It might be better to understand the Guardian, like the Labour Party itself, as a *contested* space on the left. This marks it out as different from the other papers, which are, almost universally, much more beholden to a single editorial line.

I suspect much of the conflict between its staff and the left wing comes down to the frustration that the right has about six different papers trying to suck the Tories off hardest and the Guardian still aiming to "balance" for fear of being too left wing.

Which is to say that internally it may make sense to not want to be a "party line" paper, but from the outside people are of the conclusion that if you want "balance" you can pick up the Telegraph.

Indeed as Collins being ejected from the Times shows, there's an assymetry, not just limited to the Guardian but across the media space, where there is no pressure on the right to be "balanced" and the left often seems to cripple itself by trying to be.

This, I would say, is probably at the root of most disagreements with editorial, where they would say it's a good thing to present voices from across the spectrum, while lots of other people genuinely just want one paper that's actually onside.

In other words, if the Guardian were the only paper, its policy on balance would be seen as far less contentious than it is in a space where it's the only national "left" media outlet.

As a contested space, also, it's difficult to pin it down. It probably seems strange to think of "factions" within the Guardian, and these will obvs operate differently than party factions, but probably because, like the Labour party, it's *the only* left space, it makes sense.

Much as Labour is realistically about 4 parties in an unholy alliance of electoral convenience, so the Guardian may well have editorial lines like other papers but these are much more embattled internally.

If there were more media outlets on the left you would probably see a smoother set of divisions between the factions battling over the soul of the Guardian. As it is, it's another site of left/liberal conflict.