The Big Issue Magazine - Represtation of Region

The Big Issue magazine unlike any other magazine has regional variations of the magazine meaning that it tends to the people of that locations news, wants and needs. The magazine celebrated local communities and region which is in a sense a celebration of personal identity. The fact that the magazine does not lump all people together and caters to things specific to particular regions shows the uniqueness of each region. It highlights the positives and negatives of those regions.

In addition to this the content can be altered to enforce identification, for example during the Scottish independence vote where they wanted to leave the UK it is more likely that the Scottish edition of the magazine during that time would have been more in favour of them leaving whereas, the regional magazines in England would have potentially been more in favour of Scotland staying and being a part of the UK. This is an example of how the magazines content could have been changed to appeal to the regional audience and give them what they want to hear. This also leads to the idea that The Big Issue is a spokesperson for the audience and this differs across the country. This will then lead to active participation of the audience as they believe that the magazine is specifically for them.

The Big Issue magazine also gives a voice to the voiceless and the groups in society that are underrepresented. An example of this would be from the 2017 Feb issue with an article titles running on empties, this article is specific to the housing state in Liverpool which may mean that people in Liverpool strongly identify with the article as well as with the story of Clare Kinsella who has had a history of struggling to keep her home, the audience may relate to what is happening in Liverpool and may even be facing the same problem. However even if they aren’t the fact that the homes are being refurbished and families are moving in through the coming home charity may encourage people as part of the local community to help and get involved which reinforces key ideological messages of raising awareness of people who are less fortunate, helping others and The Big Issue itself helping.

The Big Issue prides itself on giving a voice to those who are marginalised and avoids stereotypes that other mainstream media use. This is shown in almost all of the magazines as well as on the website as there are continuous success stories and stories of homeless people who are finding their feet and appending to achieve their goals. Other than stereotyping homeless as lazy, dirty and addicts the magazine shows them as working towards something and having a plan for their future, even the slogan of the magazine is “Working Not Begging” showing that the homeless are not as portrayed in the mainstream media and they are doing their bit.

Overall the representation of The Big Issue magazine regarding region is that it is unique and relatable, the magazine allows the audience to identify and so therefore take the preferred reading.