Letter: Not too big

ACCORDING to Joanne Mallabar ("Has the issue become too big?", Review, 18 October) The Big Issue lost its way in 1997 - the year she resigned as editor.

Since then we "rarely ... campaign or lobby for change", she says. She's right. As the current editor of the magazine, I believe that press "campaigning" is too often simply an appeal for publicity for the publication itself.

The Big Issue nevertheless remains committed to social change. Since 1997, The Big Issue has won awards for anti-racist coverage, and for consistently defending the rights of the mentally ill. We have also highlighted the plight of asylum seekers, the Hillingdon strikers and others who are routinely ignored by the mainstream press. The Big Issue does make a difference.

She says our "celebrity interviews are often indistinguishable from articles in the mainstream press". If she means that they are well-written, entertaining and appeal to a broad readership, well, yes. Thank you. If she means that celebrities shouldn't be in the magazine at all, I disagree. We ask our readers to help the homeless to help themselves; we don't ask them to beat themselves up or bore themselves to death.

She says The Big Issue should "re-radicalise" itself. I don't know what she means. The very existence of The Big Issue - an independent, news- led, quality product which is sold by the homeless, who keep 60 per cent of the cover price - remains the most radical publishing initiative of the decade.

I am about to leave The Big Issue after a most fulfilling 18 months. I will continue to read the magazine with interest, and I wish my successor every success in the future.

BECKY GARDINER

Editor, 'The Big Issue', London N1