New Internationalist is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year – and appealing to readers to support a new initiative to get the global justice magazine into schools.
New Internationalist: 50 years and still going strong
The Oxford-based publication was founded in 1973 in connection with the student campaign group Third World First – now People & Planet – and with support from Oxfam and Christian Aid. It sought to give readers a better understanding of international development and social justice issues across the world.
Fifty years on, it is still independently owned by a co-operative, and is one of few British-based publications to feature a broad range of contributors from the Global South. Now published bi-monthly, recent issues of the magazine have focused on topics including Palestine, the global ‘cost of greed’ crisis, and decolonisation.
In a bid to reach a new generation of readers, the magazine and online outlet has now set up a Solidarity Fund to support free magazine subscriptions for schools, campaign groups and activists. By pledging a monthly donation, readers can support the Solidarity Fund as well as New Internationalist’s award-winning campaigning journalism.
You can set up a monthly donation here.
New Internationalist co-editor Conrad Landin said:
We’re proud to be marking 50 years of independent, campaigning journalism. The world is a very different place from that of 1973, but the struggle for global justice is as important as ever.
New Internationalist amplifies the voices you won’t hear in the mainstream media, and gives readers the tools to build a better world. We’ve launched our Solidarity Fund because we know that the next generation of activists will need both reliable information and stories of hope as they strive to achieve that.
New Internationalist was founded in Wallingford in 1973, and Oxford has been its home for the vast majority of its existence. Throughout the year we’ve been proudly celebrating our anniversary and re-connecting with campaigners, partner organisations and our readers, in the UK and further afield.
Solidarity and education
Previously a worker-owned co-operative, New Internationalist is now a multi-stakeholder co-operative with more than 4,000 reader co-owners, who are represented via a Common Council and can vote on potential magazine themes at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) each year. This year’s AGM will took place in Oxford on Saturday 28 October, and was followed by an anniversary party at Modern Art Oxford.
Contributing editor Vanessa Baird, who co-edited the magazine from 1986 to 2021, said:
As the world has changed, so has New Internationalist, expanding its concerns, exploring and contributing to revolutions in feminism, environmentalism, personal and identity politics and global and climate justice. But our magazine has retained its core commitment to tackling social and economic inequality in a way that is both radical and accessible.
The Solidarity Fund is a perfect combination of solidarity, education, and getting radical ideas into the mainstream, in a way that recognizes the pressures caused by today’s cost-of-living crisis.
Make a monthly donation to New Internationalist here.
Featured image via New Internationalist
