The Big Issue

Case study
 London Homeless sell magazine on street launch 1991
20 million sold
300 businesses that help and prevent people going
homeless
Title and Sales go up to the change in society
Content Layout Big issue aim is to help and give advice to people about
with List these changes
Have done interviews with big people like George
Michael to advertise and sell more copies
boss is now a lord in the houses
 The big issue is a magazine which involves a
variety of topics which range from the TV show
Game of Thrones to the reality of prostitution. It
was launched in 1991 and was started by John Bird.
Their agenda is to dismantle poverty by creating
opportunity, through self-help, social trading and
business solutions. This means they want to
reduce the growing numbers of homeless people
What is the Big on the streets. They began by offering homeless
people a chance to receive a genuine profit by
Issue? selling their magazines ( a print copy) on the
street to the public.
 Bird was born in Notting Hill, London to a poor London Irish family.
He became homeless at the age of five and was pit in an orphanage
between the ages of seven and ten. He was excluded from school and
became a butcher's boy after leaving the orphanage, however he
increased his income by stealing. He was sent to prison four times in
prison during his teens and twenties where he learnt reading, writing
and the basics of printing.

Bird attended Chelsea Art School, but was homeless again by 1967 in
Edinburgh. He was being wanted by the police for petty offences. In
the early 1970s, he started up a small-scale printing and publishing
business in London from the skills he learnt in prison. This eventually
led to The Big issue being launched in 1991 which was also launched
John Bird with Gordon Roddick which was the co founder of the body shop.

For two weeks in 1970 he worked in the House of Lords washing

dishes but in 2015 he became a lord in 2015 under the conservative
government. This was due to his magazine the big issue.
 Since 1991 the big issue has sold more than 200 million copies
and have been sold by 93,000 vendors. In the past 25 years
vendors have earned 115 million and 37,000 new vendors join
nearly everyday.
Currently there are 1500 vendors and last year they earned a
total of 5.5million. Which is around 3,600 a year individually.
By giving homeless people magazines to sell it has gained their
confidence in themselves and has taught them life skills such as
how to manage their money responsibly. However a lot of the
public have a misconception that once they receive their money
Have they made they are left to their own resources and will spend it on drugs for
example. This is why some of the public is unwilling to buy a
a difference? copy.
 72% of the big issues audience are ABC1.
These people are at the high end of the
table (the richer people) and 43% are AB.
This would influence a businesses to
advertise in their magazine as the people
with more of an income will see their
products which means they may have an
increase un sales.
28% of the audience is C2,D and E which is
the lower end of the table which means
they have a lower income. People with a
Who cares about lower income may buy the big issue as
the issue? they are focused on people with less of an
income or no income. Therefore it means
they may feel like they relate to the
magazine.
 Homelessness is presented in numerous of ways in the UK but
one thing that the majority agree on is that homeless people are
the victim.
The company SKYs view is here:
https:www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCfcd0kNbXI

The overall view of homelessness in the link is presented in a

Economical and dark way. This is because they have presented the mise en scene
political context of with dark lighting and they specifically showed where they slept
homelessness in to present that they have to sleep in a bag and on the floor. They
have done this to make it feel personal to the audience as it
the UK through shows how their quality of life is extremely poor compared to
media theirs. Furthermore they didnt show the person who was
homeless face. This created the idea that they may have
committed a crime to be able to live or that it is too dangerous to
show their face. Furthermore their choice of the audio in the
background of the clip creates a tone of darkness as it is a low
tempo and represents the topic as a serious issue
 BBC View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2cDZ_h6YrA

This video is very different to sky's view. Sky was dark and felt like
there was no hope. Where was BBC interview a young girl who
was homeless and shares her story. They presented her as a victim
and how becoming homeless was her last and only option. She
spoke about how she was in a abusive relationship and how she
Economical and was fired from her job left single with no money. Furthermore she
mentioned how she went to the council for help but received
political context of mockery. By sharing her story it makes the audience empathise
homelessness in the with her as she was a young girl trying to work but it all got taken
UK through media away. This could make the audience feel bad for her as they can
relate to her. It also demonstrated that not all homeless people are
homeless due to drinking and drugs which is what a lot of people
believe. The mise en scene in the BBC video was a lot brighter
and gave a sense of hope. Furthermore the camera angle focused
on her which made the audience only listen to her and her story.
 Aljazeera:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50iTvoGMv8I
Aljazeera took a slightly different approach. They chose to speak
more about the how the council and the government help. They
interviewed people who were moved to houses temporarily but
ended up living there for 2 years or more. One family who were
Muslims had a 2 year old boy and they were stuck in a house that
only had 2 bedrooms and very small kitchen. They were told they
would be living there for a few months but it had been a year
Economical and when Aljazeera interviewed them. Another woman who was
political context of Jamaican suffered from arthritis and had been stuck in a
homelessness in the temporary house for more than 2 years. Furthermore the flats she
was in didnt have an elevator; which means the government had
UK through media place an arthritic woman in a house with only stairs. By showing
the people and their stories it can make people feel sympathy or
anger that people are being treated this way by the government.
The people Aljazeera interviewed were all immigrants. This could
show to the audience that the government may care less about
immigrants therefore there are not as important. The video was
presented in a much more professional way then BBC and SKY
which give the impression that they are talking about a very
serious problem.
Intertextuality in the big In Borris Johnson's speech
issue bubble (mayor of England at the
time) it refers to the lyric this
time were through because he
In David Cameron speech bubble wants to leave the EU. Therefore
(Priminister of England at the time) it he is done with it.
changes a lyric to knowing me knowing the
EU this refers to the fact that David is against
brexxit and doesnt want to leave the EU In Nigel Farage speech
bubble it says take a chain
chance which refers to him
In Nicola sturgeon (who is running fro wanting to leave and
Scottish independence) speech bubble it is a wanting England to take a
lyric from the ABBA song The winner takes it chance and leave.
all. Their choice of the lyric refers to Scotland
breaking up with the EU because they are
become independent.
Their heads ae on top
The title the winner takes it of the band ABBAS
all is referring to one of bodies. This adds
ABBAS songs. By choosing comedy to the
this particular song it refers to magazine as they are
the election at the time as mocking them.
which ever political party
wins takes England.