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''New Internationalist'' (''NI'') is an international publisher and
left-wing
Left-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy. Left-wing politics typically involve a concern for those in soci ...
magazine based in
Oxford
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
,
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
, owned and run by a
worker-run co-operative with a non-hierarchical structure. Known for its strict editorial and environmental policies, and its bi-monthly independent magazine, it describes itself as existing to "cover stories the mainstream media sidestep and provide alternative perspectives on today's global critical issues." It covers social and environmental issues through its magazine, books and digital platforms.
''New Internationalist'' magazine has existed for more than 40 years
["Our History"](_blank)
''New Internationalist''. . and was the largest magazine of its type in circulation in the United Kingdom. It has won the
Utne Independent Press Award
''Utne Reader'' (also known as ''Utne'') ( ) is a digital digest that collects and reprints articles on politics, culture, and the environment, generally from alternative media sources including journals, newsletters, weeklies, zines, music, and ...
for "Best International Coverage" eight times, most recently in 2013 and an
Amnesty International UK Media Awards 2012 award in the consumer magazine category as well as being recognised by the
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...
for its "outstanding contribution to world peace and development".
In 2017, New Internationalist ran a Community Share Offer in which 3,409 people invested £704,114 to create a new
multi-stakeholder o-operativecalled New Internationalist
Co-operative
A cooperative (also known as co-operative, co-op, or coop) is "an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly owned and democratically-control ...
.
[Ciobanu, Mădălina]
"New Internationalist crowdfunds more than £700,000 to provide 'a more compelling and complete view of the world'"
Journalism.co.uk, 10 April 2017. Retrieved 27 July 2020. In March of that year New Internationalist published the 500th issue of ''New Internationalist'' magazine.
Publisher
''New Internationalist'' magazine is published by New Internationalist Publications Limited, a
co-operative
A cooperative (also known as co-operative, co-op, or coop) is "an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly owned and democratically-control ...
-run publisher based in
Oxford
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
, United Kingdom.
Originally, ''New Internationalist'' magazine was co-sponsored by
Oxfam
Oxfam is a British-founded confederation of 21 independent charitable organizations focusing on the alleviation of global poverty, founded in 1942 and led by Oxfam International.
History
Founded at 17 Broad Street, Oxford, as the Oxford Co ...
,
Christian Aid
Christian Aid is the relief and development agency of 41 Christian (Protestant, Catholic and Orthodox) churches in the UK and Ireland, and works to support sustainable development, eradicate poverty, support civil society and provide disaster ...
and the Cadbury and
Rowntree trusts
{{Use British English, date=January 2018
The four Rowntree Trusts are funded from the legacies of the Quaker chocolate entrepreneurs and social reformers Joseph Rowntree and
Benjamin Seebohm Rowntree. The trusts are based in the Rowntrees' home ...
. The magazine is now funded through
subscriptions, advertisements, and product sales.
New Internationalist has produced films, books and other materials for various
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...
agencies and related bodies concerned with world development. The book publisher
Myriad Editions
Myriad Editions is an independent UK publishing house based in Brighton and Hove, specialising in topical atlases, graphic non-fiction and original fiction, whose output also encompasses graphic novels that span a variety of genres, including me ...
merged with New Internationalist in 2017.
New Internationalist runs a number of mail-order outlets for NGOs, charities and campaigning organisations. These include
Amnesty International UK
Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says it has more than ten million members and sup ...
,
Friends of the Earth
Friends of the Earth International (FoEI) is an international network of environmental organizations in 73 countries. The organization was founded in 1969 in San Francisco by David Brower, Donald Aitken and Gary Soucie after Brower's split with ...
UK and the Ethical Shop in the United Kingdom; and the New Internationalist North America shop in the United States of America and Canada.
History
Origins
''New Internationalist'' magazine was launched as a monthly magazine in 1973. Its forerunner was ''The Internationalist'', sent to members of the student development organisation
Third World First, since renamed
People & Planet
People & Planet is a network of student campaign groups in the UK. It is "the largest student campaigning organisation in the country campaigning to alleviate world poverty, defend human rights and protect the environment."
Organisation
Pe ...
.
It was set up with financial help from two UK NGOs,
Oxfam
Oxfam is a British-founded confederation of 21 independent charitable organizations focusing on the alleviation of global poverty, founded in 1942 and led by Oxfam International.
History
Founded at 17 Broad Street, Oxford, as the Oxford Co ...
and
Christian Aid
Christian Aid is the relief and development agency of 41 Christian (Protestant, Catholic and Orthodox) churches in the UK and Ireland, and works to support sustainable development, eradicate poverty, support civil society and provide disaster ...
, who wanted to encourage more people to understand the processes of "development" by publishing a monthly magazine to discuss and debate development issues in an accessible way. They formed a new publishing company, Devopress, with a subvention of £50,000 for the period 1973–76. Devopress comprised three Christian Aid directors and three from Oxfam. The board took a lively interest in the editorial and marketing of the magazine, although the editorial line was independent.
Early issues of ''New Internationalist'' magazine included a feature on the
Tan-Zam railway in
Tanzania
Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands and ...
, interviews with President
Kaunda of
Zambia
Zambia (), officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central Africa, Central, Southern Africa, Southern and East Africa, although it is typically referred to as being in Southern Africa at its most cent ...
and Bishop
Helder Camara
Helder may refer to:
* Den Helder or The Helder, a municipality and a city in the Netherlands
* Anglo-Russian invasion of Holland in 1799, or expedition to the "Helder"
People
* Anne-Marie Helder (21st century), British singer-songwriter
* Glen ...
in Brazil, and features on Vietnam, drought in the
Sahel
The Sahel (; ar, ساحل ' , "coast, shore") is a region in North Africa. It is defined as the ecoclimatic and biogeographic realm of transition between the Sahara to the north and the Sudanian savanna to the south. Having a hot semi-arid c ...
, and the legacy of
Che Guevara
Ernesto Che Guevara (; 14 June 1928The date of birth recorded on /upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/78/Ernesto_Guevara_Acta_de_Nacimiento.jpg his birth certificatewas 14 June 1928, although one tertiary source, (Julia Constenla, quoted ...
. It was an issue of ''New Internationalist'' magazine, in August 1973, that first drew attention to the irresponsible marketing of
baby milk
Infant formula, baby formula, or simply formula (American English); or baby milk, infant milk or first milk (British English), is a manufactured food designed and marketed for feeding to babies and infants under 12 months of age, usually prepar ...
in the Third World by multinational companies.
1970s–1990s
In the early 1970s, there was a significant public interest in the relationship between the West and
developing countries
A developing country is a sovereign state with a lesser developed industrial base and a lower Human Development Index (HDI) relative to other countries. However, this definition is not universally agreed upon. There is also no clear agreem ...
highlighted by issues such as the
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...
, armed conflict during the
decolonization of Africa
The decolonisation of Africa was a process that took place in the mid-to-late 1950s to 1975 during the Cold War, with radical government changes on the continent as colonial governments made the transition to independent states. The process w ...
, The "
Green Revolution
The Green Revolution, also known as the Third Agricultural Revolution, was a period of technology transfer initiatives that saw greatly increased crop yields and agricultural production. These changes in agriculture began in developed countrie ...
",
African Socialism
African socialism or Afrosocialism is a belief in sharing economic resources in a traditional African way, as distinct from classical socialism. Many African politicians of the 1950s and 1960s professed their support for African socialism, althou ...
, Cuban domestic and foreign policy under
Fidel Castro
Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz (; ; 13 August 1926 – 25 November 2016) was a Cuban revolutionary and politician who was the leader of Cuba from 1959 to 2008, serving as the prime minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976 and president from 1976 to 200 ...
and in Communist China under
Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong pronounced ; also romanised traditionally as Mao Tse-tung. (26 December 1893 – 9 September 1976), also known as Chairman Mao, was a Chinese communist revolutionary who was the founder of the People's Republic of China (PRC) ...
, issues about
trickle-down economics
Trickle-down economics is a term used in critical references to economic policies that favor the upper income brackets, corporations, and individuals with substantial wealth or capital. In recent history, the term has been used by critics of ...
, etc.
''New Internationalist'' magazine published articles about all of these topics. It aimed to offer readers "a radical analysis of rich-poor world relationships, looking critically at the effects of aid programmes, for example, and providing a refreshing alternative to the mainstream development and news channels, and
mainstream media
In journalism, mainstream media (MSM) is a term and abbreviation used to refer collectively to the various large mass news media that influence many people and both reflect and shape prevailing currents of thought.Chomsky, Noam, ''"What makes mai ...
".
Its strapline at the time was "the people, the ideas and the action in the fight for world development".
''New Internationalist'' came close to bankruptcy when postal charges almost doubled in 1975. The publisher was rescued by funding from groups including Cadbury's and Rowntree's trusts, the
Methodist church in the UK,
Community Aid Abroad
Oxfam Australia is an Australian, independent, not-for-profit, secular, community-based aid and development organization, and is an affiliate of the Oxfam International confederation. Oxfam Australia's work is divided into four broad categories c ...
in Australia and Oxfam-Quebec in Canada..
In 1974 New Internationalist was commissioned by the
United Nations Population Fund
The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), formerly the United Nations Fund for Population Activities, is a UN agency aimed at improving reproductive and maternal health worldwide. Its work includes developing national healthcare strategies ...
(UNFPA) to produce a kit of materials to mark World Population Year. In the following years New Internationalist produced press kits for the
World Health Organization
The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of h ...
, the
United Nations Environment Programme
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is responsible for coordinating responses to environmental issues within the United Nations system. It was established by Maurice Strong, its first director, after the United Nations Conference on th ...
and the
UN Children's Fund
UNICEF (), originally called the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund in full, now officially United Nations Children's Fund, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing humanitarian and developmental aid to ...
and participated in
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
television's Global Report series.
By the 1980s, marketing efforts focused on gaining subscriptions (in particular by
Direct Debit A direct debit or direct withdrawal is a financial transaction in which one organisation withdraws funds from a payer's bank account., https://www.directdebit.co.uk/direct-debit-explained/what-is-direct-debit/ Formally, the organisation that calls f ...
) rather than on newsstand sales had resulted in a financially stable company. The organization was able purchase premises.
In 1982, New Internationalist began publishing a One World Calendar, with a number of other organizations. In 1987, New Internationalist became an equal pay co-operative. In 1988 New Internationalist started a mail-order operation.
In 1993, the magazine switched to full-colour printing and it was printed on recycled paper by 1999.
In the late 1990s New Internationalist set up its website newint.org, originally hosted by
oneworld.org.
Recent history
In 2017, New Internationalist ran a Community Share Offer in which 3,409 people invested £704,114 to create a new multi-stakeholder
Co-operative
A cooperative (also known as co-operative, co-op, or coop) is "an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly owned and democratically-control ...
called New Internationalist Co-operative.
In April 2017, ''New Internationalist'' magazine had a circulation of 25,000, down from a peak of 75,000 at the turn of the millennium.
In September 2018, ''New Internationalist'' magazine was redesigned. Since then it has been published bimonthly, six times a year, with its size doubled to 84 pages.
New Internationalist publishes a range of books and calendars. In 2017, New Internationalist acquired the Brighton-based publisher
Myriad Editions
Myriad Editions is an independent UK publishing house based in Brighton and Hove, specialising in topical atlases, graphic non-fiction and original fiction, whose output also encompasses graphic novels that span a variety of genres, including me ...
.
New Internationalist also runs a mail order-business calle
Ethical Shopand has run
Amnesty International UK
Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says it has more than ten million members and sup ...
's mail order operation since 1999.
A second Community Share Offer was launched in 2021 in the wake of the financial impact of the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
, with the slogan "Save Our Stories" and a target of £350,000.
Further information
Organizational structure
When New Internationalist started, the company operated as a conventional hierarchical organization, albeit with much sharing and teamwork.
In 1976 a more co-operative approach was adopted and developed over the years so that, although legally it was a limited company owned by the original shareholders, Peter and Lesley Adamson, the ''NI'' operated as a collective, with decision-making shared by all members on an equal footing.
In 1987 New Internationalist became an equal pay co-operative.
Eventually the Adamsons transferred their ownership of the limited company, now called New Internationalist Publications Limited, to a trust called New Internationalist Trust. The trust was 2/3 controlled by the company's employees who became trustees automatically while 1/3 of votes were held by co-opted Advisory trustees.
In 2018 the Trust was replaced by a multi-stakeholder co-operative, following a successful Community Share Offer.
Editorial policy
Several changes in the editorial approach of ''New Internationalist'' magazine have taken place since its founding.
Although its left-wing,
Libertarian socialist
Libertarian socialism, also known by various other names, is a left-wing,Diemer, Ulli (1997)"What Is Libertarian Socialism?" The Anarchist Library. Retrieved 4 August 2019. anti-authoritarian, anti-statist and libertarianLong, Roderick T. (20 ...
-leaning editorial line has remained broadly unchanged the approach has been modified over the years. ''New internationalist'' magazine nowadays is less
Eurocentric
Eurocentrism (also Eurocentricity or Western-centrism)
is a worldview that is centered on Western civilization or a biased view that favors it over non-Western civilizations. The exact scope of Eurocentrism varies from the entire Western worl ...
and reflects broader concerns with environmental, gender and cultural angles in addition to social, economic and political ones. The magazine aims to reflect the views and concerns of its overseas subscribers as well as those in the UK. There is considerable emphasis on finding women contributors and writers and photographers from the South.
In its early days, a wide range of subjects was covered in each issue. In 1976 this changed and since then each month's edition has been devoted to one particular subject (for example Islam or World Food) to give the reader a comprehensive guide and analysis.
Some magazines are specially produced to tie in with campaigns. There have been issues on
East Timor
East Timor (), also known as Timor-Leste (), officially the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, is an island country in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the exclave of Oecusse on the island's north-weste ...
,
Western Sahara
Western Sahara ( '; ; ) is a disputed territory on the northwest coast and in the Maghreb region of North and West Africa. About 20% of the territory is controlled by the self-proclaimed Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), while the r ...
,
Cambodia
Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailand t ...
,
Burma
Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...
,
Fair trade
Fair trade is an arrangement designed to help producers in developing countries achieve sustainable and equitable trade relationships. The fair trade movement combines the payment of higher prices to exporters with improved social and enviro ...
(coffee, bananas and cocoa),
homelessness
Homelessness or houselessness – also known as a state of being unhoused or unsheltered – is the condition of lacking stable, safe, and adequate housing. People can be categorized as homeless if they are:
* living on the streets, also kn ...
,
Jubilee 2000
Jubilee 2000 was an international coalition movement in over 40 countries that called for cancellation of third world debt by the year 2000. This movement coincided with the Great Jubilee, the celebration of the year 2000 in the Catholic Churc ...
and
UN Sanctions on Iraq.
The use of the term "
Third World
The term "Third World" arose during the Cold War to define countries that remained non-aligned with either NATO or the Warsaw Pact. The United States, Canada, Japan, South Korea, Western European nations and their allies represented the " First ...
", more or less unknown when the magazine started, is
debated now and discarded by some. Terms such as "
Majority World" and "
Global South" have become more widespread . "Development" and "
sustainable development
Sustainable development is an organizing principle for meeting human development goals while also sustaining the ability of natural systems to provide the natural resources and ecosystem services on which the economy and society depend. The des ...
" similarly are
contentious to some people but the magazine still uses them as useful shorthand phrases. Reflecting this change, the magazine altered its strapline, which read "the people, the ideas, the action in the fight for global justice" until 2018.
In 2018 following a redesign of the magazine,
the strapline was changed to "The World Unspun".
See also
*
P. J. Polyp
*
New Internationalist Australia
]
''New Internationalist Australia'' was incorporated on 15 March 1979 as a completely separate company from ''New Internationalist'', and there is no head office / branch office relationship. Originally based in Melbourne, the Adelaide office ...
References
{{Reflist, 30em
External links
''New Internationalist'' website''New Internationalist'' magazine archive''New Internationalist'' blog''New Internationalist'' on-line shopDigital edition of ''New Internationalist''
1973 establishments in the United Kingdom
Alternative magazines
Co-operatives in the United Kingdom
Magazines established in 1973
Mass media in Oxford
Monthly magazines published in the United Kingdom
News magazines published in the United Kingdom
Political magazines published in the United Kingdom
Publishing cooperatives
Ten times annually magazines