The Big Issue

Question 1

outline the Big Issue

Answer 1

• Launched in 1991
• Aims to transform the lives of London’s homeless
• Vendors buy the magazine for £2 and sell it for £4
• TBI is niche (outside mainstream
• Exists as a social business to use profits to help people affected by poverty)
• Is published in 25 languages with a readership of 4,600,000
• Each year, vendors sell 4,000,000 magazines

Question 2

outline the political purpose behind tbi

Answer 2

• the philosophy of self-help is encapsulated in the strapline found in every edition’s front cover (‘a hand up, not a handout’)

Question 2

outline the political purpose behind tbi

Answer 2

• it strongly advocates for social change – primarily around homelessness

Question 3

outline the cultural purpose behind tbi

Answer 3

• TBI covers include cultural references whilst covering the important issue of the housing crisis

Question 4

outline the typical BI reader

Answer 4

• university educated
• middle class
• interested in politics, art, culture
• limited disposable income
• wants to make a difference in society
• TBI must tailor their front cover + content to attract this reader

Question 5

how does TBI help the poor

Answer 5

• supports vendors to achieve social, health, housing, education, financial inclusion
• provides employment for the homeless (as vendors)
• offers direct support to help escape poverty – though campaigns

Question 6

outline TBIs manifesto

Answer 6

• aims to prevent poverty before it starts
• ‘prevention over cure’
• provides routes out of poverty by investing in people’s lives early on
• social justice for all

Question 7

last year TBI provided ___ vendors with access to health + wellbeing support

Answer 7

• last year TBI provided 36,000 (almost 40K) vendors with access to health + wellbeing support

Question 8

how does TBI differ to mainstream magazines

Answer 8

• representation: in mainstream, reps tend to support the dominant social group (media owners (MC)) to reinforce the status quo
• TBI aims to represent the underrepresented/ marginalised and provide a platform for social issues

Question 9

define intertextuality

Answer 9

• the interrelationship between a media product and other texts used for the creation/ interpretation of meaning in the media product

Question 9

define realism

Answer 9

• the set of conventions by which audiences accept a representation as ‘realistic to real life

Question 9

what are 3 types of realism

Answer 9

• factual realism = whether what is portrayed is factually accurate/ real
• social realism = whether what is portrayed is what the audience expects based on their social norms
• narrative realism = whether the events within a story are well explained + consistent

Question 10

outline the early days of print publications + celeb culture

Answer 10

• from 1900, publications like The Tatler covered highs society events – providing readers with a glance into the lives of the elite
• they showcased the lavish lives of the British aristocracy
• with time, the publications progressed and began to print personal profiles, interviews, candid shots of famous people day to day
• this created a sense of voyeurism for readers

Question 11

outline the celebrity culture in the digital age

Answer 11

• the key values that define celeb culture today originated from print publications + have become embedded in our collective consciousness, shaping the way we consume and interpret celeb culture
• readership is fueled by parasocial relationships w/ celebrities + audiences idolisation of them

Question 12

name magazine conventions

Answer 12

• composition/ layout - how elements are organised
• typography - style/ size of font
• modes of address/language - high/low-level lexis
• shot types + angles
• strapline - phrases at top/ bottom of page
• puff
• logo
• masthead
• tagline/ slogan - catchy phrase that represents brand
• feature article
• central image
• colour palette
• rule of thirds - a page is divided into 3 sections
• intertextuality
• props