FT’s editor Khalaf on the unpredictable pandemic environment

Financial Times editor Roula Khalaf sent out the following announcement:

Dear readers,

It has been just over six months since London went into lockdown and the Financial Times newsroom changed overnight from a bustling, crowded office to a dispersed, digital workplace. The Covid-19 pandemic has been an unparalleled test for organisations and governments around the world — and to all of us as parents, colleagues and friends. I hope the FT has passed this test by delivering the news, insight, analysis and intellectual stimulation you need to navigate this fast-changing world.

I would like to personally welcome the tens of thousands of new subscribers who have joined us since March. I also want to thank our more than 1m paying readers, who are engaging with our journalism more than ever before. These have been challenging months for the FT’s business, but we remain in robust financial shape thanks to the loyalty of our subscribers. Our business model — with its strong reliance on digital subscription revenues — has proven its value and resilience in times of crisis.

Looking ahead to the coming months, the FT aims to be your trusted guide to the new normal. We have passed through the first wave of the global crisis. Now, we face the new reality of living with the virus. Local and national outbreaks will continue to disrupt the fragile economic recovery. Crucial policy decisions on travel, employment support and stimulus occur with dizzying speed.

Other global stories will not wait for the pandemic to pass. Tensions between the US and China have drawn comparisons to the cold war, and US voters face a pivotal electoral decision in November. The EU demonstrated its solidarity by agreeing a historic rescue plan, but must now implement it. The UK government is set on a march to Brexit by the end of December.

Big tech companies have benefited from the crisis, driving up equity markets, but they are also drawing increased scrutiny. Climate change remains an existential threat that could dwarf the pandemic in severity in the years to come. In recent months, there has also been a reckoning on racial injustice in the US and worldwide.

The FT will connect the dots between science and business, trade and politics, so you can make smarter decisions. We also hope to keep you entertained and stimulated, with our Weekend coverage of books and arts, fashion and food, and a renewed focus on richly immersive reportages and interviews.

The disruption of the pandemic has not stopped us from thinking ahead and preparing the ground for a series of exciting projects and innovations. Among them is a new climate change hub that will expand our coverage of the biggest challenge facing the world today. We are dedicating more resources to the pharmaceutical sector as well as to coverage of the labour market. Our opinion section will feature new voices, in keeping with our commitment to confront readers with diverse views.

No one knows how the next few months will play out. Some of us are returning to the office and sending our children back to school. What we do know is that executives, investors, policymakers and citizens have to navigate the most unpredictable environment in living memory. Our goal at the FT remains to provide you with the news, data and insight that will help you along the way.

Thank you for reading,

Roula