A personal statement from Albert Beale about the latest issue of Peace News
The recently-resigned staff of Peace News [they resigned in the middle of August; their resignations were accepted] have, rather furtively, now brought out one more issue before departing – claiming that they are “closing” the paper. It is – of course – not theirs to close.
The issue consists solely of pages of attacks by the former staff on the trustee body which funds them, together with rather libellous and tortuously-written personal attacks on various of the individual trustees.
All those attacked are people who have worked for years to keep the publication alive; it is literally the case that the title would have disappeared many years ago if not for the efforts of some of those maligned and abused now.
As one of those personally attacked, I don’t intend to reply in kind, despite being on the receiving end of accusations based on partial truths, distortions, and breach of confidence. I’ve been advised to react as I would in the face of a childish tantrum, and not descend to the same level. I will trust that people around the movement who know me, and who have some idea of the situation around Peace News in recent years, will draw the right conclusions.
However I will note that a common thread amongst messages of support I’ve received in recent days has been along these lines: An editor of a publication who, on their resignation, feels the need to purport to close down the publication behind them, in the style of “Le journal, c’est moi!”, is clearly displaying massive amounts of arrogance and megalomania.
It’s noteworthy that the ex-staff suggest problems have arisen specifically in the last couple of years – presumably this makes it easier to personalise their attacks. As many people around Peace News know, the underlying problem has actually been bubbling away for well over a decade, and has been experienced and talked about by virtually everyone who has been a member of Peace News Trustees during this period.
Peace News is published by Peace News Ltd, itself wholly owned by Peace News Trustees Ltd (PNT); the trustees are the successors of the people who founded the paper in 1936. An official response to the latest issue has been issued by PNT, supported by board and company members of Peace News Ltd.
Peace News has of course changed editors, changed format, and had pauses in publication on various occasions in the last 88 years. But its “ownership” has never been in the hands of any particular editor or staff.
The announcement of the “closure” of the paper has been made with no prior involvement of (let alone agreement by) PNT or the legal board of Peace News itself.
The PN staff, besides announcing their own resignations in the paper, also suggested that the Peace News Ltd (PNL) board resigned with them. To be clear, the people they are talking about are those the staff themselves chose as people they were prepared to talk to about (some aspects of) their work; for years there has been no semblance of communication with, let alone accountability to, anyone beyond those the staff had chosen (unlike might be expected with a normal company board, or indeed any democratic structure). The current Company Members of PNL (all of whom are nominees of Peace News Trustees, as has always been the case) met recently to elect a new interim PNL board. This board is currently working on plans for the future of Peace News and will welcome input in due course.
The Peace News name and copyright – not to mention its generations of goodwill within the pacifist and nonviolent movements, and wider peace and social change movements, around the world – belong ultimately (in some cases directly) to Peace News Trustees.
PNT’s role has always been to promote pacifist publishing and to “fly the flag” for radical nonviolence – largely carried out via Peace News of course. PNT’s safeguarding role includes insisting on some necessary political, financial and organisational accountability on the part of its subsidiaries, in return for PNT underwriting their financial viability (this is essential for their survival).
The ever-increasing unwillingness of Peace News staff to share any of their strategic thinking with PNT had reached the point of their going out of their way to hide the fact that there were any discussions, and then actively barring PNT members from such meetings. (We now know why.) Despite this, PNT continued to underwrite PN’s publication, as well as other activities of the PN staff (to the tune of tens of thousands of pounds a year).
At the time of writing, staff are refusing to share access to bank accounts and other information vital to the running of a company. This is in spite of having resigned, and their employment now being terminated with pay in lieu of notice.
To repeat: the ex-staff’s implied control of the paper, to the extent that they consider it within their remit to close the title down, is a political, legal and financial fantasy. The Peace News Ltd board, with the support of Peace News Trustees, are making plans for the future of Peace News. When the present issues are resolved, they will be consulting widely on PN’s future direction.
Albert Beale
(Member of Peace News Trustees, member of the Peace News board, and former Peace News co-editor)
3 September 2024