Suzanne Moore left the Guardian

[DialSquare]

I've just seen this on Twitter. That'll be even more lost readers then. Not that I'm one of their readers.

[MoleSmokes]

ScrapThatThen I’m a long-time Private Eye reader too. In addition to the fantastic investigative journalism and the “funnies” there are the best cartoons, smuttiest cryptic crossword (better than the Grauniad) and excellent Letters Page.

Lots of good journalists moonlighting there. It’s rarely I skip a story and though I would wish it was weekly rather than fortnightly it gives me time to almost finish the Crossword!

[midgebabe]

Does private eye have a noticeable political leaning/bias?

[TartrazineCustard]

For news, the Financial Times is great - really calm and factual, and even the opinion columns are generally more interested in business and politics. "Woke" topics get a look-in occasionally, but there is no sense of them being actively promoted - an important distinction.

The Atlantic is good for features and commissions a wide variety of viewpoints, including Helen Lewis (who has a cracking article in there right now about the aristocratic women challenging primogeniture, and why anyone should care even if they ARE the definition of privileged white women).

For flat out opinion & commentary, I love the Blocked & Reported podcast by journalists Katie Herzog & Jesse Singal, both of whom have been previously "cancelled" for daring to engage their brains on trans issues in even a mild and respectful way. They're healthily sceptical, amusing and quite cathartic to listen to.

[GCAcademic]

Kath Viner has been a disaster - not just on this issue but many others. Her inability to protect the paper's liberal values in the face of authoritarian bullies inside and outside the organisation will damage the paper for years to come. She never understood that she had a duty and the the power to stand up to them, and if she had the tone of this bloody debate would have changed. No idea what the finances are like but editorially she has been terrible.

Do we know for sure that it's the case that she's weak rather than simply one of the bullies herself? As far as I can see, she went into the job with the specific agenda of pushing Queer Theory wherever she could.

[PerditaNitt]

Thank you for the newsletter suggestions - will definitely investigate those.

I subscribe to Private Eye, the FT (acknowledge they can be wokey but it isnt as in my face as in the guardian) and I’m considering restarting my Times subscription.

I recently started following byVicki Smith on Instagram who does daily news reports on her stories. I like the fact that she is very succinct. Are there any other good Instagram journos worth following?

[ArabellaScott]

Thanks for the rec re Helen Lewis' Bluestocking, will sign up.

The FT is pretty good but I find it a bit depressing because it makes me feel like a pauper.

Ripper Museum - it was Linda Riley - freedomnews.org.uk/a-person-related-to-the-ripper-museum-awarded-labour-party-lgbtq-lead-advisor-post/ - publisher of 'Diva'

Ironically, the wonderful Deborah Orr pulled up the museum's PR person in the Guardian, for defending the ripper's reputation: www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/sep/30/jack-the-ripper-museum-murder-women-violence

[ThinEndOfTheWedge]

The Guardian covered the shocking mismanagement of his crimes comprehensively throughout the main paper & Comment sections

I'd argue that this leaves no need for an obituary.

Fully agree. They could have done an extensive piece on police mismanagement, prejudice, misogyny which focused solely on the those poor women and girls - without an obituary.

They really can’t help themselves...

[BlueCatRedCat]

There was a thread on here a couple of months back about a Guardian sub-editor tweeting something GC, and a lot of people were quite excited, saying the tide was perhaps turning there. I wrote a pissed off post saying it would take a lot more than that to get me to trust them again. There was a fair amount of optimistic push back. I wanted to reply with the following, but thought it might be a crass analogy. I'll say it now though:

The Guardian is like an abusive partner or family member. It draws you in with the odd nugget of decency, makes you think they have changed and everything will be ok, and then wham, you are on the floor, seeing stars. They will not change, not anytime soon. And if they eventually do stop with the abuse, they will try to gaslight you into believing they never did what you know they did. WE need to leave them for good.

Best wishes to Suzanne, if you are reading this. I hope you find a better publication soon, worthy of your talent and compassion.

[IDanielRadcliffe]

Does The Atlantic come in a paper copy or it is just online?

[SunsetBeetch]

@ScrapThatThen

I am really impressed with the 'joining the dots' and investigating journalism in Private Eye. It's a slightly impenetrable format at times but really exposes the cess pit of politics that we have.

Yes Private Eye is fab.

I would recommend Unherd as a platform for independent writers. Different opinions and politics are allowed!

unherd.com/

[Norma27]

Jess Phillips has responded to one tweet saying 'gutted'.
She is now getting backlash from both sides.
She is my MP, and I pray this may make her see how ridiculous the activists are. The words 'transphobe' and 'terf' are thrown around for any type of wrong speak.

[BraveBananaBadge]

This is a big loss to the Guardian. Made the mistake of checking Twitter this morning (really shouldn’t do that) and there really are some stupid, stupid people out there cheering this on. It’s depressing.

[ListeningQuietly]

Weekly reading - New Scientist and The Economist
Fortnightly reading - Private Eye
Monthly reading - The Garden
Quarterly reading - lots of accountancy magazines and the RSPB magazine

I gave up on daily papers a long time ago I'm afraid
but all of the above can be read in bed before going to sleep

[RoyalCorgi]

There was a thread on here a couple of months back about a Guardian sub-editor tweeting something GC, and a lot of people were quite excited, saying the tide was perhaps turning there. I wrote a pissed off post saying it would take a lot more than that to get me to trust them again.

I think that was probably Susanna Rustin - not a subeditor but a leader writer. She has been bravely gender-critical for a while, and yesterday tweeted in support of Suzanne. I think unfortunately she will find herself quite isolated there - apart from Hadley Freeman, who else is there standing up for women?

[HecatesCats]

Thanks for all the non Grauniad recommendations. Tortoise is also good for in depth analysis/long reads. Matthew D'ancona is a regular contributor and Chris Cook is great for statistical analysis. They have an app.

[DreadPirateLuna]

The Atlantic is good for features and commissions a wide variety of viewpoints,

I really like The Atlantic. They published Jesse Singal's balanced article about teenage girls with ROGD, of course they got a lot of flak for it but didn't back down. Their Covid-19 coverage has been brilliant, explaining complicated topics in clear language. Their latest issue has an article about why some black and Latino voters went for Trump. I'd say they're generally liberal but not afraid to report facts and consider different opinions.

[Tootsweets23]

Good question @GCAcademic - I had assumed she was trying to ride both horses rather than be committed to the queer theory agenda. Otherwise I'd have assumed she would have cleared house of the wrong thinkers much earlier.

[aliasundercover]

apart from Hadley Freeman, who else is there standing up for women

Catherine Bennett
Nick Cohen

[LastGoldenDaysOfSummer]

Surely the lunatics are now in charge.

[RoyalCorgi]

Both Catherine Bennett and Nick Cohen write for the Observer, of course. At the Guardian, I think it's just Hadley and Susanna Rustin. Have always been disappointed that people like Marina Hyde, John Crace and John Harrison haven't written anything about the issue, but I can see why they find it safer to keep quiet.

[MoreJammyDodgersPlease]

Another former Guardian reader here, I just wanted to say well done Suzanne.
Like many, I've held on too long in a toxic work environment and the relief on being out of there is amazing.

[Rubidium]

Apart from Hadley Freeman, who else is there standing up for women?
Sean Ingle on the sports desk has written some good articles questioning the participation of transwomen in female sport.

[Floisme]

Matthew DAncona, John Harris and Marina Hyde have tweeted to support Suzanne. Harris and Hyde kept it fairly low key: 'Great writer' / 'I'll miss her' kind of thing. DAncona went further and pointedly commented on the importance of allowing room for diverse opinions. It's quite instructive to see which Guardian writers are supporting her and which ones are pretending nothing's happened.

[thinkingaboutLangCleg]

I didn’t know one of the people behind the disgusting Ripper museum, Linda Riley, was later appointed as the Labour Party’s chief LGBTQ adviser.
The Freedom News article recalls that the application to Tower Hamlet’s council stated The museum will recognise and celebrate the women of the East End who have shaped history, telling the story of how they have been instrumental in changing society. It will analyse the social, political and domestic experience from the Victorian period to the present day.

Not a commercialisation of a woman-killer. What a typically misogynistic choice by the Labour Party.

[RoyalCorgi]

Polly Toynbee retweeted Susanna Rustin's supportive tweet and she also tweeted: "@suzanne_moore
Very many of us will miss you, your bravery, your willingness to stand up to bullies and your sheer brilliance as a writer. Sad day..."

Interesting, isn't it? I don't think I have ever seen Toynbee comment directly on the trans issue, but that seems a pretty clear statement to me. Starting to wonder if some women have just had enough now.