the Observer and the proposed terms.

“Talks continue to progress and there are a few outstanding points. All parties will continue detailed discussions to ensure the proposed agreement is the best it can be for staff, readers and the future of liberal journalism.”

The Trust has said it may keep a stake in The Observer after its sale to Tortoise and the Financial Times has reported that it may also offer additional investment in the new Tortoise/Observer business.

The ongoing talks mean strike action in protest at the Observer-Tortoise deal is still set to go ahead with the first 48-hour strike from Guardian and Observer journalists set to take place on Wednesday 4 December.

The Scott Trust has been sent a series of questions about the Observer deal by a consortium of press freedom groups which has asked for written answers.

These include: “Why is the sale of The Observer being discussed only with one preferred bidder instead of through an open, transparent and fair process?”

And: “What is the Scott Trust’s responsibility if this [the Tortoise Media] plan fails?”

The 70 Observer journalists who would transfer across to Tortoise have concerns about job security and editorial independence.

Tortoise Media said yesterday: “We want to save The Observer, both for today’s readers and the generation to come. We have heard from a lot of Observer journalists who are excited about our ambition for the paper – and the people we bring with digital skills in podcasts, data journalism and newsletters, the investment that means new staff jobs, a much bigger editorial budget and a real plan for growth.

“We believe we can strengthen liberal journalism, adding to the range and reach of progressive voices; we can enable The Observer to reach new readers, as a Sunday newspaper with a digital life of its own; and we can renew the paper as a powerful voice in the world.”

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The chair of the Scott Trust has offered to meet a consortium of press freedom groups which has raised concerns over the sale of The Observer.

The board of the Trust, a limited company which owns Guardian Media Group, was expected to meet on Monday 25 November, to discuss proposals to sell The Observer to Tortoise Media.

With Guardian and Observer journalists set to hold a 48-hour strike on 4 December in protest at the deal, the Trust is under pressure to make a decision.

The Scott Trust has received a letter co-signed by the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom, the European Federation of Journalists, Index on Censorship, International Press Institute and OBC Transeuropa demanding answers to six key questions about the sale of The Observer.

Tortoise Media is believed to have funding of £20m to invest in turning The Observer into a stand-alone newspaper and paywalled website. According to the FT, The Scott Trust may also provide additional investment in the deal and the body has already said it plans to retain a stake in The Observer.

The letter sent by the press freedom groups to the Trust and Tortoise Media asks the following questions:

“The Observer is the leading liberal, progressive Sunday newspaper in the UK. Given the Scott Trust’s commitment to safeguarding freedom of the press and liberal journalism, what protections will be included in any deal to protect its editorial independence?

“What safeguards regarding future ownership will be written into the sale?”

The groups also asked a question about whether the Trust has properly vetted all the potential investors, including looking at foreign business links.

The letter says: “Individuals we spoke to described Tortoise’s business plan as ‘unconvincing’ and ‘seriously under-financed’. What is the Scott Trust’s responsibility if this plan fails? Are any safeguards being included in the deal?

“Why is the sale of The Observer being discussed only with one preferred bidder instead of through an open, transparent and fair process?

“Will you allow Observer and Guardian staff to speak out freely about the impact of the deal on press freedom and UK media plurality without fear of sanction or recrimination? At present, they report being unable to voice their opinions freely or have been warned against doing so.”

Scott Trust chair Ole Jacob Sunde has written back to the groups saying: “Thank you for your letter and the questions that you raise. We will happily respond to your points. Perhaps, in the first instance, we could arrange a call so I can better understand your concerns.

“As you will know, The Guardian has been a partner to your organisations on various vital journalistic endeavours – including the anti-SLAPPS coalition. We hope you know us to share values on many areas in the media landscape.

“We take our obligations to safeguarding the future of liberal journalism very seriously and would welcome you sharing more about where you believe there’s misalignment.”

Press Gazette understands the groups have asked for written answers and cannot offer a meeting until early December.

Observer journalist Carole Cadwalladr has been told by Guardian management that her public statements about the proposed Observer deal may be in breach of her contract and has been ask to “desist” from saying anything publicly which brings Guardian News and Media “into disrepute”.

Cadwalladr was the keynote speaker on Friday 23 November at a Malta conference on media freedom run by the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe during which she denounced the sale of The Observer to Tortoise as an “existential threat to our journalism”.

A spokesperson for Tortoise Media said: “We want to save The Observer, both for today’s readers and the generation to come. We have heard from a lot of Observer journalists who are excited about our ambition for the paper – and the people we bring with digital skills in podcasts, data journalism and newsletters, the investment that means new staff jobs, a much bigger editorial budget and a real plan for growth.

“We believe we can strengthen liberal journalism, adding to the range and reach of progressive voices; we can enable The Observer to reach new readers, as a Sunday newspaper with a digital life of its own; and we can renew the paper as a powerful voice in the world.”

On the subject of the letter, Tortoise said: “We have not received a letter from these bodies, but we are happy to provide assurances on editorial independence. All of our investors are fully committed to the robust principles of editorial freedom that are enshrined in our articles of association and overseen by an independent editorial board chaired by former FT editor Richard Lambert.”

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New Statesman editor-in-chief Jason Cowley has announced he will step down at the end of December after 16 years at the title.

Cowley will continue to write for the New Statesman as a columnist and essayist.

He became editor after the acquisition of the New Statesman by Datamonitor founder Mike Danson in 2008 and has led its transformation from a weekly political and cultural magazine to a multimedia brand.

The New Statesman today has a paywalled website and a raft of award-winning podcasts, newsletters and video journalism strands in addition to the flagship weekly magazine.

New Statesman Ltd managing director Will Crocker said: “I would like to thank Jason for his tremendous work over the last 16 years.

“He took the New Statesman to a 40-year high in circulation, he is a multiple winner of the British Society of Magazine Editors’ editor of the year award (politics and current affairs), and he has always championed good writing and independent journalism.

“Above all else, he has been a brilliant talent-spotter: a new generation of political journalists and writers rose to prominence under his leadership. We will be very sorry to see him step down but are delighted he will continue to contribute to the New Statesman through his elegant and intelligent writing.”

Journalists recruited by Cowley who have gone on to success elsewhere in the media have included: Helen Lewis, Mehdi Hasan, Stephen Bush, Laurie Penny, Patrick Maguire, Sophie Elmhirst, Rafael Behr, Johanna Thomas-Corr and Will Lloyd.

‘Home-grown’ writers still with the NS who were recruited by Cowley include senior editor (politics) George Eaton, Britain editor Anoosh Chakelian and senior commissioning editor Anna Leszkiewicz.

Cowley told Press Gazette: “I’ve loved editing the New Statesman for so long, it’s been hard work but also great fun.

“Most rewarding has been helping to develop and nurture a new generation of talented political and cultural writers, bringing them on to the team and giving them an opportunity to write and broadcast and it is fantastic to see them flourish and go on to have big careers in the media.

“As well as having significant writers on the team, the New Statesman should be nurturing new writers and encouraging new talent. I think that’s the thing the Statesman does best and should continue to do.

“I’ve also been proud of the New Statesman having sceptical politics, trying to keep an open mind and championing what I would call a kind of independent liberalism whilst also growing the brand and making it the multi-platform digital title that it is today.

“I’m also delighted that I will continue to have a relationship with the magazine and write for it.

“I’d like to thank all my colleagues for their dedication, support and hard work and I expect the title to go from strength to strength.”

The Christmas special will be Cowley’s last as editor.

He said: “I became editor during the last days of a Labour government, and it now feels appropriate, after all these years, to move on with Labour in power once more.”

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Observer writer Carole Cadwalladr has denounced plans to sell the title to Tortoise Media at an international conference on press freedom – despite being told to “desist” by management after previous public statements about the deal

Cadwalladr is one of few serving Guardian or Observer journalists to have spoken out publicly about the proposal to transfer the title and its 70 staff to Tortoise Media despite widespread opposition. Some 93% of Guardian and Observer journalists voted in favour of strike action in protest at the deal this week.

The podcast publisher says it has £20m to invest in turning The Observer into a standalone newspaper with a paywalled website. But Cadwalladr and many other Guardian staff feel the deal puts the future of the title in jeopardy.

Cadwalladr, who is on a freelance contract with The Observer, was written to by management after appearing on the Media Confidential podcast hosted by former Guardian editor Alan Rusbridger earlier this month.

Press Gazette understands she has been accused of disparaging colleagues and the company and of making inaccurate statements. Cadwalladr said she denies disparaging anyone and said no detail has been given about alleged inaccuracies.

All Observer and Guardian journalists are required to adhere to the GNM editorial code which states: “It is important that outside interests do not come into conflict with journalists’ work for GNM in any way that could compromise, or appear to compromise, the editorial integrity and reputation of individual journalists or GNM”. Freelance contributors are required to sign a contract which states: “You shall not at any time do anything to bring GNM’s brands, trademarks or reputation into disrepute”.

Cadwalladr was told that it was third occasion she had breached company ruleswith recent public statements and been asked to “desist”.

But Cadwalladr told Press Gazette: “I’ve decided that my loyalty lies with the readers of The Observer.”

Cadwalladr was the keynote speaker today (Friday 22 November) at a Malta conference on media freedom run by the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe.

New age of ‘politically motivated witch hunts’

She warned that the US “is entering a new age of politically motivated witch hunts that will look like McCarthyism on steroids” in her address.

And she spoke about her legal fight with political donor Arron Banks which left her with a £1.2m costs bill.

She said: “The biggest political donor in UK history didn’t sue the Guardian, instead, he came after me as an individual. He waited for me to repeat a line from a Guardian article in a talk, and he sued me for that.

“It was clever and deliberate and designed to silence and intimidate me. To isolate me from my news organisation. And to silence and intimidate all journalism into him. And it worked.

“And this, I have no doubt, is a playbook that will be deployed against other journalists.

“It wasn’t just that the lawsuit tied me up for years in litigation and led to years of stress and fear, it also became a central weapon in an online harassment and abuse campaign against me. Every court report led to a new wave of attacks. It was like being trapped in a washing machine, a spin cycle of abuse.”

‘Grave threat’ warning over Observer deal

And she went on to tell the conference that her own news organisation “is under grave threat”.

She said: “All of mine and my colleagues’ work is read by a global audience on the Guardian’s website. But in the UK, it also appears in the print edition of The Observer, The Guardian’s Sunday sister newspaper.

“And, as we speak, The Guardian’s board has approved the sale of The Observer – the oldest Sunday newspaper in the world – to a tiny, financially unprofitable podcast company.

“We, the journalists of both The Guardian and The Observer, believe that this is an existential threat to our journalism.

“We believe the company that is seeking to buy us has no track record of success, no business model and insufficient funds. We don’t understand why no alternatives have been considered. We believe that The Guardian is risking the trust of the readers by making such a reckless decision in haste. We believe it is the beginning of the end of our newspaper.

“Now, 93% of us have voted to go on strike.

“I’m telling you this because ownership matters. The British government has previously scrutinised the potential buyers of news organisations and I urge it do so in this case.

“Because the freedom of the press is precious and fragile and when a news organisation dies, it leaves a gaping hole. Politicians go unscrutinised, crimes go unreported, human rights abuses go undocumented.

“If press freedom means anything, it has to mean the ability to speak out to advocate for the survival of our own news organisation. Because if a newspaper is allowed to die, it’s never coming back.

“And at this point, we, the journalists of The Guardian and Observer, believe The Guardian’s management is an active threat to press freedom.

“I’m speaking on behalf of those journalists when I say that we believe its actions are imperilling the survival of a 240-year-old newspaper.”

The Scott Trust, which owns Guardian Media Group, is expected to make a decision in principle over selling The Observer on Monday,

A Guardian spokesperson said: “We recognise the strength of feeling about the proposed sale of the Observer. Our priority is to serve our readers, protect jobs and support our staff, so that the Guardian and the Observer can continue to promote liberal journalism and thrive in a challenging media environment.”

Concluding her speech, Cadwalladr said: “I’ve learned the hard way what happens when journalism comes under attack. I am lucky. I live in a country with strong institutions and rule of law. I faced a civil not a criminal suit. And it still felt like an existential struggle for survival. I’m only now two years on, recovering my psychological and physical health. And I’m ending by telling you this because there is a global witch hunt coming. And what happened to me must not be allowed to happen to other journalists.

“I am just one person. But what I worry is that news organisations will find reasons to not provide financial and other support to their journalists when they come under attack. They will be afraid of the consequences. They will find loopholes and excuses to not do the right thing.

“This is what happened to me. I faced my nightmare alone. But we cannot let that happen to other journalists. Because a threat to one journalist is a threat to all. A threat to one news organisation is a threat to all.

“There is a curtain of darkness that is falling across the world, a blanket of fake news and lies is smothering the truth and we know where that leads. We simply cannot afford to let this happen.”

A source close to The Guardian said: “Carole is a fantastic campaigning journalist and welcome to an opinion but many would respectfully disagree with her that this deal threatens the future of this business – what this about is enabling the Observer to thrive.”

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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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The Guardian US team had more reason than most to feel disconsolate after Donald Trump‘s surprisingly emphatic US election victory.

The title has, perhaps more than any other mainstream US newsbrand, declared its opposition to Trump and what he stands for.

Asked how she set about rallying the team after the election on 5 November, Guardian US editor Betsy Reed said: “I’m really not the kind of person who’s going to charge in there and give a pep talk at a moment when everyone is really exhausted and depressed.

“So instead we had a newsroom meeting that was more sombre and allowed people to express how they’re feeling about this moment…

“Then we have to make sure people know why our mission is still really vital and important and unique and why our jobs are so important in this moment.”

Reed helped raise around $2m in reader revenue for The Guardian with just a few minutes’ work after she sent out a five-paragraph email to its millions of newsletter subscribers on 26 October noting the brand’s leader column opposing Trump.

She contrasted The Guardian’s position (that Trump’s “history of dishonesty, hypocrisy and greed makes him wholly unfit for the office”) with that of The Washington Post and Los Angeles Times, which both stayed neutral. Noting the editorial independence of The Guardian, Reed said in her email that both those rival titles “have billionaire owners who could face retaliation in a Trump presidency”.

Reed is keen to emphasise that years of work from the whole Guardian US team has gone into building various email newsletters which enable it to reach millions of readers with funding pleas.

The Guardian US has 11 email newsletters in total, with Fighting Back (the opinion desk’s response to a Trump victory) the most recent launch.

The Guardian US is now hoping to raise $4m in total of additional reader revenue by the end of the year.

But who is the UK-owned Guardian to tell US voters what to do, and does its opposition to their democratically-elected leader not irk some readers?

“We haven’t had that feedback,” Reed responds. “And the reason for that is we are now more global and more American. I’m American, my commercial partner is American and our newsroom is at least half American journalists. I don’t think we are perceived as a foreign entity at this point because we’ve put down real roots in America.”

Guardian America launched in 2007 with an eight-strong team based in Washington and an estimated monthly audience in the US of just over 4 million, according to Nielsen.

Today The Guardian US has 160 staff, including 110 in editorial, mainly based in New York but with bureaux in Washington and California. (Around 50 staff were hired in 2013 to get the site ready for election year.)

Reed, who joined The Guardian in 2022 after seven years leading non-profit campaigning US news website The Intercept, says it reaches 47 million unique users per month in the US.

Overall, she says, page views to US-produced content are a 50/50 split between US readers and the rest of the world.

The Guardian US is funded by a combination of reader revenue (donations and subscriptions), advertising and philanthropic donations, which are made via the separate non-profit entity the Guardian.org Foundation. This last category funds specific areas of reporting and saw donations of $3m last year, down from $5m in 2022.

Guardian revenue for North America is available in published accounts dating back to 2019 and shows steady growth until the year to March 2024, when it fell by just over £1m.

North America accounted for £45.3m of Guardian turnover in the year to March 2024 (compared with £167.1m in the UK).

The Guardian made an overall loss of £36.5m in its last financial year, but Reed said the US operation is self-funding.

Asked what makes The Guardian US stand out in a crowded news market, Reed pointed to its more global view, its openness (outside any paywall) and "our liberal values and grounding in progressive principles".

The victory for Trump has been seen by some as a failure for big news organisations like The Guardian, CNN and The New York Times which opposed him.

Is there a danger that journalists effectively played Trump's game in the last election by reporting and amplifying the various outrageous comments he made over the course of the campaign?

"I do think that the outrage cycle is a serious challenge in media, and I don't think it's a simple one, because I think when you have a presidential candidate trafficking in outright fabrications, racist fabrications, for example the charge that Haitian migrants are stealing and eating their neighbours' pets in Springfield, Illinois, I feel like it's incumbent on the media to cover that.

"I think the strategy has to be cover that news story, but also simultaneously pull people away from that and into more substantive stories about what's really going on in the country, how Trump and his policies are disconnected from the real interests and needs of American voters."

[Read more: Polls, trust and video shorts: Lessons for news publishers from US election]

She adds later: "There's been a big loss of this environment where we're all collectively operating from the same set of facts. So, I mean, I think that's a tremendous challenge. There are really terrible repercussions of that for democracy…

"But it also, I think, reinforces the need for fact-based journalism and journalism that is itself accountable to readers."

The Guardian left X (formerly Twitter) earlier this month because, it said, the platform had become toxic under owner Elon Musk.

Press Gazette understands this led to the second biggest day ever for Guardian reader revenue contributions, (beaten only by Reed's election email funding plea).

Reed said Instagram, Youtube, Apple News and email are now the biggest platforms for the title other than the website itself.

Big hits for The Guardian US over the last year have included its new investigation team's revelations about allegations of sexual misconduct against the magician David Copperfield (shortlisted for a British Journalism Award) and an investigation into the cost of US healthcare.

Election exclusives for The Guardian US have included three big stories about the mistreatment of animals by senior right-wing political figures.

In April The Guardian revealed that Republican contender for Vice President Kristi Noem once shot and killed a healthy pet dog (as well as the family goat).

In September, the title revealed that Kevin Roberts (architect of the Project 2025 policy manifesto) boasted to colleagues that he once killed a neighbour's dog with a shovel because it was barking too loudly.

And in October it revealed that the head of the NRA Doug Hamlin was involved in the torture and killing of a cat while at college.

Outside politics, The Guardian US is investing in its coverage of soccer (football in the UK), health and wellness.

Asked what The Guardian US plans are for covering America in the era of Trump Two, Reed says: "We definitely want to double down on areas of success like newsletters, and outside of Trump and politics we want to make sure that we're offering readers a diversity of content and things that give them joy and hope."

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Young people visit publisher news websites far more often than they admit to in surveys, according to a new study tracking online behaviour.

The last Digital News Report from the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, based on a survey of 2,000 adults, found just a quarter of 18 to 24-year-olds in the UK said they had visited a news publisher website or app over the previous week

But now new research based on tracking a representative sample of UK young people has told a more encouraging story for publishers.

Publisher marketing body Newsworks persuaded a group of 993 nationally representative UK young people (aged 15-29) to install software tracking their website and app browsing for a month in 2023.

The headline findings shared by Newsworks include the following:

Nine out of ten read news at some point over the month on publisher websites and apps (including the BBC).

Seven out of ten visited publisher newsbrands (so websites or apps from current or former newspaper publishers, not including the likes of the BBC) in the month.

UK young people read six news articles per day on average (looking at the whole sample across the month-long period).

Looking at the overall reach across the month of various types of website/app, the research found news websites were more likely to be accessed than entertainment sites (eg Youtube) or music websites and apps (such as Spotify).

A separate survey of 1,500 young people conducted by Newsworks in April 2024 found that 75% said they believe journalism plays an important role in society and 85% value investigative journalism which holds power to account.

Heather Dansie, insights and research director at Newsworks, said: “There’s a belief that young people today aren’t engaged with the news. Our data has proved otherwise. Not only are young people reading a huge amount of news they are also engaged with a broad breadth of news content from entertainment, right through to national and international issues.

“Young people do not consider themselves to be news avoiders, but rather consider themselves to be an engaged and knowledgeable generation who value the truth and want to understand what is going on in the world.”

Newsworks CEO Jo Allan said: “Our landmark study found that news brand readership plays an extremely influential part in young people’s lives.

“In an era of fake news, young readers place huge respect, value and trust in journalism. News brand environments are highly valuable in the hearts of young people, and for an advertiser’s bottom line.”

Download the Newsworks Youth study in full.

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Essex Police has said it is investigating Telegraph journalist Allison Pearson under a possible breach of the Public Order Act over a year-old, now-deleted post on X.

The force has faced criticism that its tactics amounted to an attack on press freedom after officers visited Pearson at home on Remembrance Sunday. She said she was told officers could not tell her what the offending post was or who had made the complaint against her and was asked to attend a police station for a voluntary interview.

[Read more: Essex Police action against Allison Pearson is misguided and chills press freedom, writes media law expert David Banks]

But the force since said it has complained to press regulator the Independent Press Standards Organisation, claiming Pearson’s original claim in the Telegraph last week that she was visited over a “non-crime hate incident” was inaccurate.

On Saturday morning, 16 November, the force said it had shared a transcript of video footage with IPSO which includes an officer saying: “It’s gone down as an incident or offence of potentially inciting racial hatred online. That would be the offence.”

The force said: “A complaint of a possible criminal offence was made to the police and this is why we called; to arrange an interview”.

The Guardian reported on Friday that it had found the deleted message at the centre of the complaint and has spoken anonymously to the person who appears to be behind the Allison Pearson complaint.

Pearson is alleged to have re-posted a picture showing two police officers standing next to a group of people holding a flag associated with a mainstream Pakistani political party.

A deleted message, retrieved from online archives by Press Gazette, sent by Pearson on 16 November 2023 said: “How dare they @metpoliceuk. Invited to pose for a photo with lovely peaceful British Friends of Israel on Saturday police refused. Look at this lot smiling with the Jew haters.”

The message was viewed more than 400,000 times according to X. Context added to the message by other X users noted that the picture appeared to be from a protest which took place in August 2023 in Mancheseter relating to a Pakistani political party and said the event had no relation to Palestine, Israel or Hamas.

The complainant is not one of the people in the photograph. The person told The Guardian: “Each time an influential person makes negative comments about people of colour I, as a person of colour, see an uptick in racist abuse towards me and the days after that tweet are no different.”

Press Gazette reproduces the excerpt from the website archive.is below. The image has been altered by Press Gazette to obscure the faces of those appearing in it.

What is the Public Order Act and how can journalists breach it?

For an offence to be a committed under the Public Order Act 1986 the language used must be “threatening, abusive or insulting” and “intended to or likely in all the circumstances to stir up racial hatred”.

Journalists can fall foul of the act when reporting on extreme political statements.

Crown Prosecution Service guidance states: “In deciding upon the public interest of charging these offences it is essential that prosecutors keep in mind that in a free, democratic, and tolerant society people are able to robustly exchange views, even when these may cause offence. However, the rights of the individual to freedom of expression must be balanced against the duty of the state to act proportionately in the interests of public safety, to prevent disorder and crime, and to protect the rights of others.”

What does Allison Pearson have to say?

Writing on X on Saturday, in a post which has been viewed more than three million times, Pearson said:

“The story so far.

“1. I am not a racist.

“2. I didn’t post a racist tweet.

“3. My tweet did not incite violence against any protected characteristic.

“4. My fairly innocuous tweet was deleted a year ago.

“5. Senior lawyers say my tweet does ‘not come near the threshold for criminal prosecution’.

“6. But Essex Police upgraded the accusation from Non-Crime Hate Incident to offence under the Public order Act. Why?

“7. Essex Police visited my home but refused to specify either the accusation or the accuser.

“8. Under pressure, Essex Police deployed the terrorist-fighting Gold Command to investigate a solitary Welsh journalist 5ft 4 inches who still believes in freedom of speech. Weird, I know.

“9. This is all nonsense. Deeply sinister, frightening nonsense and wholly disproportionate police over-reach if you ask me.

“10. Last night, I realised I no longer feel safe in my own country.

“A terrible moment. As Elon Musk said, ‘This must stop.’ It really must.”

Non-crime hate incidents

Feminist Julie Bindel, writing in the Sunday Telegraph, said she was also visited by police on a Sunday over an allegation of committing a “hate crime” over a message she had posted on X. She said she was given no further details and asked to attend a police station voluntarily to make a statement. Bindel refused and said she was told the investigation was being dropped.

Police forces around the UK are believed to be keeping records of thousands of “non-crime hate incidents” which are often based on social media posts and occur when no criminal offence has been committed but when a complainant believes a statement was motivated by hostility or prejudice.

Telegraph calls for change in the law

In a leader column The Sunday Telegraph warned that “overzealous police officers” are “choosing to focus their effort on policing thoughts and speech rather than cracking down on violent crime or theft”.

It said: “Many overseas are watching, and appear horrified that in a supposedly free and democratic society journalists and politicians can face criminal investigation for expressing strongly worded opinions…

“Until we get a government willing to change the law, a small minority of activists will retain the ability to comb wording for offence and abuse police procedure as a means to intimidate opponents.”

Prime Minister Keir Starmer was asked about the Pearson case yesterday. He said: “There is a review going on of this particular aspect but I think that as a general principle the police should concentrate on what matters most to their communities.”

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The body which owns The Guardian has changed its membership as it approaches a crunch decision over whether or not to sell The Observer.

The Scott Trust is a limited company which owns Guardian Media Group (the publisher of The Guardian and The Observer).

Update 15/11/2024: The appointment of former investment banker Jonathan Paine to the Scott Trust board appeared to bring the membership of the Scott Trust board to 13. However, although 13 members of the Scott Trust board were listed on its website and were named in a press release this week, the Guardian has issued a clarification and said there are only 12 directors of the Scott Trust because Stephen Godsell, GMG company secretary, is not a director.

Press Gazette understands that 75% of the 12 directors of the Scott Trust would need to give their approval for the disposal of The Observer to go ahead.

The Scott Trust has already given GMG the green light to negotiate exclusively with Tortoise Media over the sale of The Observer and the transfer of 70 staff.

Press Gazette understands it is now considering at least one other offer for The Observer brought by a rival consortium.

According to the latest Articles of Association for the Scott Trust Ltd, 75% of the directors must agree to a “decision in relation to the disposal, directly or indirectly, of the whole or a significant part of the Guardian”.

Given the 70 editorial staff of The Observer contribute significant amounts of content to The Guardian website it would appear that this clause will be enacted.

Two Observer insiders spoken to by Press Gazette said there was unease amongst staff about the unusual appointment of a 13th Scott Trust member at this time. Some staff feel there is a lack of transparency over how and why Scott Trust members are recruited.

Asked to explain the recruitment process for the extra Scott Trust member, a spokesperson for Guardian News and Media said: “Non-executive director roles are advertised and follow an open and rigorous recruitment process.”

Update 15/11/2024:The Guardian press office has since issued its clarification noting that there are still only 12 voting directors on the Scott Trust board.

Press Gazette has asked The Guardian press office to clarify how the voting over the future of The Observer will work and it was unable to elaborate.

Observer insiders have also noted a piece written by new Scott Trust board member Paine on the Oxford University website in which he described his former job at managing director at Rothshchild: “My job was, essentially, to polish, publish, promote (and occasionally create) the stories of the companies my clients wanted me to sell for them, or alternatively to go out and find a target which conformed to a previously written narrative. In bankers’ language this is called ‘M&A’ – mergers and acquisitions – acting as auction-master for companies being sold or as search agent for purchases. The core skill required is neither economic nor financial. It is an understanding of how a good narrative can, quite literally, create value.”

What is The Scott Trust?

The object of the The Scott Trust is to “preserve the financial position and editorial independence of The Guardian in perpetuity and, subsidiary to that, to promote the causes of freedom of the press and liberal journalism both in Britain and elsewhere”.

The body has come under huge pressure since news emerged that it was looking at selling The Observer to Tortoise Media in September.

The journalists of The Guardian and Observer passed a vote of no confidence in the Scott Trust board and are currently holding an official ballot over whether to take industrial action in protest at the Observer sale.

More than 80 leading UK cultural figures have signed an open letter to the Trust accusing it of betraying liberal journalism.

Many Observer journalists fear for their futures under loss-making Tortoise Media. Founder and chief shareholder of Tortoise James Harding has promised £25m of investment in the Observer over five years but insiders question whether this will be enough.

Given declining print sales, The Observer’s future is far from being assured if a sale does not go through. GMG chief executive Anna Bateson has warned that there will be an urgent strategic audit with a “difficult decision” ahead if The Observer stays under its current ownership.

Who sits on The Scott Trust?

The 12 current Scott Trust members who will have the final say over The Observer’s future are as follows:

• Chair Ole Jacob Sunde (former chair of Schibsted Media Group).
• Katharine Viner (editor in chief of The Guardian)
• Tracy Corrigan (formerly chief strategy officer of Dow Jones)
• David Olusoga (historian, writer, broadcaster and filmmaker)
• Dr Jonathan Paine (former managing director of investment bank Rothschild)
• Stuart Proffitt (publishing director at Penguin Books)
• Matthew Ryder (barrister and founder member of Matrix Chambers)
• Vivian Schiller (former head of news at Twitter)
• Russell Scott (chief commercial officer of video platform Mavis and the Scott family representative)
• Haroon Siddique (Guardian legal affairs correspondent and journalist representative)
• Margaret Simons (journalist, author and journalism academic)
• Nabiha Syed (chief executive of The Markup, a journalism non-profit)
• Update 15/11/2024: Stephen Godsell is company secretary of The Scott Trust Ltd and not a director (he was previously described as a director on the Scott Trust website but this appears to have been a mistake).

Scott Trust directors are paid £14,000 per year and chair Ole Jacob Sunde is paid £68,000 per year.

Who owns The Scott Trust?

The Scott Trust is itself owned by David Olusoga, Russell Scott, Haroon Siddique, Ole Jacob Sunde and Kath Viner who each have equal shares. The Scott Trust’s shareholders do not receive a dividend and cannot sell their shares.

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A fresh auction looms for The Telegraph as Dovid Efune has failed so far to secure funding for his £500m-plus takeover bid.

Efune is the owner of The New York Sun, a once famous brand but now a fairly obscure news website. The Telegraph itself describes him as a “little-known entrepreneur” in today’s newspaper.

The title reports that $200bn US investor Oaktree Capital has left talks to fund the deal, leaving questions over how Efune will finance it.

Efune has been in exclusive talks to buy The Telegraph from Redbird IMI since mid-October and is understood to have two weeks left to get his financing in place.

A spokesperson for Efune told The Telegraph that Oaktree’s proposal for debt financing was “not competitive, so we have decided not to proceed with them”.

The spokesperson said: “We are progressing on debt financing with a number of reputable institutions and have high confidence in our financing path.”

Abu Dhabi-backed Redbird IMI has been forced to sell The Telegraph by new legislation banning state ownership of newspapers. The fund paid £600m for the Telegraph and Spectator titles in December last year and sold The Spectator to Paul Marshall for £100m in September.

Other possible bidders for the Telegraph include DMGT, National World and Lord Saatchi although Mail owner DMGT has previously pulled away because of the new legislation and advertising mogul Lord Saatchi had a bid rejected in August.

The ownership of The Telegraph has been in limbo since June 2023 when it was seized by Lloyds Banking Group to recoup the Barclay family’s unpaid debts.

Telegraph Media Group revenue grew 5.4% to £268m in 2023 and operating profit rose 35% to £54m.

Although the Daily Telegraph print edition is in long-term decline, selling fewer than 200,000 copies per day, the group claims to have more than one million subscribers (70% of which are digital) including those of the Chelsea Magazine Company which it acquired last year.

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