Observer’s first ever website launched. Some progress in history?
The last edition of the Observer under the ownership, or perhaps more accurately the guardianship of the Scott Trust, was published on the 20th April. The first edition under the ownership of Tortoise will appear in print on 27th April.
It’s worth keeping in mind that the NUJ chapel at the Guardian and Observer took strike action on the change and as a trade unionist and a reader of both papers since the 1960s I made it down to the Kings Place picket in December 2024. The general view I think was that whatever the shortcomings of the Guardian’s stewardship the move was likely to be ill advised. Private Eye has reported that most of the existing Observer staff who were FTE have taken redundancy leaving only a minority to transfer.
The Observer has always, in the years I’ve been reading it, and in my view, been a little to the right in its Editorial line to the Guardian. That doesn’t mean that there hasn’t been some very good content down the years.
The new website is features heavy which underlines the Tortoise statement that they certainly won’t be competing with the Guardian as a daily news site (they don’t have the journalists for that anyway) but the test will be the print edition.
The website is decently designed and easy to navigate although perhaps it should be pointed out (there is a lengthy interview) that Lord Glasman of Stoke Newington is not Labour’s alternative to Farage. He is just Labour’s Farage although without any of the charisma that some may find in the veteran grifter..
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