FOR 30 years, The Big Issue has been at the forefront of social activism in the UK, working to dismantle poverty by creating opportunity and giving Big Issue vendors a hand up, not a hand out.
Over the last 30 years The Big Issue have helped over 105,000 vendors earn over £144 million. Now we want to go further and address the causes of poverty. Not just its symptoms. The new look Big Issue website and digital editorial strategy will make BigIssue.com a destination site for anyone affected by or concerned about the most important social issues affecting modern Britain.
Social media, multimedia and newsletters will all play a part in driving attention to five core content pillars, alongside the latest in film, TV, book and music reviews, cultural conversations, and big-name interviews which The Big Issue’s regular readers know and love.
Dedicated reporters will be tackling five key content areas – housing, employment, environment, activism and social justice – answering the questions people have on the subjects they care about most, as well as the biggest news stories of the day.
Brits are increasingly engaged in the social issues that matter to them, so The Big Issue will tackle these topics in three crucial ways:
1. News: What is happening and why?
2. Community: Who is affected and what is being done to help?
3. Action: What can readers do to help themselves and each other?
Alastair Reid, digital editor of The Big Issue, said: “This is a really exciting next step for The Big Issue.
“Editorially, we will become a destination site for anyone affected by or concerned about the big social issues affecting modern Britain. We’ll be answering the questions people have on the topics they care about most by focussing on news, community and action.
“We’re bringing in some new staff to help us achieve that, all while maintaining the top-class cultural coverage and interviews with interesting people saying interesting things which the magazine is known and loved for. It’s clear we’re continuing to go from strength to strength so I want to thank everyone for supporting us on our journey.”
Paul McNamee, editor of The Big Issue, said: “I am very proud of everything The Big Issue has achieved over the past 30 years.
“We have done so much to affect real change in society over the last three decades, from giving some of the most vulnerable people a chance to pull themselves out of poverty and changing public perceptions surrounding homelessness to providing people with excellent and hard-hitting journalism. Now it’s time to look forward to what we want to achieve over the next 30 years.”
ENDS
For more information, please contact Cello Dutton-David, group senior PR and
communications officer.
Notes for editors:
* The Big Issue is a social enterprise whose mission is to deliver a world that works for everyone. Creating and offering self-help and sustainable business solutions that dismantle poverty now and for future generations;
* The Big Issue is an award-winning weekly entertainment and current affairs magazine, which offers a new hope for homeless and vulnerably housed people across the UK. When vendors are able to sell, they buy magazines for £1.50 and sell to the public for £3, keeping the difference. In this way, the magazine provides them with the means to earn a legitimate income;
* Vendors come from a variety of backgrounds and face a range of issues, but all are experiencing the effects of poverty. Upon becoming a Big Issue vendor they receive training, are allocated a fixed pitch from which to vend, and must agree to adhere to a code of conduct whilst selling the magazine; and
* Since its launch in 1991, over 200 million copies of The Big Issue magazine have been sold by over 100,000 vulnerable people.
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