It’s the same old story with “The Guardian” news team in London. It’s been so for decades. My first foray into their network was my first foray into any story.
I’d heard sorry stories and was told – by anonymous tip-off’s – about their working regimes. It was like something out of Stalinist Russia. I took a look in myself.
In a distant year behind us, I spent weeks navigating one of the most awkward working environments in London. It was a world away from my normal confines.
The people weren’t lovely, nice, or helpful at all. They seemed preoccupied, and rather more interested in recruitment than the Journalism enterprise they’re apparently known for.
I listened in on their coffee break conversations as if I’d dropped in on a lunch in a prison. It’s at this point I realised why so many were interested in their activity. It’s also how I made more sense of my life.
Their comments also came out during their ‘official’ work activity. This consisted mainly of watching live feeds of both secret and public cameras in London. They watched everything from robbery to rape happening right there.
Their more vocal staff were more proactive in looking for the higher profile targets. They trawled through footage of young males and females finding it difficult to live on the Capital’s streets to see famous faces and public figures.
It’s a disgusting old world out there, and even more so in the minds of these broken souls. They relied on Police informants to keep it going. They ran their own security efforts to keep their positions. It confirmed the suspicions I’d heard of.