With the access to information provided by the internet, it is increasingly difficult to sell a magazine on the newsstands. But there are some periodicals that have managed to buck this trend. There is one magazine in particular that is enjoying the best sales in its 56-year-long history: Private Eye. What are the ingredients that have made it such a glaring exception?
Private Eye combines two essential elements in today’s world: independent, trustworthy information and the best of British wit. In the era of fake news and large media corporations, Private Eye insists on traditional journalism, without concern for the size or the power of the object of their investigations.
serious fun
When you’re giving your readers so many causes for concern and anger, it is always a good idea to sweeten the pill with a large dose of humour. This is not only true of the cartoons that fill many pages; it is also present in the irony and the sarcasm with which they deal with the news.
This fortnightly magazine has 48 pages dedicated to all kind of news: politics, what their colleagues in the media are up to, television, books, sport and agriculture (to name a few) come under the scrutiny of ‘the Eye’.
The Eye through time
Private Eye was born in 1961 as an evolution of a school magazine. Despite such a long time in the market, it has managed to maintain its independence, avoiding absorption by a big media group. Even today, it is not totally clear who the shareholders are, but everybody knows who is at the helm and how much he values the independence of the magazine.
The Man Behind the Eye
The magazine has been edited by Ian Hislop for the past 30 years. He is a well-known figure in the United Kingdom, appearing every week in Have I Got News for You?, a television programme that has many things in common with Private Eye; it also does a humorous review of the political news of the week. Hislop’s career has always been defined by his ability to pour satire on the members of British society without exception, from local councillors to the Queen.
But this ability has come with a price: as the editor of Private Eye, Ian Hislop has become the most sued man in English legal history.
Complaints and Lawsuits
Private Eye has come under fire from its readers and from other high-profile individuals many times throughout its long history. In fact, the writers of the magazine even make jokes about people “threatening to cancel their subscription.” Since they are so often subject to lawsuits, the publishers even have an emergency fund for such occasions.
