Shining the Light on Global Injustice (New Internationalist Magazine)

Member Name: Zmugzy

Product:	New Internationalist Magazine
Date:	23/01/09 (227 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Consistently informative, well written articles of the highest quality

Disadvantages: None

The New Internationalist (NI) is a monthly publication available for subscription or over the counter. It has now been going for over thirty years and has more than 75,000 subscribers worldwide. The magazine has been a very important part of my life as it has given me over the years a broad insight into international affairs and has in many ways provided me with an education on many topics of which I may otherwise have remained ignorant. It has made me more aware of issues such as the injustices of world trade; the politics and power behind the world's economy; and the plight of those living in developing countries. When I first became a regular NI reader, it soon made me realise just how impoverished was the quality of news content provided by most of Britain's newspapers and much of TV news programming.


The Producers
The NI magazine and it associated publications are produced by an independent trust working as a not-for-profit cooperative. In effect the magazine is a workers' co-operative and as such "adheres to the core co-operative values of self-help, responsibility, democracy, equality, equity and solidarity". The cooperative was originally sponsored by Oxfam, Christian Aid and the Cadbury and Rowntree Trusts, but since the early 1980s the magazine has been financially independent. This gives the cooperative more freedom to decide what goes into the magazine and an independent voice regarding the content. The NI is ultimately independent of any political or religious organisation. The co-operative is based in Oxford, but also has editorial and sales offices in Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Japan.


The Objectives
The New Internationalist magazine has always been renowned for its radical perspective and has over the years campaigned on a wide range of global issues to do with climate change, the food industry, Nuclear Energy, the arms trade, human rights and globalisation to name a few. The emphasis however, has always been to draw light on the issues connected to world poverty and inequality. The magazine is political because it examines the political distribution of power and in particular the unjust relationship between the powerful and powerless across the globe. To some extent the NI acts as a vehicle for those whose voices are seldom heard. One overriding objective is to generate the ideas and action required that will allow people to fight for social and environmental justice worldwide. This does not mean that the publication is merely a series of political rants. The articles are always well researched, well presented and backed up by good sources. The magazine's outstanding quality of journalism is backed up by eight global Independent Press Awards for Best International Coverage since 1989.


Structure and Content
One important aspect of the magazine's cooperative is its shared editorship. Each month there is usually a different editor who edit's a chosen monthly topic. S/he decides what sub-topics or related themes to include in the magazine and what format they will take. The reasons for choosing a particular topic and how it was constructed are explained in an editorial introduction at the beginning of the magazine. The main content will then take the form of a series of articles written by different journalists from the cooperative, although sometimes outside contributions are excepted.

As mentioned above, each month the magazine focuses on a single subject and goes into it in far more detail than you are likely to find in the broad sheet press or from TV news media. Sometimes the subject will be something quite broad such as the excellent October 2008 issue tackling 'Tax Injustice'. On other occasions a single object or product might be chosen such as 'the Apple' or 'Blue Jeans' and then issues surrounding it will be expanded upon and explored in detail. From time to time the magazine will focus on a single country - China is coming up soon. Each monthly subject under discussion is fully analysed and then reconstructed so as to present a more coherent picture. Whatever the subject matter, the objective is to explain and inform the essential details in a clear and concise manner so that the reader has a clear grasp of the topic. In effect the magazine gets across its message without resorting to technical or academic language. Excellent photos and graphics will usually accompany articles.


Other Aspects
The NI offers more than just passive participation. At the end of the magazine you will often find a list of suggestions related to the month's topic (web links, other publications, organisations) that will enable you the reader to investigate further or more importantly take action and thereby participate in the fight for global justice.

Each issue consists of about 30 to 40 pages and the magazine is made more enjoyable to read by the low advertising content. The articles are never interrupted by adverts. One or two separate pages are devoted to advertising and none of the adverts will contradict the values of the magazine. There are many ethical or green related adverts for example.

Near the back of the magazine there are also a couple of pages devoted to book and film reviews. These will usually be reviews about films or books produced outside of the mainstream or ones presenting a radical world view on a popular cultural product.


Recommend Reading
In essence the New Internationalist provides a radical and important perspective on social, cultural and political issues across the globe. It is essential reading for those who want to have greater insight and be better informed about what's really happening in the world. It also a prime example of how independent journalism of the highest quality can succeed in world in which news reporting is increasingly dominated by a small number of powerful transnational media corporations whose prime interests are to advance and promote their own commercial values and political interests, while denigrating the values of truth, justice and democracy. The New Internationalist offers a radical alternative to the narrow spectrum and set agenda of the major news corporations.


Annual subscription is now £36.85 with a free map and book. You can also subscribe for three years up front by paying for two (£73.70) or you can go for the quarterly option for £9.85. Check out the website at www.newint.org.

Summary: The best magazine for international current affairs