Paul McNamee, the UK editor of campaigning and fundraising publisher The Big Issue, is parting company with the organisation after 19 years service at the UK’s leading publication devoted to fighting poverty, homelessness and destitution in the UK through journalism, investing, and recruitment services.
McNamee begin his Big Issue career as deputy editor of The Big Issue’s Scottish edition, back in the days when it was financially viable for a not-for-profit, issues-led, culture-heavy print publication to operate separate regional editions (see also: Big Issue North), eventually working his way up to UK editor-in-chief of the entire print and online operation.
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Announcing his decision on LinkedIn yesterday, McNamee wrote:
“Some news: I am leaving Big Issue. This has not been an easy decision.
“I’ve been with Big Issue for over 19 years. It’s been the time of my life. I started as deputy editor on the Scottish edition – when that standalone existed – and have proudly become Editorial Director overseeing the entire editorial output. There have been many highs, lows, moments of great joy and great crisis, but it’s never been anything other than exhilarating. Big Issue gets into you. You go to sleep with it and you wake up with it. That’s the way of this great institution. It’s as much part of you as you of it.
“However, nothing last forever. As Big Issue heads into this 35th anniversary year of celebrations, with plans for new development, growth and approach, this felt like the right time to step aside and allow somebody else to take the helm. It’s a big ship and they need to have a firm grip.
“I’m incredibly proud of all we have achieved through the years, as a wider group, but with focus on our editorial output – not least that we have been one of the only key national titles with the editorial base in Glasgow. When I was first given the privilege of being UK editor I said I wanted to create something that people wanted to read, not that they thought they ought to. And with a team that has changed and evolved, and many brilliant young journalists who have learned their craft then headed into the world, I think we have done that, in print, and increasingly online. I thank every single one of the reporters, subs, photographers, editors, production editors, designers, freelancers, columnists and now commercial team. It has been a ride.
“There hasn’t really been a time in the last 28 years or so when I haven’t faced a daily or weekly deadline. You get conditioned to it, so it’ll be interesting to see how things change. There’ll be no more binning the front cover with a couple of hours to print!
“I appreciate the opportunity to choose my time of departure, and the help of Paul Cheal and Russell Blackman, as I navigate out. Publishing is a brutal business and you don’t always have that gift. I also thank John Bird for his patience (he can be patient!), his guidance and the constant faith he has shown in me over the years.
“I leave on March 31st. News on future plans to come soon.
“Just before Christmas, as we were all in the belly of it trying to maximise sales, a front-line colleague said Big Issue was not for the faint-hearted. It really isn’t. The reserve all of the staff have drawn on through the years, in our bid to make sure that our vendors, the men and women we serve, have the best opportunity to make money, to lift themselves up and to turn their lives around, is unlike anything else anywhere else. I will miss it more than you know.”
