The Big Issue

Areas of theoretical framework for magazines
  • Media language and media representations 
  • Social context
  • Cultural context
  • Political context
2025
Total market reach of magazines

67% of adults had accessed a magazine in the past month = 37.4 million people
31% PRINT
54% TOTAL DIGITAL = 10% Computer 47% phone 5% Tablet

RESEARCH
  1. The big issue is a social enterprise and a weekly magazine/street newspaper (1)
  2. Founded in 1991 by John Bird and Gordon Roddick to combat poverty and homelessness, influenced by the streets of NYC (3)
  3. September 1991 (2)
  4. Around 47,000 to 49,000 weekly (PRINT) in The UK. Primarily the UK, but operations in Australia, Japan, South Korea (2)
  5. Financed through magazine sales (vendors buy for £2.50 and sell for £5, keeping the profit), fundraising by its charity, The big issue foundation (2)
  6. It operates as a social enterprise rather than a commercial business, directly employing homeless or vulnerable people to sell the magazines (2)
  7. Investigative news, independent journalism and celebrity interviews (3)
  8. Directly from vendors on the street, via a subscription on their website or through the official app. (2)
    • Direct from vendors = £5.00
    • Subscription = £12.00 per month
      9.  'A hand up, not a handout' designed to empower the homeless and vulnerable by providing                   them with a way to earn money (2)
     10.  It was relaunched due to an increased focus on campaigning and political journalism and also                  relaunched again in 2021 due to covid (2)

The big issue front cover
  • Pop culture / Celebrities 
  • Current affairs - politics
  • Social issues - climate change
Research task - independent study

The magazine industry
Size
  • Market value - $106 billion in 2023, reach $120 billion by 2033
  • Uk market value - £3.6 billion 2024
  • BI earned £4 million as of 2023
  • since 1991, 220 million copies sold, £144 million
  • audience reach - 7.9 million digital, print and social users in 2023
  • 913 vendors sold the magazine in 2023
  • 51-200 employees
Biggest magazines
  • The Watchtower (widest distribution), Awake!, AARP (circulation), National Goegraphic, people (popular)
  • UK - TV choice, radio times, national trust
What is the big issue foundation?
  • independent charitable organisation i the uk supporting big issue magazine vednors, who are individuals experience homelessness or extreme poverty, needing to rebuild their lives
  • support service, guidance
What is its remit - job purpose?
  • dismantle poverty in the UK
  • providing opportunity to earn legitimate income 
THE BIG ISSUE 
  • The big issue is a niche magazine, operating outside of the commercial mainstream
  • Alternative point of view
  • Different to other magazines 

The conventions of vogue wont apply to The Big Issue because their audiences are very different


















  • big issue not afraid to challenge them
  • anti establishment 
  • both in the news recently of spreading misinformation
  • Metas decision to remove 40,000 fact checkers 
  • the big issue have used this cover to reinforce their commitment to independent journalism 
  • Inter-textual reference - Movie about Facebook
  • Yellow and red - warning signs 
  • Colourful - except from them
  • they are both in grey - lack of emotion, they are empty 
  • Split masthead makes you focus on the middle 
  • helvetica - trusting font - meaning 'switzerland' = neutral, supposed to calm you down
  • Typography - message at the bottom showing that the big issue is a social network - there to help people
  • Inter-textual reference to 'Faceoff' - two people who say they are really different but essentially do the same thing 
  • 'Face/off' = 'facebook' - hooking the key audience - ABC1, highly educated, interested in politics 

Donald Trump,Elon musk and Mark Zuckerburg
  • Elon donated large amounts on political campaigns for Trump
  • Trump made Elon Musk the Head of the department of government efficiency 
  • Donald trump unites them both 
The cover conveys a political stance on the misinformation and decisions made by Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerburg as evidenced by the layout of a split masthead, forcing people to look at the middle, where the big issue are promoting values of not trusting the rich and powerful, and those with large influence on the political landscape of the world.

Audience 
  • 72% of the big issue readers are ABC1
  • 43% are AB
  • Psychographics - reformers, explorers - progressive, socially aware people
Political Context
  • The big issue holds all polticians to account
  • It is apolitical (politically neutral but left wing at heart because of the social justice agenda)
  • It has links with the guardian and the BBC 
Social Context
Its target mission is to dismantle poverty by creating opportunity, through self help, social trading and business solutions

It has campaigned issues such as 
  • anti globalisation
  • high energy bills
  • making the government aware that its welfare system doenst reduce poverty
  • campaigning for the living wage
they offer business solutions to social problems - ethical capitalism
the magazine does this by
  • offering the vendors a hand up to set up their own micro business
  • campaigning for social inclusion and holding the powerful to account through its coverage of issues
Representation
  • Not a classic representation of a homeless person
  • Dismantle the stereotype of homeless people
  • Celebrate these vendors instead of celebrating celebrities 

  • Main image is covering the masthead, shows importance 
  • Bold font - sans serif because this is an important issue 
  • the question mark shows uncertainty and doubt
  • The woman is facing the camera to show that power 
  • The background is blurred which draws the main focus to her 
  • Large depth of field
  • Critque the government 
  • Classic protest slogan
  • Pose shows resistance - BLM protests
  • suggesting protest is a positive thing
  • Megaphone covering the 'BIG ISSUE' 
  • Monochrome photo suggests importance and glossy aesthetic 
  • close up, usually reserved for celebrities 






Media language and why the BI has decided to represent this in this way?

The focus being on this woman and the background being blurred brings the attention to this woman rather than in other right wing or neutral media where the focus may be on the arrests or disruption that may be caused. The BI decided to represent them in this way because it shows that ordinary people can have power and influence. 

  • People not going back to their jobs after covid - going off to other things 
  • The blue and red colours could be representing the left and right wing parties - showing that everyone could be affected by this both  conservatives (blue) and labour (red)
  • The great resignation - 'the great depression' showing a time of struggle in the economy - suggests social importance 
  • 'Why is everybody on the run?' showing that its not just one specific group, everybody is affected 
  • Propaganda - fake news 
  • The paper flying everywhere shows the chaos of this time 
  • BI is reliable 
  • Primary colours show everyone
  • Yellow - lib dems - smaller parties 
  • Grey - other parties 
  • Cartoon style - like school, throwing papers in the air wanting to leave asap
  • Not showing faces, showing this could be everyone, talking about ordinary people 
  • Dont want to make it too specific
  • Black and yellow masthead - worker bees
  • Warning signs - black and yellow 

  1. Dismantle poverty in the UK, provide jobs for homeless people
  2. Making money in a moral way
  3. Selling the paper to the vendors, who then sell it on to the public
  4. When one media source references another 
  5. Colour, layout, images, fonts and typography (CLIFT)
  6. How something is shown or presented 
  7. Selection = choosing what to include, Omission = what you choose to take out 
  8. left wing/neutral
  9. Brand
  10. Social, Niche magazine, sells 60,000 weekly











































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