Politico's UK newsroom to unionise as Trump pressures media
Journalists at online media outlet Politico are preparing to unionise as Donald Trump puts its parent company in his sights.
Staff in Politico's UK newsroom have submitted a formal request for union recognition to the company, which is owned by German media giant Axel Springer.
Insiders said morale at the publication had slumped, with staff unhappy about pay and benefits.
It comes amid a chilling of relations between the Trump administration and Axel Springer, which is run by media tycoon Mathias Döpfner.
Mr Döpfner, whose empire also includes Business Insider and newspaper titles Die Welt and Bild, has previously been sympathetic to Mr Trump's politics and arranged for Elon Musk to write an opinion piece expressing his support for Germany's far-right AfD in one of his papers.
However, he has since distanced himself from Mr Trump over the US president's treatment of Ukraine in its war against Russia.
Politico has found itself in the spotlight after Mr Trump repeated false claims that the outlet had received millions of dollars in funding from the US Agency for International Development. The payments were in fact subscription fees for the news outlet for US government departments.
Relations soured further last month after Business Insider published a story scrutinising Donald Trump Jr's business dealings and comparing him to Hunter Biden.
The story reportedly sparked anger in the White House, fuelling speculation that Mr Trump could seek to retaliate against Axel Springer through a potential federal investigation.
Politico also came under scrutiny from one pro-Trump Axel Springer board member, who branded journalists 'woke' in a row over the outlet's coverage of the war in Gaza.
Martin Varsavsky, a Spain-based entrepreneur, accused Politico of 'one-sided Hamas support'. He parted ways with the Axel Springer board just a week later.
The union plans come amid unrest in Politico's US newsroom about the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to deliver summaries of major political news stories.
US staff, who are represented by the PEN Guild union, have complained that the rollout of the new technology violates an agreement that states bosses must give 60 days' notice.
Increased use of AI has also stirred tensions at Business Insider, which this week sparked fury and a union backlash after it announced plans to lay off more than 20pc of staff. In the same memo bosses declared the outlet was going 'all-in' on AI.
Leaders of the nascent UK union are set to survey members about their concerns ahead of negotiations over a house agreement, with guarantees around AI likely to be included.
Staff have also raised concerns about a leadership vacuum in the newsroom. Politico, which publishes the popular Westminster newsletter Playbook, has been without a UK editor since Jack Blanchard relocated to Washington DC.
Nevertheless, sources close to the union insisted discussions with the company had so far been amicable and that they were aiming to develop positive relations.
A member of the Politico NUJ Chapel said: 'Members of the Politico UK newsroom are seeking recognition through the National Union of Journalists.
'The chapel looks forward to fruitful negotiations with the company and on working together for Politico's continuing success.'
Politico was founded in 2007 by media executive Robert Allbritton with the aim of capitalising on the rapid growth of online news.
It focuses on politics and policy in the US and internationally, while it also hosts a number of live events. The website was snapped up by Axel Springer in 2021 in a deal worth more than $1bn (£743m).
Politico and the NUJ have been contacted for comment.
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