The Guardian is not beholden to billionaires or bullies – only to you

For many years, I’ve tried to explain to people why the fact that the Guardian does not have a proprietor is so important. It can be hard to convey why such a detail of ownership might matter.

But last week has provided all the evidence we might need, as two of America’s largest newspapers decided not to endorse a candidate in this crucial election – at the behest of their billionaire owners.

Both newspapers, the Washington Post and the LA Times, have a tradition of making presidential endorsements. But this time, in 2024, in the most consequential election that any of us can remember, they were ordered not to. It shows that billionaire owners are dangerous for democracy. It shows how media ownership matters.

What does not having a proprietor mean in practice? It means that our editorial endorsement of Kamala Harris for US president was decided only by the editorial team, and ultimately by me, as the editor-in-chief. (You can read about it here.) It wasn’t decided by a proprietor promoting their business or political or personal interests.

It wasn’t decided by the Scott Trust, which owns the Guardian, because they play no editorial role – in fact, they guarantee that we are protected from commercial or political interference.

What else does it mean in practice? It means no aggressive phone calls from my boss demanding we pull a story. It means no subtle unspoken pressure to do so, either. It means that Guardian journalists decide what we publish, and no one else.

It means that we have no shareholders demanding quick returns, just the Scott Trust, who are in it for the long term – they guarantee our independence in perpetuity, as we try to build a business model that can withstand the torrid media market for ever.

It means we are accountable only to our readers, who increasingly fund our work through generous contributions. Thank you for your support.

This week, with the US election just days away, we’ve been bringing you coverage from the battleground states – from Michigan, where the working poor feel Biden has failed them, and Pennsylvania, where our Anywhere but Washington team found the issue of immigration is still fuelling culture wars. In Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Kamala Harris made a plea for building community and coalitions.

For our series, the Stakes, Margaret Sullivan wrote that a Trump presidency would be devastating for press freedom. Which is why the Guardian’s independence matters more than ever. Support the Guardian here.

Extreme flash flooding in Spain caused a huge death toll, and many are still missing. The frightening images are captured in this photo gallery. Guardian Europe’s environment correspondent, Ajit Niranjan, said scientists warned the deadly storms battering the Mediterranean are linked to climate change and are a harbinger of what the rest of Europe might soon experience. Separately, the “wicked problem” of global heating and its effect on Australia is starkly depicted in these charts, which show how the climate crisis is affecting the country and the surrounding waters.

In the UK, Labour’s first budget in 14 years returned to an era of taxing and spending, as Rachel Reeves revealed a £40bn package of tax increases to repair crumbling public services and inject cash into schools and the NHS. Economics editor Larry Elliott explained why it had echoes of the 1960s, with Reeves’s vision of a bigger state to modernise the economy. Businesses contemplated the impact of higher employee costs, farmers wrestled with the introduction of inheritance taxes and private equity partners quietly celebrated getting Labour to water down its tax raid. We explained what it means for household finances and took the temperature in Reeves’ Leeds constituency (this piece, by Robyn Vinter, has a lovely ending).

From Jerusalem, Bethan McKernan described how Israel’s ever-tightening siege on northern Gaza has hampered efforts by relief workers, medics and reporters, and Malak A Tantesh gave us the view from the ground in Gaza. Peter Beaumont reported on the impact of Israel’s offensive, which has claimed nearly 300 lives in nine days. Bethan, Ruth Michaelson and Quique Kierszenbaum reported on how, for some Israeli settlers, the idea of resettling Gaza has gained momentum – an idea that was once dismissed as the pipe dream of fringe extremists. Nesrine Malik’s profile of the Palestinian journalist Wael al-Dahdouh was particularly moving. As an Arabic speaker with knowledge of the region, Nesrine is the only journalist to have spoken in depth with Wael since he lost several family members, and produced this powerful global exclusive.

Tom Phillips and Etienne Côté-Paluck’s rare dispatch about Haiti’s unending gang war was disturbing reading – marauding teenage gunmen have forced hundreds of thousands of people to flee their homes despite the presence of an international police force.

Is Russia’s war in Ukraine now an Asian war too? Justin McCurry analysed what the involvement of North Korean troops in the war means for South Korea and the world.

After fresh charges were brought against the Southport stabbing suspect, rightwing politicians and commentators heightened tensions by suggesting there was a “cover-up” by police and government. Josh Halliday and Haroon Siddique explained and debunked the false claims.

Merope Mills wrote a staggering interview with Keri-Sue McManus, a mother who made six attempts to raise the alarm about her sick toddler, and was told by doctors that she was making her son anxious. It’s a heart-rending, enraging read.

Saoirse Ronan’s comment about women’s constant need for watchfulness struck a chord, stopping the laughing men sharing Graham Norton’s chatshow sofa in their tracks, and was much appreciated by Marina Hyde.

I enjoyed our list of films that were flops when they were released but became classics (even The Wizard of Oz!) by Tim Robey; Monique Ross on how getting naked for a photoshoot feels like being cast in a Broadway show; and Ana Schnabl on how Hollywood villains these days are always from the Balkans.

Make sure you sign up to The Long Wave: our new newsletter giving you a weekly dose of Black life and culture around the world, written by Nesrine Malik and edited and co-written by Jason Okundaye. It launched this week and has had some fantastic feedback so far.

One more thing … I enjoyed Channel 4’s documentary Churchill: Britain’s Secret Apartheid, which examined how in 1942 Churchill allowed the US to bring its racially segregated army to Britain, provoking conflict across the country. It’s a story I first heard about through Andrea Levy’s wonderful novel Small Island, but this documentary, by Nadifa Mohamed, presents a lot more detail and some moving contemporary reflections.

Cook this | Alice Zaslavsky’s sweet potato jackets with sour cream and slaw

This is such a great dish for anyone young at heart – think school-camp baked potato, turned into a salad. You could certainly do this with potatoes, but I like the way sweet potato or yam brings another level of lovely caramel and colour.

Listen to this | Love motels and gridlocked talks at Cop16 in Colombia

At the Cop16 biodiversity summit in Cali, where delegates have found themselves staying in questionable accommodation, countries are wrangling over funding to protect nature and who should profit from the natural resources of the world’s least developed nations. Phoebe Weston reports.

Watch this | How US politics got so insulting

Many feel this US election cycle has been the dirtiest yet in terms of campaigning. Donald Trump has viciously attacked Kamala Harris, including questioning her racial identity and her mental resilience, and held rallies marked by insults and threats. But mudslinging has always been part of US politics. The Guardian’s US politics editor in London, Chris Michael, digs into the history of personal attacks.

The Guardian’s crosswords and Wordiply are here to keep you entertained throughout the weekend.