The editor of a left-leaning British newspaper offered her staff advice on coping with Donald Trump’s “disturbing” victory in Tuesday’s presidential election, The Post has learned.
Katherine Viner, editor-in-chief of The Guardian, called on journalists in the newspaper’s UK and Australian bureaus to contact their colleagues in the United States to “offer your support”, according to a copy of her email obtained by The Post.
“I know the result has been very upsetting to many colleagues,” she wrote.
“If you want to talk about it, your manager and members of the leadership team are all available, as is the people team.”
Viner added that employees upset by Trump’s return to the White House can get free mental health access from internal company portals, according to the memo.
“The election has exposed alarming fault lines on many fronts, which we will examine in the weeks and months ahead,” Viner wrote.
One source dismissed the offensive Israeli newspaper’s offer of advice as “dumb”.
Another scoffed at each glowing reporter, saying sarcastically: “How difficult everything is!”.
A Guardian spokesman told The Post: “We regularly remind colleagues of our employee assistance program – a function that every responsible international media organization has available to staff at all times.”
The newspaper’s front page on Thursday showed an image of a smiling Trump with the headline: “American Horror.”
Viner, who has been at the helm of the 203-year-old London publication since 2015, also sought to raise funds for Trump’s political comeback, which she called “an incredible, devastating moment in US history”.
She wrote an essay on Wednesday asking readers to donate in order to help him “stay up to four more years (Trump).
“We will stand up to these threats, but it will take courageous, well-funded independent journalism … that cannot be propped up by a billionaire owner terrified of retribution from a bully in the White House,” Viner wrote , alluding to Washington. Mail owner Jeff Bezos.
Bezos, the founder of Amazon, blocked his editorial board from supporting Harris, prompting the resignation of some of his reporters as well as outrage from readers.
The billionaire tycoon denied the move was made to curry favor with Trump in order to benefit his business interests.
The Guardian is owned by a trust whose purpose is to ensure financial and editorial independence in perpetuity. Since most content on the Internet is free, the business model is built around voluntary contributions from readers.
While the newspaper’s main offices are in London, it has expanded its footprint in the US, where it employs around 200 staff.
The latest financial disclosure forms show it employs 2,500 staff worldwide, with most of them concentrated in the UK, US and Australia.
Viner’s outing with staff follows a move this week by an elite $65,000-a-year private school in New York City that said it would allow “emotionally disturbed” students to skip class on Wednesdays — a decision that was criticized by parents, including comedian Jerry. Seinfeld, whose children once attended the institution.
Ethical Culture Fieldston School sent a note to parents saying the election “can be a big and emotional time” for students who were not assigned homework on Election Day.
Children will also be allowed “excused absences” on Wednesday or whenever election results are announced if they feel unable to “fully engage in class,” according to the memo, which was first reported by The New York Times.
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