Op-Ed Accuses Guardian and Observer of Hostile Work Environments, Says Employees Laughed at Burning Israeli Flag

An anonymous letter published in a British Jewish communal outlet has accused the Observer and its parent company, the Guardian, of a hostile work environment to Jewish workers where employees openly laughed at images of a burning Israeli flag and downplayed Hamas atrocities.

“I look at the papers the next day. The newspaper I work for has a tank on the front page: ‘Hundreds die and hostages held as Hamas assault shocks Israel’ — victorious terrorists hold a Palestinian flag,” the unnamed author writes above an image of the Observer‘s newspaper cover from October 8, one day after the mass atrocities committed by Hamas. “The standfirst reads ‘Netanyahu declares war as 150 Israelis die. 230 Palestinians killed in airstrikes.’”

“I don’t understand,” the journalist writes in their explosive opinion piece published in the Jewish News on Wednesday. “I know people, Israelis, who were murdered. They did not ‘die,’ as if in some kind of accident. I saw footage of terrorism, it was not an ‘assault.'”

The author recounts harrowing stories from October 7 as they desperately search for details about family members stuck on a kibbutz, an Israeli agricultural community, which Hamas is in the process of ransacking and seeing the Palestinian terrorist group share social-media posts as it “livestreams atrocities.” “My partner and I walk 30,000 steps. There’s nothing we can do. Late that evening we hear that his family are safe but their house is gone, neighbours are dead.

In the following days, the journalist became progressively concerned by the Guardian and Observer‘s coverage of the unfolding conflict and its apparent indifference to the death of Israeli civilians. “I look at the morning newsletter for the newspaper I work for. It breaks down the number of dead Palestinian children. It does not mention dead Israeli children.”

On another occasion, the individual encountered a colleague “who had posted about ‘decolonisation’ all over social media over the weekend. They’re laughing with the rest of their team. They’re having a great day. I used to love their podcast, full of hot takes and celeb gossip. Now they’ve evolved into an expert on the Middle East. It doesn’t look like their family is in the middle of it though.”

Raising their concerns with the newspaper editors about these incidents, the journalist was told to disregard any hurt feelings when it comes to the magazine’s coverage. “They tell me that their thoughts are with my family but they stand by the paper’s reporting.” “I hear colleagues complaining about the newspaper’s ‘American readers. They’re always accusing us of antisemitism.’ They’re laughing,” the writer recounts senior staff responding to their concerns.

Following the article’s release on Wednesday, a spokesperson for the Guardian, the parent company of the Observer, denounced the piece as hyperbole and unreflective of the paper’s rigorous standards. “We do not believe this article bears any resemblance to the workplace culture at the Guardian.”

“We do not recognise the events described and are seeking to ask the individual concerned to share specific information about any incidents so that we can fully investigate,” the spokesperson continued. “The Guardian and Observer’s coverage of the Israel-Gaza conflict continues to be expert, thorough and fair. This is a profoundly distressing time, and we have offered support and assistance to staff who are personally affected.”

The journalist closed the article with a note explaining that the toxic work environment plaguing the Guardian is leading them to seek out other work. “Now is not the time for colleagues to dismiss Jewish pain or publish inflammatory op-eds which will spark more violence. I will keep applying for other jobs.”