Private Eye

Private Eye is a fortnightly British satirical magazine-newspaper. It is currently edited by Ian Hislop.

Nature of the magazine

Private Eye is often accused of specialising in scurrilous gossip about the misdeeds of the powerful and famous, but its defenders point out that it frequently carries news that the mainstream press is frightened to use for fear of legal reprisals, or that is of minority interest. The Eye will often print a story when hard evidence is lacking but there is an overwhelming consensus that the story is true. It is also thought that the Eye avoids breaking stories of politicians' extramarital activities on moral grounds, but it will freely comment on such matters when they are unearthed elsewhere.

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Many of the contributors to Private Eye are public figures, or specialists in their field. Many stories originate from writers for other mainstream publications who can't get their stories published by their employers. Many Private Eye contributors choose to write under humorous pseudonyms and often their identities are only revealed after their death, if at all. A financial column at the back of the magazine ("In the City") has contributed to a wide city and business readership as a large number of financial scandals and unethical business practices and personalities were first exposed there by the writer, Michael Gillard.

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The magazine is also home to many of Britain's best humorous cartoonists and has published a series of independent one-offs dedicated solely to news reporting of particular current events, such as government inadequacy over the foot and mouth outbreak, or the conviction of Abdel Basset Ali al-Megrahi for the Lockerbie bombing (Lockerbie, the flight from justice, May/June 2001). There was another special issue in September 2004 to mark the death of long-time staff member Paul Foot.

Related Topics:
Foot and mouth - Abdel Basset Ali al-Megrahi - Lockerbie - May - June - 2001 - September 2004 - Paul Foot

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