The Guardian is looking to break up its current investigations team – with reporters told to look for other journalism roles in the organisation.
Guardian management is currently looking to cut 250 jobs from GNM including around 100 journalists as it tries to curb operating losses of £58.6m a year. A voluntary redundancy scheme has been opened to all Guardian journalists.
The Guardian’s investigative reporting team have won numerous awards between them and are: Shiv Malik, Ian Cobain, Holly Watt, Rob Evans, Alice Ross and Felicity Lawrence.
Press Gazette understands that most have been asked to move into other journalism roles in the main newsroom.
The changes have been revealed one month after the arrival of Nick Hopkins (pictured) as head of investigations. He is a former investigations editor of The Guardian who has returned to the title as head of investigations after 19 months working for BBC Newsnight.
According to one well placed source, some journalists on The Guardian investigations team have not felt backed by senior editors over the last year and some also feel the company has become more risk averse in the same period.
The source said some on the team are also questioning whether the changes would have been made had former editor Alan Rusbridger not been stopped from stepping up to the Scott Trust role last week. He was due to become chairman of the body which owns The Guardian in September, but on Friday decided not to take the job after being opposed by Guardian editor Katharaine Viner and chief executive David Pemsel.
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