Tortoise Media

British news website

Tortoise Media

Tortoise Media's wordmark

Type of site

| News website
Available in| English
Founded| 2018
Founder(s)| James Harding, Matthew Barzun, Katie Vanneck-Smith[1]
Editor| James Harding
URL| www.tortoisemedia.com

Tortoise Media is a British news website co-founded in 2018 by both James Harding, a former Director of BBC News and a former editor of The Times, and Matthew Barzun, a former U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom.[1][2][3] Tortoise produces podcasts and holds live discussion events called "ThinkIns" and "Discussion Lates" in the London area.[4] It is part of the slow journalism movement.[5] It purchased The Observer in December 2024[6] with the transfer taking place on 22 April 2025.[7]

## History

[edit]

Tortoise Media was announced on Kickstarter in 2018, where it raised more than £500,000. Permanent invitations to ThinkIns and Discussion Lates were part of higher-tier Kickstarter reward packages. It also received private investment.[1] Its website went live in April 2019.[8]

Writing for The Guardian in 2018, Emily Bell said that Tortoise drew from ideas tried by The Guardian, Axios, Vox and Quartz. She said there was a trend of increased involvement of private wealth in the journalism industry, comparing Tortoise and its wealthy, well-connected founders and backers to Marc Benioff's purchase of Time and Jeff Bezos's purchase of The Washington Post. She also said that Tortoise's financial strength allowed it to attract high-profile journalists.[1] The company received the Innovation of the Year award from the British Journalism Awards in 2019.[9]

In September 2024 it was reported that Tortoise had approached the Guardian Media Group—proprietor of The Guardian and The Observer—with an offer to purchase The Observer for an undisclosed price.[10] Guardian and Observer journalists voted to strike on 4 and 5 December 2024 in protest over a sale that they said would betray the commitment of the Scott Trust—owner of the Guardian Media Group—to the Observer.[11]

As the strike was taking place, the Scott Trust agreed to go through with the sale,[12] which occurred later that month.[6]

## Personnel

[edit]

### Business

[edit]

* Emily Benn, former chief of staff
* Alexandra Mousavizadeh, former partner[1]
* Ceri Thomas, editor and partner
* Saul Klein, investor, son of venture capitalist Robin Klein[1]

### Journalists

[edit]

* Giles Whittell, deputy editor
* Matthew d'Ancona, former editor
* Peter Hoskin, former editor
* Paul Caruana Galizia, journalist, son of assassinated journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia[13]
* Merope Mills, former reporter, and proponent of Martha's Rule[1]

### Contributors

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* Nichi Hodgson
* Samantha Weinberg

## References

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1. ^ a b c d e f g Bell, Emily (22 October 2018). "Can James Harding's Tortoise be more than a rich person's club?". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 22 September 2020. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
2. ^ Southern, Lucinda (3 January 2019). "Tortoise wants members to inform its 'slow-news' coverage via live events". Digiday. Archived from the original on 9 August 2020. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
3. ^ Mayhew, Freddy (22 October 2018). "Tortoise editor James Harding says move to 'slow news' follows 'lesson' at Times and BBC that journalism that took longer had 'real impact'". Press Gazette. Archived from the original on 26 October 2020. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
4. ^ "FAQs". Tortoise. 5 July 2024. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
5. ^ "Our story". Tortoise. 5 July 2024. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
6. ^ a b Pylas, Pan (18 December 2024). "World's oldest Sunday newspaper, the UK's Observer, sold in face of journalistic opposition". The Associated Press. Archived from the original on 18 December 2024.
7. ^ Sherwin, Adam (20 April 2025). "'It's cultural vandalism': tears and anger as Observer staff end Guardian era". The i Paper. Retrieved 21 April 2025.
8. ^ Tobitt, Charlotte (28 June 2019). "'Slow news' venture Tortoise creates 'inclusive' members' model with potential to partner with local publishers". Press Gazette. Archived from the original on 29 October 2020.
9. ^ Mayhew, Freddy (10 December 2019). "British Journalism Awards 2019: FT wins top prize for second year in triumphant end for departing editor". Press Gazette. Retrieved 4 September 2023.
10. ^ Guardian Staff (17 September 2024). "Guardian parent company in talks over potential sale of Observer". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
11. ^ Isaac, Anna (20 November 2024). "Guardian and Observer journalists to strike over sale of the Observer". The Guardian.
12. ^ Ponsford, Dominic (6 December 2024). "Scott Trust approves sale of The Observer to Tortoise Media". Press Gazette.
13. ^ "Our people". Tortoise. 5 July 2024. Retrieved 5 July 2024.

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