Nearly 500 journalists walk out at 'The Guardian' and its sister paper

Nearly 500 journalists walk out at 'The Guardian' and its sister paper toggle caption Oli Scarff/Getty Images Nearly 500 journalists are on strike at the Guardian and its sister paper, the Sunday-only Observer, to protest the planned sale of the Observer to a small digital startup. Sponsor Message The Guardian Media Group acquired the Observer in 1993; the work of its 70-plus journalists is posted on the free Guardian website and appears in the print edition of the Observer, which is distributed in the U.K. "We are grateful for the Trust's 30-year stewardship, which has allowed the title to continue," the statement from the former editors continued. In a note to staffers obtained by NPR, Guardian Media Group CEO Anna Bateson wrote that the Scott Trust had not shopped the Observer around but was approached by Tortoise. Sponsor Message Finally, Scott Trust Chairman Ole Jacob Sunde pledged that any deal to sell the paper would include provisions ensuring the trust retain a partial stake in the Observer and that it have a role in the boards setting Tortoise's commercial and editorial strategies.