“The Guardian deeply apologizes for supporting slavery as a media outlet in the past.”
The Guardian, a leading British daily newspaper with a 200-year history, publicly apologized on the 29th (local time) for the transatlantic slave trade-related actions of its founder, John Edward Taylor (1791-1844). On this day, the Guardian published a feature article on the front page of the newspaper, saying, “Guardian owner apologizes for (company) founders involvement in slavery.”
According to a report on the relationship between Taylor and the slave trade released by the media company ‘Scott Trust’, which owns the Guardian, the day before, Taylor, who was a cotton trader in the early 19th century, and 9 out of 11 local merchants who funded the publication were related to slavery. It is highly likely that the remaining two men involved in the cotton trade were also involved in slavery.
The predecessor of the Guardian, the Manchester Guardian, was founded in Manchester in 1821. At the time, Manchester grew explosively by importing and trading cotton from the Americas and West Indies to the extent that it was called Cottonpolis. This cotton was mostly cultivated by slaves.
Founder Taylor’s company ‘Taylor & Co’ is said to have acted as a broker in the early 1800s between plantations that produced cotton for slavery in the West Indies, Brazil, Suriname and the southern United States, and Manchester importers. The Taylor & Co invoices disclosed in this report listed plantations and slave owners.
It was revealed that George Phillip, who financed the founding of The Guardian, owned a sugar cane plantation called ‘Success’ in Hanover, Jamaica at the time. There were 108 slaves on Philip’s plantation. When the British government abolished slavery in 1833, Philip insisted that he be compensated for the freed slaves.
“The connection between Taylor and most of the people who funded it and slavery is clear,” said the Scott Trust’s board of directors. “We apologize unconditionally for their crimes against humanity.”
Based on the results of the investigation report, the Scott Trust announced that it would operate a 10 million pound (approximately 16 billion won) reparation program in the southeastern United States and Jamaica, where many descendants of former slavery victims live, over the next 10 years. He also announced plans to expand reporting for black readers around the world and to expand support for new and middle-aged black reporters.
This survey was conducted by The Guardian in the fall of 2020 with the University of Nottingham and Hull University in the UK, following the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement in the United States.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.