The Observer’s high-stakes takeover leaves it flirting with disaster

It is perhaps telling that the newspaper’s biggest success to date under its new ownership was an investigation into alleged fabrications in Raynor Winn’s hit memoir The Salt Path – an old-fashioned scoop.But as AI overviews and shifting social media algorithms trigger a precipitous fall in traffic, outlets across the industry are having to work harder to reach audiences, raising questions over how effective The Observer’s news-avoidant strategy will be.Observer executives hope that the title can win subscr ...