A period of uncertainty for the Observer, the UK paper which is generally seen as the Guardian's Sunday edition, began in early August when parent company the Guardian Media Group confirmed that its future was coming under consideration. Widespread rumours suggested that the title might be closed. Press Gazette has launched an "Observer SOS" campaign to argue the case for keeping the paper open, and reportedly Observer journalists are planning a public campaign with the same aim.

In an article announcing its campaign, Press Gazette writer Dominic Ponsford noted that the Observer is the oldest Sunday newspaper in the world and "hasn't just survived two World Wars but also the Suez, Crimean and Napoleonic conflicts to boot." PG believes that as "one of Britain's great and iconic news brands," "closing the Observer would be a disaster for British journalism." It proposes that the paper's owners, the Scott Trust, should offer it up for sale rather than closing it.

PG reported yesterday that the Observer's journalists believe that the paper will continue in a slimmed down format rather than being closed or turned into a magazine. This would mean that the Weekend section and the Observer's collection of magazines could be dropped. Today, it was reported that former Europe minister and former NUJ president Denis MacShane has written to 100 senior MPs asking them to sign a letter urging the Scott Trust to keep the paper going.

Unlike the US, the UK is yet to see the closure of a major newspaper as a result of the current industry struggles. Could the Observer be the first? It may well be a significant blow to the reputation of the GMG if so. It has also been widely reported that Trinity Mirror's daily the Birmingham Post may go weekly.

Source: Press Gazette (1), (2), (3), Guardian