Chuck Darwin<p>Nearly 500 journalists are on strike at the <a href="https://c.im/tags/Guardian" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>Guardian</span></a> and its sister paper, the Sunday-only <a href="https://c.im/tags/Observer" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>Observer</span></a>, to protest the planned sale of the Observer to a small digital startup.</p><p>"We believe it's a total betrayal of the Guardian's values and promises that it's made," says <a href="https://c.im/tags/Carole" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>Carole</span></a> <a href="https://c.im/tags/Cadwalladr" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>Cadwalladr</span></a>, an investigative reporter and feature writer for the Observer. </p><p>"The sale of the Observer to a loss-making startup is potentially the death of this historic brand."</p><p>The strike, which started Wednesday, is expected to last for two days this week and restart for a couple more days next week. </p><p>Cadwalldr says the strike is intended to convince the Observer's owner to slow down a process that the paper's union says is sprinting to a preordained conclusion. </p><p>She says colleagues believe other suitors could emerge if further review shows the Guardian should divest itself of the Sunday paper.</p><p>The Observer is a storied liberal title whose first issue came out on this date in 1791. </p><p>It is believed to be the world's oldest Sunday paper. </p><p>Its famous journalists include George Orwell. And it was central to the launch of the human rights group Amnesty International.</p><p>The buyer is <a href="https://c.im/tags/Tortoise" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>Tortoise</span></a> <a href="https://c.im/tags/Media" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>Media</span></a>, a well-regarded but small news outlet founded in 2019 <br />and led by <a href="https://c.im/tags/James" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>James</span></a> <a href="https://c.im/tags/Harding" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>Harding</span></a>, the former director of BBC News and editor of The Times of London. </p><p>Its tagline is "slow down, wise up." </p><p>It promises to delve into what's driving the news rather than simply post the latest headlines.</p><p>It has not yet turned a profit but has deep-pocketed backers, <br />including the investment arm of the Thomson family that controls Reuters and owns the Globe and Mail newspaper in Canada.<br /><a href="https://www.npr.org/2024/12/04/nx-s1-5213914/guardian-strike-observer-sale" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no"><span class="invisible">https://www.</span><span class="ellipsis">npr.org/2024/12/04/nx-s1-52139</span><span class="invisible">14/guardian-strike-observer-sale</span></a></p>