GNM says in a statement: “As a result of this review, GNM will develop its current weekend offering and introduce a greater degree of integration between the editorial teams of the Guardian and Observer.” GNM says readers responded “very positively” to The Observer in research questionnaires, and its statement doesn’t mention any plans to get rid of the paper. Despite the worries of its staff and a public campaign to save it, GNM has never explicitly said the paper is under threat. Editor-in-chief of both papers Alan Rusbridger says: “As a result of the review we will be publishing a formidable weekend package – with two papers that complement each other, each retaining a distinctive tone and voice.”

SEE ALSO: Earnings: Guardian Media Group Swings To £89.8 Million Loss

But don’t think this averts the threat of cuts: GNM MD Tim Brooks this week told staff that the current run rate of losses is “unsustainable”—and it’s hard to see how the editorial integration proposed here will avoid redundancies and section closures.

GNM’s clarification comes too late for some: The Observer‘s star interview Lynn Barber has jumped ship to The Sunday Times because of uncertainty surrounding the title’s future (via Guardian.co.uk).

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