The Big Issue#Criticisms

Inspired by Street News, a newspaper sold by homeless people in New York City, The Big Issue was founded in 1991 by John Bird and Gordon Roddick (husband of The Body Shop entrepreneur Anita Roddick) as a response to the increasing numbers of homeless people in London.{{cite web |url=http://www.bigissue.com/Introduction_2.php |title=Introduction |work=The Big Issue |access-date=11 February 2009 |archive-date=1 March 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090301153536/http://www.bigissue.com/Introduction_2.php |url-status=dead }} and {{cite web |url=http://www.bigissue.com/History_34.php |title=History |work=The Big Issue |access-date=11 February 2009 |archive-date=1 March 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090301141303/http://www.bigissue.com/History_34.php |url-status=dead }}{{cite web | url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/how-we-met-john-bird-and-gordon-roddick-1598309.html | title=HOW WE MET; JOHN BIRD AND GORDON RODDICK | work=The Independent | date=27 August 1995 | access-date=June 10, 2016 | author=Greenstreet, Rosanna}} The Body Shop provided the equivalent of $50,000 in start-up capital.{{cite web|last=Boukhari |first=Sophie |title=The press takes to the street |url=http://www.unesco.org/courier/1999_02/uk/connex/txt1.htm |publisher=UNESCO |work=The UNESCO Courier |date=15 May 2001 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080220220110/http://www.unesco.org/courier/1999_02/uk/connex/txt1.htm |archive-date=20 February 2008 }} The magazine was initially published monthly but in June 1993 The Big Issue went weekly. The venture continued to expand with national editions being established in Scotland and Wales, as well as regional editions for Northern England and South West England. Further editions are also produced in seven locations overseas.

In 1995, The Big Issue Foundation was founded to offer additional support and advice to vendors around issues such as housing, health, personal finance and addiction. Between 2007 and 2011, the circulation of The Big Issue declined from 167,000 to less than 125,000. It has since plummeted. Competition between vendors also increased at this time. From July 2011, the regional editions were merged into a single UK-wide magazine.{{cite web |url= https://www.pressgazette.co.uk/big-issue-launches-first-uk-wide-edition/ |title=Big issue launches first UK-wide edition |work=Press Gazette |date=8 June 2011 |access-date=26 September 2021}} In January 2012, the magazine was relaunched, with an increased focus on campaigning and political journalism. New columnists were added, including the Premier League footballer Joey Barton, Rachel Johnson, Mike Shinoda of Linkin Park{{cite news |title=Mike Shindoa and Music For Relief: 'Let's power the world' |url=http://www.bigissue.com/features/1424/mike-shinoda-and-music-relief-lets-power-world |newspaper=The Big Issue |date=18 September 2012 |last=Shinoda |first=Mike |access-date=23 September 2012 |archive-date=3 January 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160103000535/http://www.bigissue.com/features/1424/mike-shinoda-and-music-relief-lets-power-world |url-status=dead }} and Samira Ahmed. The cover price was also increased.{{cite news |date=7 January 2012 |title=The Big Issue Magazine: Help the Homeless |newspaper=The Economist |url=http://www.economist.com/node/21542406 |access-date=30 January 2012}}{{cite news |title=Revamped Big Issue hits the streets |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-business-16574823 |work=BBC News |date=16 January 2012 |access-date=30 January 2012}}

In 2016, The Big Issue celebrated surpassing 200 million magazine sales.{{cite news |work=BBC News |title=Big Issue celebrates 200 million sales |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-35977471 |access-date=11 September 2018 |date=7 April 2016}} In September 2021, the magazine celebrated its 30th birthday. {{cite web |url= http://www.allmediascotland.com/media-releases/145692/media-release-the-big-issue-marks-30th-birthday-with-a-special-birthday-edition-and-brand-new-digital-editorial-strategy/ |title= The Big Issue marks 30th birthday with a special birthday edition and brand new digital editorial strategy |work=AllMediaScotland |date=20 September 2021 |access-date=26 September 2021}}

The magazine is produced by the Big Issue Company Ltd. The company is a self-sustaining business that generates income through magazine sales and advertising revenues. Financially, The Big Issue is a social enterprise. The Big Issue Foundation is the registered charity arm of the organisation. It aims to underpin the company's work by tackling the underlying causes of homelessness.

File:Bigissueforsaleinjapan-2017-5-6.jpg

There are nine Big Issue projects by the same name in other nations.

• The Big Issue Australia (from June 1996)[http://www.thebigissue.org.au/about-the-big-issue/about/ About - The Big Issue] www.thebigissue.org.au accessed 22 May 2015.
• The Big Issue France (from October 1993): In France, a non-profit organisation named Big Issue France created with support from John Bird the magazine against exclusion called La Rue.
• The Big Issue Japan (from November 2003)[http://www.bigissue.jp/english/ "What is the Big Issue Japan?"] www.bigissue.jp accessed 22 May 2015.
• The Big Issue Kenya (from 2007)[http://www.bigissue.com/sites/bigissue/files/TheBigIssuePresentation.pdf The Big Issue Presentation] www.bigissue.com {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160107064309/http://www.bigissue.com/sites/bigissue/files/TheBigIssuePresentation.pdf |date=7 January 2016 }} accessed 22 May 2015.
• The Big Issue Korea (from July 2010)[http://bigissuekr.tistory.com The Big Issue Korea] bigissuekr.tistory.com accessed 22 May 2015
• The Big Issue Malawi (from 2009)[http://www.bigissue.com/sites/bigissue/files/TheBigIssuePresentation.pdf The Big Issue Presentation] www.bigissue.com {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160107064309/http://www.bigissue.com/sites/bigissue/files/TheBigIssuePresentation.pdf |date=7 January 2016 }} accessed 22 May 2015.
• The Big Issue Namibia[http://www.bigissuenamibia.org/ The Big Issue Namibia] www.bigissuenamibia.org accessed 22 May 2015. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150205222939/http://www.bigissuenamibia.org/ |date=5 February 2015 }}Soul Beat Africa [http://www.comminit.com/africa/node/126975 "Big Issue - Namibia"], 17 August 2004. accessed 22 May 2015.
• The Big Issue The Republic of Ireland [http://www.irelandsbigissue.com Ireland's Big Issue] www.irelandsbigissue.com accessed 22 May 2015.
• The Big Issue South Africa (from December 1996)[http://depts.washington.edu/stnews/bigissuesa.html Big Issue, South Africa] depts.washington.edu accessed 22 May 2015.
• The Big Issue Taiwan (from April 2010)[http://www.bigissue.tw THE BIG ISSUE 大誌雜誌] www.bigissue.tw accessed 22 May 2015.
• The Big Issue Zambia (from 2007)[http://www.bigissue.com/sites/bigissue/files/TheBigIssuePresentation.pdf The Big Issue Presentation] www.bigissue.com {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160107064309/http://www.bigissue.com/sites/bigissue/files/TheBigIssuePresentation.pdf |date=7 January 2016 }} accessed 22 May 2015.[https://launchingvisions.wordpress.com The Big Issue Zambia] launchingvisions.wordpress.com accessed May 22, 2015.

{{update|section|date=June 2012}}

{{further|Street newspaper#Differing approaches}}

The Big Issue has been the centre of much controversy among publishers of street newspapers, mainly because of its business model.{{cite web | url=http://www.nyaorganisationer.soch.lu.se/SituationSthlm.html | access-date=12 February 2009 | last=Magnusson | first=Jan A. | title=The transnational street paper movement | work=Situation Sthlm | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060629073232/http://www.nyaorganisationer.soch.lu.se/SituationSthlm.html | archive-date=29 June 2006 }} Publishers of some other street newspapers, especially in the United States, have criticised it for being overly "commercial" and having a flashy design. According to these critics, street newspapers ought to focus on covering political and social issues that affect the homeless, rather than emulating mainstream newspapers to generate a profit.{{cite book |last=Howley |first=Kevin |title=Community Media |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=2005 |edition=illustrated |page=71 |isbn=0-521-79228-2 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MslR_FE5SI4C&pg=PA71|access-date=12 February 2009}} Publishers of some smaller papers, such as Making Change in Santa Monica, California, said they felt threatened when The Big Issue began to publish in their area. Other papers have also criticised The Big Issue for its professional production and limited participation by homeless individuals in writing and producing the newspaper. Others, however, have stated that The Big Issue uses a successful business model to generate a profit to benefit the homeless, and its founder John Bird has said that it is "possible to be both profitable and ethically correct".

• October 2004 – UN Habitat Scroll of Honour Award{{cite web |url=http://www.unhabitat.org/content.asp?typeid=19&catid=490&cid=2909 |title=. World Habitat Day 2006 | Previous Scroll Winners |publisher=Un-Habitat. |date=26 March 2013 |access-date=2 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131004220918/http://www.unhabitat.org/content.asp?typeid=19&catid=490&cid=2909 |archive-date=4 October 2013 |url-status=dead }}
• October 2008 – Ernst & Young Social Entrepreneur of the Year award{{cite web|url=http://www.ey.com/Publication/vwLUAssets/EoY_-_2008_award_recipients/$FILE/EY_EOY_2008_award_recipients.pdf|title=Ernst & Young Entrepreneur 2008 award recipients|date=2 December 2009|publisher=Ernst & Young|page=2|access-date=21 October 2014|archive-date=24 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924041001/http://www.ey.com/Publication/vwLUAssets/EoY_-_2008_award_recipients/$FILE/EY_EOY_2008_award_recipients.pdf|url-status=dead}}{{cite news|date=7 October 2008|title=Richard Harpin, CEO of Homeserve Plc, is Ernst & Young 'UK Overall Entrepreneur Of The Year 2008'|url=http://www.ey.com/UK/en/Newsroom/News-releases/EOY---08-10-07---R-Harpin-UK-EOY-2008|publisher=Ernst & Young|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120223234233/http://www.ey.com/UK/en/Newsroom/News-releases/EOY---08-10-07---R-Harpin-UK-EOY-2008|archive-date=23 February 2012|access-date=21 October 2014}}

• Homelessness in the United Kingdom
• International Network of Street Papers
• Lucy Johnston

{{Reflist|30em}}

• {{cite journal | title=The Big Issue and other street papers: a response to homelessness | year=1999 | journal=Environment and Urbanization | first=Sinead | last=Hanks | author2=Tessa Swithinbank | volume=9 | issue=1 | doi=10.1177/095624789700900112 | pages=149–158 | s2cid=155008284 | doi-access=free }}
• {{cite book|last=Swithinbank|first=Tessa|title=Coming Up from the Streets: The Story of The Big Issue|publisher=Earthscan|year=2001|pages=21–33|isbn=1-85383-544-7|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ha1dO1WD88AC&pg=PA21|access-date=11 March 2009}}

{{commons category}}

• [http://www.bigissue.com/ Official site]
• [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTc2Cq6f2BQ&mode=related&search= "Ethical Entrepreneurs" John Bird founder of The Big Issue, talks about his early life and entrepreneurial journey]

;Regional sites

• [http://www.bigissue.kr/ 빅이슈코리아]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20070816015950/http://www.bigissueinthenorth.com/ Northern England]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20070824162630/http://www.bigissuescotland.com/ Scotland]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20020523031259/http://www.bigissuesouthwest.co.uk/ South West England]
• [http://www.bigissue.com.tw/ 大誌雜誌中文版]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20060715052929/http://www.bigissuecymru.co.uk/ Wales]

{{Street newspapers}}

{{Authority control}}

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Category:Newspapers published in London

Category:Political magazines published in the United Kingdom

Category:Weekly magazines published in the United Kingdom

Category:Street newspapers

Category:Magazines established in 1991

Category:1991 establishments in the United Kingdom

Category:Homelessness in the United Kingdom