Struggling Observer Recycles Years-Old Tortoise Media Content – Guido Fawkes

Struggling Observer Recycles Years-Old Tortoise Media Content

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The Observer has recycled an old Tortoise Media podcast as its lead story amid ructions at the James Harding-owned newspaper over how to make money. Fears are starting to be confirmed that the Observer is now just ‘Tortoise 2’…

Co-conspirators familiar with Tortoise’s podcast offering may remember one on the Unite Birmingham scandal from 2022 – whose content has been repurposed by the same author in a written story which led the Observer website for the last day. Guido hears from a newsroom insider there is “panic as we can’t get enough real stories for the weekly cycle.” Better dig into the Tortoise archives…

Meanwhile Guido hears an early focus from the paper on audio has died down in favour of “sensational investigations.” That follows the viral Saltpath story from a few weeks ago and the Neil Gaiman content from before that. Insiders say the Gaiman audio content made cash through advertisements while the Saltpath exposé drove traffic to the Observer which it is still unable to monetise. Tough for some…

An app is unbelievably still under construction at what media sources say is a “huge cost… running late and over budget.” A dodgy cartoon isn’t the worst of the Observer’s woes by far…