International perspective

With its roots within the student organisation Third World First — now known as People & Planet — it has been challenging and criticising the world’s dominant economic and political paradigms since 1973; while espousing ideas and actions that will aid the world’s poor.

In the process, it has become quite an institution.

The magazine has endured, where so many of its ilk have failed, partly because its co-founders Peter and Lesley Adamson sold through subscription, rather than via newsagents.

Backed by launch money from Oxfam and Christian Aid, the magazine was self-funding by 1978. Its success is also due to its loyal readership, 70 per cent of whom annually renew their subscription. However, in large part it is because of the way the wider company is run.

The magazine is just one part of New Internationalist Publications, whose UK headquarters is based in East Oxford.

The company also publishes books, almanacs and calendars and sources fairly-traded products for Amnesty International’s catalogue. As a non-profit making venture, proceeds are ploughed back into the business.

What makes this company particularly interesting, however, is that since the early days, staff members have organised themselves as a workers’ co-operative.

This means there is no hierarchy within the business; so although there are defined roles, such as marketing or accountancy, all permanent staff members have equal status.

Chris Brazier, one of the editors, explained: “We’re responsible to each other and the overall goals of the business, rather than to a particular person who has responsibility.

“If it suits you, working in a co-operative is a wonderful place to be, because it gives you so much control of your own destiny. You’re partly responsible for all the major decisions the company will take. They’re not taken by somebody else and randomly handed down to you.”

All permanent staff members receive the same pay, which he says other people can find baffling, given that employees bring different packages of skills.

He said: “I won’t say there weren’t tensions around when it was brought in. But on the whole, it’s worked very successfully and harmoniously.”

Pay rises are given in line with inflation, or general wage increases within the economy.

“Profits are not distributed to the members and there are no shareholders who can get it, so any profits that we make in a particular year are retained within the company and used to further its ideals,” Mr Brazier continued.

When Mr Brazier first joined in 1984, every decision on how the company should run was taken together, but as it grew, that had to change.

He said: “We set up teams who would be more autonomous in the way they operated and report on their activities, leaving the big strategic decisions to a big co-op meeting.”

There is a sales and marketing team, editorial team, design team and a central services team, which includes finance, general office and environmental management.

Although it has a healthy turnover of £2m a year, the company is not immune to the economic downturn. While the contract work with Amnesty remains profitable and the publications division breaks even, the magazine is currently running at a loss.

“It’s not as easy to find subscribers who are prepared to pay for the magazine, and that reflects the experience of the industry as a whole,” Mr Brazier said.

But he argues, these things are cyclical and they are planned for.

“We’re likely to make losses in the next two years, but we have built-up reserves from past years to guard against unprofitable years,” he said.

To ensure its future, the co-operative has developed a five-year plan. Raising the profile of New Internationalist is key and a new Canadian editor is being taken on.

Hadani Ditmars has spent most of her journalistic career in war zones. She will be responsible for presenting New Internationalist’s views on public platforms.

“She’s widely experienced on the media and lecture circuit, particularly in North America,” Mr Brazier said.

There are plans to increase the number of topics covered in each monthly magazine from one to two, and to win more contracts like the one they have with Amnesty.

While Mr Brazier admits that at some point they may have to cut costs and reduce the number of staff, he remains optimistic.

“It’s exciting in some ways, because you can be creative and think there are new ways of doing things,” he said.

This upbeat approach extends to a new range of books being planned that will dwell on world-changing positive initiatives; not that the publisher is entirely losing its activist edge.

Speechless! A History of the World with No Words is also on the blocks.

“It’s a provocative way in which the world is organised at key moments in history, seen through eyes of a radical cartoonist,” Mr Brazier said.

This may be the blockbuster they have been searching for as, being composed entirely of pictures, it can be sold all around the world.