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For other uses, see Private eye (disambiguation). Private Eye is a fortnightly British satirical Magazine, edited by Ian Hislop.
Private Eye
4 March 2005 cover of Private Eye. This is a typical example of the magazine's front cover. The caption refers to the wedding of Prince Charles and Camilla Parker-Bowles.
4 March 2005 cover of Private Eye. Events 51 - Nero, later to become Roman Emperor, is given the title Princeps iuventutis (head of the youth Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. This is a typical example of the magazine's front cover. The caption refers to the wedding of Prince Charles and Camilla Parker-Bowles.
Type Fortnightly satirical
magazine-newspaper
Format Magazine
Owner Pressdram Ltd
Editor Ian Hislop
Founded 1961
Political allegiance None
Headquarters 6 Carlisle Street,
London, W1D 3BN
Circulation 700,000
Website: private-eye.co.uk

Private Eye is a British satirical magazine-newspaper, edited by Ian Hislop and published every two weeks. Satire is often strictly defined as a literary genre or form; although in practice it is also found in the graphic and Performing arts In satire human Magazines, periodicals or serials are Publications generally published on a regular schedule containing a variety of articles, generally Magazines, periodicals or serials are Publications generally published on a regular schedule containing a variety of articles, generally Ian David Hislop (born 13 July 1960) is an British Comedian, Scriptwriter and Editor of satirical magazine London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. This is a list of the daily Newspapers in the World by average circulation The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Satire is often strictly defined as a literary genre or form; although in practice it is also found in the graphic and Performing arts In satire human Magazines, periodicals or serials are Publications generally published on a regular schedule containing a variety of articles, generally A newspaper is a written Publication containing News, information and Advertising, usually printed on low-cost paper called Newsprint. Ian David Hislop (born 13 July 1960) is an British Comedian, Scriptwriter and Editor of satirical magazine Since its first publication in 1961, the magazine has been well-known in the UK as a prominent critic of public figures deemed incompetent, inefficient or corrupt, and has become a self-styled "thorn in the side" of the British establishment, though it also receives much criticism and ire, both for its style and for its willingness to print defamatory and controversial stories. Year 1961 ( MCMLXI) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. This is reflected in its large volume of libel lawsuits, for which it has also become famous. Such is the long-term popularity and significance of the magazine that many jokes and cultural miscellanea from its pages have entered popular culture. The fortnightly British satirical Magazine Private Eye has long had a reputation for using euphemistic and irreverent substitute

In the second half of 2007, the magazine averaged a total circulation of 207,566 per issue, of which 101,021 were by subscription. [1]

Contents

History

The forerunner of Private Eye was a school magazine edited by Richard Ingrams, Willie Rushton, Christopher Booker and Paul Foot at Shrewsbury School in the mid-1950s. Richard Ingrams (born August 19, 1937) was a co-founder and second editor of the British satirical Magazine Private Eye William George Rushton, commonly known as Willie Rushton ( 18 August, 1937 in Chelsea London – 11 December, 1996 Cromwell Christopher John Penrice Booker (born October 7, 1937) is an English Journalist and Author. Paul Mackintosh Foot ( 8 November 1937 in Palestine &ndash 18 July 2004 at Stansted Airport) was a British investigative Shrewsbury School (formally known as King Edward VI Grammar School Shrewsbury) is an public school, located in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, After National Service Ingrams and Foot went to the University of Oxford, where they met their future collaborators Peter Usborne, Andrew Osmond, John Wells and Danae Brook, among others. "National Service" redirects here For national service in other countries see National service. The University of Oxford (informally "Oxford University" or simply "Oxford" located in the city of Oxford, Oxfordshire, England is the John Wells ( 17 November 1936 – 11 January 1998) was an English Actor, writer and satirist, educated at

The magazine proper began when Peter Usborne learned of a new printing process, photo-litho offset, which meant that anybody with a typewriter and Letraset could design a magazine. Offset printing is a commonly used Printing technique where the Inked image is transferred (or "offset" from a plate to a rubber blanket then to the A typewriter is a mechanical or Electromechanical device with a set of "keys" that when pressed cause characters to be printed on a medium Letraset is a company which manufactures sheets of artwork elements which can be transferred to artwork being prepared see the article on Screentone for details The magazine was initially funded by Usborne and was launched in 1961. It was named when Andrew Osmond looked for ideas in the famous recruiting poster of Lord Kitchener (an image of Kitchener pointing with the caption "Wants You") and, in particular, the pointing finger. A poster is any piece of printed Paper designed to be attached to a wall or vertical surface Field Marshal Horatio Herbert Kitchener 1st Earl Kitchener, KG, KP, GCB, OM After the name "Finger" was rejected, Osmond suggested "Private Eye", in the sense of someone who "fingers" a suspect. The magazine was initially edited by Christopher Booker and designed by Willie Rushton, who also drew cartoons for it. The word cartoon has various meanings based on several very different forms of Visual art and Illustration. Its later editor Richard Ingrams was then pursuing a career as an actor, sharing the editorship with Booker on his return around issue 10 and taking over fully only on issue 40. At first the Eye was merely a vehicle for silly jokes, an extension of the original school magazine, and an alternative to Punch. Punch was a British weekly Magazine of Humour and Satire published from 1841 to 1992 and from 1996 to 2002 However, according to Booker, it simply got "caught up in the rage for satire".

After the magazine's initial success, more funding was provided by Nicholas Luard and Peter Cook, who ran The Establishment satire club, and Private Eye became a fully professional publication. Nicholas Lamert Luard ( 26 June, 1937 &ndash 25 May, 2004) was a writer and politician but is perhaps best known for his activities in the early Peter Edward Cook (17 November 1937 &ndash 9 January 1995 was an English Satirist, Writer and Comedian. The Establishment was a London Nightclub which opened in October 1961 at 18 Greek Street, Soho and was famous in retrospect for satire although

Other people essential to the development of the magazine were Auberon Waugh, Claud Cockburn (who had run a pre-war scandal sheet, The Week), Barry Fantoni, Gerald Scarfe, Tony Rushton, Patrick Marnham and Candida Betjeman. Auberon Alexander Waugh (ˈɔːbərən ˈwɔː ( November 17, 1939 &ndash January 16, 2001) was a British author and Journalist. Francis Claud Cockburn (ˈkoːbərn "co-burn" ( Peking, April 12, 1904 &ndash December 15, 1981) was a renowned radical The Week ( was created by Jolyon Connell and Jeremy O'Grady in 1995. Barry Ernest Fantoni (born 28 February 1940) is a British writer, comic strip Cartoonist and Jazz musician of Italian descent Gerald Anthony Scarfe, CBE (born 1 June, 1936 in St John's Wood, London) is an English Cartoonist and Illustrator Candida Lycett Green (born 1942 is a Writer and Journalist who has done much to keep alive the memory of her father Sir John Betjeman. Christopher Logue was another long-time contributor, providing a fortnightly column of "True Stories" featuring cuttings from the national press. Christopher Logue, CBE (born 23 November 1926 in Portsmouth, Hampshire) is an English poet associated with the British The gossip columnist Nigel Dempster wrote extensively for the magazine before he fell out with the editor and other writers, and Paul Foot wrote on politics, local government and corruption. Gossip is idle talk or Rumor, especially about the personal or private affairs of others Nigel Richard Patton Dempster ( 1 November 1941 in Calcutta, India — 12 July 2007 in Ham, Surrey Paul Mackintosh Foot ( 8 November 1937 in Palestine &ndash 18 July 2004 at Stansted Airport) was a British investigative

Ingrams continued as the magazine's editor until 1986, and was succeeded by Ian Hislop. Ian David Hislop (born 13 July 1960) is an British Comedian, Scriptwriter and Editor of satirical magazine Ingrams is still Chairman[2].

Nature of the magazine

A local poster advertising the appearance of a local councillor in the "Rotten Boroughs" column
A local poster advertising the appearance of a local councillor in the "Rotten Boroughs" column

Private Eye is often accused of specialising in scurrilous gossip and scandal about the misdeeds of the powerful and famous, and has been the recipient of numerous libel writs. Gossip is idle talk or Rumor, especially about the personal or private affairs of others In Law, a writ is a formal written order issued by a body with administrative or judicial Jurisdiction. These include three by the late Sir James Goldsmith and several by Robert Maxwell, one of which resulted in costs and reported damages of £225,000 and attacks on the magazine through the publication of a book, Malice in Wonderland, and a magazine, Not Private Eye by Maxwell[3]. Sir James Michael Goldsmith ( February 26, 1933, Paris, France - July 18, 1997, Benahavis, Spain Ian Robert Maxwell MC ( June 10, 1923 – November 5, 1991) was a Czechoslovakian born British Media proprietor Not Private Eye was a one-off spoof of the British satirical magazine Private Eye. 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.

Unearthing scandals

Many of the contributors to Private Eye are public figures or specialists in their field who write anonymously, often under humorous pseudonyms. Many stories originate from writers for other mainstream publications who cannot get their stories published by their employers. A financial column at the back of the magazine ("In the City", written by Michael Gillard) 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.

Breaking news

Alongside jokes, the magazine frequently breaks news stories before any other outlet. It was the first outlet to name the Kray twins as the gang leaders terrorising the London underworld in the 1960s. Reginald "Reggie" Kray ( 24 October 1933 &ndash 1 October 2000) and Ronald "Ronnie" Kray ( 24 October This only occurred as the then editor Richard Ingrams was on holiday and proprietor Peter Cook standing in for him thought it too good an opportunity to miss. Richard Ingrams (born August 19, 1937) was a co-founder and second editor of the British satirical Magazine Private Eye Peter Edward Cook (17 November 1937 &ndash 9 January 1995 was an English Satirist, Writer and Comedian.

Running in-jokes

Main article: Recurring in-jokes in Private Eye

The magazine has a number of running in-jokes and convoluted references, often comprehensible only to those who have read the magazine for many years. The fortnightly British satirical Magazine Private Eye has long had a reputation for using euphemistic and irreverent substitute An in-joke (also known as an in joke or inside joke) is a Joke whose Humor is clear only to those people who are "inside" a social These in-jokes may consist of referring to controversies or legal ambiguities in a subtle euphemistic code, such as replacing "drunk" with "tired and emotional", or using the phrase "Ugandan discussions" to denote illicit sexual exploits, or they may consist of more obvious parodies utilising easily-recognisable stereotypes, such as the lampooning of any Conservative MP viewed to be particularly old-fashioned and bigoted as "Sir Bufton Tufton", or a variation thereof. Tired and Emotional is the debut album by Irish jazz singer Mary Coughlan first released in 1985 under East West Records, a subsidiary of Warner Music Group The first half of the issue, containing reporting and investigative journalism, tends to include these in-jokes in a more subtle manner, so as to maintain journalistic integrity, while the second half, more geared around unrestrained parody and cutting humour, tends to present itself in a more confrontational way.

Layout and style

Private Eye has lagged behind other magazines in adopting various typesetting and printing technologies. At the start it was laid out with scissors and paste, lending an amateurish look to the pages, and for some years after layout tools became available the magazine retained this technique to maintain its look. Today the magazine is still predominantly in black and white (though the cover and some cartoons inside appear in colour) and there is more text and less white space than is normal for a modern magazine. The former "Colour Section" was ironically named, since it was printed in black and white like the rest of the magazine: only the content was colourful.

One-offs

The magazine has published a series of independent one‑offs dedicated solely to news reporting of particular current events, such as government inadequacy over the 2001 foot and mouth outbreak, the conviction in January 2001 of Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi for the 1988 Lockerbie bombing (Lockerbie: the flight from justice, May/June 2001), or the MMR vaccine (The MMR: A Special Report, subtitled: "The story so far: a comprehensive review of the MMR vaccination/autism controversy" 2002). The outbreak of Foot-and-mouth disease in the United Kingdom in the spring and summer of 2001 caused a crisis in British Agriculture and Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi (عبد الباسط محمد علي المقرحي (not المقراحي as commonly misspelled by the media (born April 1 1952 is a former Libyan The MMR vaccine is a mixture of three live Attenuated viruses administered via injection for Immunization against Measles, Mumps and Rubella The MMR vaccine controversy is over the safety of the MMR vaccine.

Another special issue was published in September 2004 to mark the death of long-time staff member Paul Foot. Paul Mackintosh Foot ( 8 November 1937 in Palestine &ndash 18 July 2004 at Stansted Airport) was a British investigative

Regular sections

Columns

The magazine also features periodic "news" columns such as "Library News", "Libel News", "Charity News" and others, detailing recent happenings in those circles. These follow predictable formats: library news usually chronicles local councils' bids to close libraries; libel news usually highlights what it sees as unjust libel judgements; while charity news usually questions the financial propriety of particular charities.

Newspaper parodies

The latter half of the magazine is taken up with parodies of newspapers; the layout and style of writing mirrors newspapers, which serve as vehicles for parody and satire of current events, plus spoof adverts. A parody (ˈpɛɹədiː US, [ˈpaɹədiː] UK) in contemporary usage is a work created to mock comment on or poke fun at an original work its subject Satire is often strictly defined as a literary genre or form; although in practice it is also found in the graphic and Performing arts In satire human Current events are contemporary happenings of significance The phrase may also refer to the following Current Events, a journal published by Weekly Reader Publishing Where further content is implied, but omitted, this is said to continue on page 94.

Mini-sections

Main article: List of regular mini-sections in Private Eye

The magazine contains a variety of regular "spots", consisting of small amusing examples of different aspects of everyday life, generally taken from everyday life themselves and sent in by readers, such as "Colemanballs", gaffes by sports commentators with less than adequate command of the English language, or "Dumb Britain", particularly shocking examples of lacking in knowledge taken from British quiz shows. The following is a list of regularly appearing mini-sections appearing in the British satirical magazine Private Eye.

Prime Minister parodies

Main article: Prime Minister parodies (Private Eye)

An almost constant fixture in Private Eye is a weekly full page parody of the Prime Minister of the day. Prime Minister parodies are a long-running feature of British satirical magazine Private Eye, which have been included in the majority of issues since the magazine's The style of the page is always the same, and sums up the fundamental characteristics of the Prime Minister involved, as well as his cabinet, in combination with biting satire of current events. Occasionally, defunct Prime Ministerial parodies resurface (e. g. Dear Bill, on the death of Denis Thatcher). The " Dear Bill " letters were a regular feature in the British satirical magazine Private Eye, purporting to be the private correspondence of Denis Thatcher Major Sir Denis Thatcher 1st Baronet, MBE, TD (10 May 1915 &ndash 26 June 2003 was an English Businessman, and the husband of the

Miscellanea

Defunct sections

Apart from the former Prime Minister parodies mentioned above, several sections are no longer printed. These include:

Cartoons

Private Eye is also home to many of Britain's most highly regarded humorous cartoonists. As well as many one-off cartoons, the magazine features several comic strips:

Additionally, currently, and in the past, it has used the work of Ralph Steadman, Wally Fawkes, Timothy Birdsall, Martin Honeysett, Willie Rushton, Gerald Scarfe, Bill Tidy, Robert Thompson, Ken Pyne, Geoff Thompson, "Jerodo", Ed McLauchlan, "Pearsall", Kevin Woodcock, Brian Bagnall and Kathryn Lamb. Ralph Steadman (born Wallasey, May 15, 1936) is a British Cartoonist and Caricaturist. Wally Fawkes (born 1924 in Vancouver, Canada (left in 1931 for England is a British-Canadian Jazz Clarinetist and until recently a satirical Timothy Birdsall (born 1936 died June 1963 was an English Cartoonist from Eastbourne, who appeared on the BBC ’s first satirical programme Martin Honeysett (born in 1943 in Hereford, England) is a Cartoonist and Illustrator. William George Rushton, commonly known as Willie Rushton ( 18 August, 1937 in Chelsea London – 11 December, 1996 Cromwell Gerald Anthony Scarfe, CBE (born 1 June, 1936 in St John's Wood, London) is an English Cartoonist and Illustrator William Edward "Bill" Tidy MBE is a British Cartoonist, writer and television personality known chiefly for his Comic strips Bill was awarded Kevin Robert Woodcock (b 2 September 1942, Leicester England - d

Frequent targets for parody and satire

Main article: List of people and organisations frequently parodied by Private Eye

While the magazine in general reports corruption, self-interest and incompetence from a broad range of industries and lines of work, and has therefore over the years made targets of thousands of public figures, in practice certain people and entities receive a particularly large amount of coverage in the magazine's pages. This is a list of some of the people and organisations most frequently or famously used as a source of humour or target of insult by the British satirical Magazine Private Eye While Prime Ministers and senior politicians make the most natural targets, being the most visible public figures, Private Eye often also aims its wrath at journalists, newspapers and particularly prominent or interesting businessmen. It is the habit of the magazine to attach nicknames, usually offensive and often very crude, to these people, and often to create surreal and extensive alternate personifications of them, which usually take the form of parody newspaper articles in the second half of the magazine.

Other media and merchandise

Private Eye has from time to time produced various spin-offs from the magazine:

Criticism and controversy

Overall, criticism of the Eye should perhaps be viewed in the light of a remark made to the editors by the director and satirist Jonathan Miller: "When are you lot going to develop a point of view?" Miller once described the Eye's editorial conference as like watching naked, anti-Semitic public schoolboys in a changing room, flicking wet towels at defenceless victims. Private Eye, the British fortnightly satirical Magazine, has issued a number of sound recordings Private Eye TV was an unsuccessful attempt to turn the satirical magazine Private Eye into a television programme Private Eye, the British fortnightly satirical Magazine has at various times offered magazine-related items for sale to readers and subscribers Sir Jonathan Wolfe Miller, CBE (born 21 July 1934) is a British Neurologist, Theatre and Opera director However, (as per the remark by Jonathan Miller) the magazine is something of a moving target, which always maintains a fog of irony, making it hard to discern if it is being serious or joking in intent. Irony is a literary or Rhetorical device, in which there is an incongruity or Discordance between what one says or does and what one means or This even applies to readers' letters, which might be published because they make a valid point, or because the editor believes that the writer is so misguided as to be ridiculous. Many such letters are from irate readers who claim they are so disgusted with a particular article or cartoon in a previous issue that they announce the cancellation of their subscription. However, some letters of complaint are spoofs themselves, intended to lampoon other readers who have written in to complain.

"Public-school racism"

Critics of the magazine have in the past suggested it has an antisemitic tone, perhaps because it regularly features a publisher called 'Snipcock', refers to the Daily Telegraph newspaper as the Telavivagraph (but also as the Tehranagraph), and frequently lampoons events in the Middle East by writing them up into mock KJV Biblical verse ("And first they visited upon the city of Jen-in in a terrible plague of fire and brimstone, so that many of the Araf-ites and Hamas-ites were slain, even men, women and children"). For "The Daily Telegraph" in Australia see The Daily Telegraph (Australia. Tel Aviv-Yafo (תֵּל ־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ تل أبيب Tal ʾAbīb) (usually Tel Aviv) is the second-largest city in Israel Tehran (or Teheran) ( Persian: تهران Tehrān) is the capital and largest City of Iran, and the administrative center of The fact that the previous owner of the Telegraph, Conrad Black, and his wife and contributor Barbara Amiel, are both vocal supporters of Likud party policies is a possible explanation for the Telavivagraph jibe. Conrad Moffat Black Baron Black of Crossharbour PC, KCSG, OC, (born 25 August 1944, in Montreal, Quebec) is Barbara Joan Estelle Amiel, Baroness Black of Crossharbour (born in Watford, Hertfordshire, England on December 4, 1940 Likud (ליכוד lit Consolidation) is the major centre-right political party in Israel. There has indeed been a regular column entitled 'The Book of Amiel', a pseudo-Biblical spoof of her allegedly extreme views on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The purpose was not to be anti-semitic but to lampoon the allegedly partisan nature of the reporting of the Telegraph under Lord Black.

The cover of issue 256 from 1971 showed Emperor Hirohito visiting Britain with the caption "A nasty nip in the air" (subhead: "Piss off, Bandy Knees"). also known as, (April 29 1901 – January 7 1989 was the 124th Emperor of Japan according to the traditional order reigning from December 25 1926 until his death [5] Idi Amin also was characterised speaking in Pidgin English. Idi Amin Dada (mid 1920s &ndash 16 August 2003 commonly known as Idi Amin, was a Ugandan military dictator and the President of Uganda A pidgin is a simplified language that develops as a means of communication between two or more groups that do not have a language in common in situations such as Trade In the 1960s and 1970s the magazine mocked the gay rights movement as "Poove Power". LGBT (also GLBT) is an initialism referring collectively to Lesbian, Gay, bisexual, and Transgender / transsexual

Public offence

The front cover of the infamous "Diana Issue"
The front cover of the infamous "Diana Issue"

The magazine's irreverence and occasionally distasteful humour offend some while delighting others. Upon the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, it printed a cover headed "MEDIA TO BLAME". Under this headline was a picture of many hundreds of people outside the gates of Buckingham Palace with one person commenting that the papers were terrible, another agreeing, saying that it was impossible to get one anywhere, and another saying, "Borrow mine. It's got a picture of the car. "[6]

The issue also featured a mock retraction of everything negative that the magazine had ever said about Diana. This was enough to cause a flood of complaints, many cancelled subscriptions, and the temporary removal of the magazine from the shelves of several newsagents. On the other hand, the Diana issue is now one of the most highly sought after back issues. The newsagents who removed the magazine included W H Smith, which had previously refused to stock Private Eye until well into the 1970s. This article is about the retail chain for people of that name see William Henry Smith. (W H Smith was usually characterised in the paper as "WH Smugg", or "WH Smut" on account of its contemporary policy of stocking pornographic magazines. )

Similar complaints were received about the issues that followed the Ladbroke Grove rail crash, the September 11, 2001 attacks (the magazine even including a special "subscription cancellation coupon" for disgruntled readers to send in) and the Soham murders. The Ladbroke Grove Rail Crash (also known as the Paddington train crash) was a Rail accident which occurred on 5 October 1999 at Ladbroke The Soham murders was a high profile murder case in August 2002 of two ten-year-old girls in Soham, Cambridgeshire, England. Following the 7 July 2005 London bombings the magazine's cover featured Tony Blair saying to Ken Livingstone "We must track down the evil mastermind behind the bombers. The 7 July 2005 London bombings (also called the 7/7 bombings) were a series of coordinated bomb blasts that hit London's public transport system during Anthony Charles Lynton "Tony" Blair (born 6 May 1953 is a British Politician who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to Kenneth Robert Livingstone (born 17 June 1945 is a British Socialist Politician. . . ", to which Mr. Livingstone replies ". . . and invite him around for tea", in reference to Ken Livingstone's controversial invitation of Yusuf al-Qaradawi to London. Yusuf al-Qaradawi ( Arabic: يوسف القرضاوي Yūsuf al-Qaraḍāwiy) (born September 9, 1926) is an Egyptian Muslim London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. [7]

Blasphemy

The 2004 Christmas (issue 1121) issue received an unexpected amount of complaints and subscription cancellations after it featured Pieter Brueghel's painting of a nativity scene, in which one wise man was saying to another: "Apparently, it's David Blunkett's" (who at the time was involved in a scandal where he had got a married woman pregnant). Pieter Brueghel may refer to Pieter Brueghel the Elder (~1525-1569 painter Pieter Brueghel the Younger (1564-1638 son of the above David Blunkett (born 6 June 1947 is a British Labour Party Politician and has been Member of Parliament for Sheffield Brightside In November 2004 the then UK Home Secretary David Blunkett was reported to have started a paternity suit against a former Lover, Many readers sent letters accusing the magazine of blasphemy and anti-Christian attitudes. Blasphemy is the disrespectful use of the name of one or more gods. Anti-christian sentiment is a negative Bias against Christians or the Religion of Christianity. One stated that the "witless, gutless buggers wouldn't dare mock Islam", an observation later apparently vindicated when the magazine declined to publish the Danish Mohammed cartoons for fear of firebombs, although it does publish Islam-related humour on a regular basis. Many letters in the first issue of 2005 disagreed with the former readers' complaints, and some were even parodies of those letters, 'complaining' about issue 1122's cover[8] - a cartoon depicting Santa's sleigh shredded to pieces by a wind farm: "To use a picture of Our Lord Father Christmas and his Holy Reindeer being torn limb from limb while flying over a windfarm is inappropriate and blasphemous. Santa Claus, also known as Saint Nicholas, Father Christmas, Kris Kringle, or simply " Santa " is the A wind farm is a group of Wind turbines in the same location used for production of electric power "

Litigation

The magazine has long been famous for attracting libel lawsuits, which can lead to damages relatively easily in English law. To ensure a level of safety, the magazine maintains a large quantity of money as a "fighting fund" (although experience has taught those behind the magazine quick ways to defuse legal tensions, usually by printing a letter from those concerned). As editor, Ian Hislop has become the most sued man in Britain. [9]

Those who have sued the magazine include many famous names, though (as the editors noted) while politicians are a prime target they "tend to take their medicine like men", and the largest number of lawsuits issue from journalists. For the tenth anniversary issue, the cover showed a cartoon headstone inscribed with a long list of well-known names, and the epitaph "They did not sue in vain". [10]

An unlikely piece of British legal history occurred in the case Arkell v. Pressdram. The plaintiff was the subject of an article relating to illicit payments, and the magazine had ample evidence to back up the article. Arkell's lawyers wrote a letter in which, unusually, they said: "Our client's attitude to damages will depend on the nature of your reply". The response consisted, in part, of the following: "We would be interested to know what your client's attitude to damages would be if the nature of our reply were as follows: Fuck off". This caused a stir in certain quarters. In the years following, the magazine would use this case as a euphemism for an obscene reply: In subsequent cases, instead of using the obscenity, Private Eye (and others) would say something like "We refer you to the reply given in the case of Arkell v. Pressdram"; or, perhaps, "His reply was similar to that given to the plaintiff in Arkell v. Pressdram". As with "tired and emotional" this usage has spread far beyond the magazine. Tired and Emotional is the debut album by Irish jazz singer Mary Coughlan first released in 1985 under East West Records, a subsidiary of Warner Music Group

The most famous litigation case against the magazine was initiated by James Goldsmith (known within Private Eye's pages as '(Sir) Jammy Fishpaste'[11][12]), who managed to arrange for criminal libel charges to be brought (effectively meaning that, if found guilty, those behind the Eye could be imprisoned). Sir James Michael Goldsmith ( February 26, 1933, Paris, France - July 18, 1997, Benahavis, Spain He sued over allegations that members of the Clermont Set, including Goldsmith, had conspired to shelter Lord Lucan after Lucan had murdered his family nanny, Sandra Rivett. The Clermont Set was an exclusive group of rich British gamblers who met at the Clermont Club at 44 Berkeley Square, in London 's fashionable Mayfair Richard John Bingham 7th Earl of Lucan (born 18 December 1934 known as Lord Bingham from 1949 to 1964 and colloquially known as "Lucky" Lucan, was Sandra Eleanor Rivett ( 16 September 1945 - 7 November 1974) was a nanny who was murdered in 1974 allegedly by Lord Lucan. Goldsmith won a partial victory and eventually reached a settlement with the magazine. The case threatened to bankrupt the magazine, which turned to its readers for financial support in the form of the Goldenballs Fund. Goldsmith himself was referred to as Jaws. The solicitor involved in many litigation cases against Private Eye, including the Goldsmith case, was Peter Carter-Ruck (or "Carter-Fuck", as the Eye referred to him). Peter Frederick Carter-Ruck ( 26 February 1914, Steyning, West Sussex &ndash 19 December 2003, Uttlesford, [13]

Robert Maxwell (Captain Bob) also sued, for the suggestion he looked like a criminal. Ian Robert Maxwell MC ( June 10, 1923 – November 5, 1991) was a Czechoslovakian born British Media proprietor He won a significant sum. The editor, Ian Hislop, summarised the case: "I've just given a fat cheque to a fat Czech. Ian David Hislop (born 13 July 1960) is an British Comedian, Scriptwriter and Editor of satirical magazine " Sonia Sutcliffe also sued after allegations that she used her connection to her husband, the Yorkshire Ripper, Peter Sutcliffe, to make money. Peter William Sutcliffe (born 2 June 1946 in Bingley, United Kingdom) is an English Serial killer who was dubbed Peter William Sutcliffe (born 2 June 1946 in Bingley, United Kingdom) is an English Serial killer who was dubbed She won £600,000 which was later reduced to £60,000 on appeal. However, the initial award caused Hislop to quip outside the court: "If this is justice, I'm a banana. ". [14] Readers raised a considerable sum in the "bananaballs fund", and Private Eye scored a PR coup by donating the surplus to the families of Sutcliffe's victims.

A rare victory for the Eye came in late 2001, when a libel case brought against the magazine by a Cornish chartered accountant, Stuart Condliffe, finally came to trial after ten years. Cornwall ( Kernow ˈkɛɹnɔʊ is the most southwesterly county of England, on the Peninsula that lies to the west of the River Tamar Chartered Accountant (CA is the title used by members of certain professional Accountancy associations in the British Commonwealth countries and Ireland The case was thrown out after only a few weeks as Condliffe had effectively accused his own legal team (Carter-Ruck and Associates) of lying.

The Paul Foot Award

In 2005, The Guardian and Private Eye established the Paul Foot Award, with an annual £10,000 prize fund, for investigative/campaigning journalism. The Guardian (until 1959 The Manchester Guardian) is a British Newspaper owned by the Guardian Media Group. [15]

John Sweeney of the Daily Mail won the first prize of £5,000 in 2005, and David Harrison picked up the 2006 award for his investigation into sex trafficking in Eastern Europe published in The Sunday Telegraph. John Sweeney is an award-winning Journalist and Author, currently working as an Investigative journalist for the BBC 's Panorama The Daily Mail is a British newspaper currently published in a tabloid format The Sunday Telegraph is a British Broadsheet newspaper, founded in 1961

From a "long list" of 17 entries for the 2007 award, the seven judges – Brian McArthur (Chair), Ian Hislop, Alan Rusbridger, Bill Hagerty, Clare Fermont, Jeremy Dear and Richard Ingrams – shortlisted seven nominations:

  1. Phil Baty, The Times Higher Education Supplement
  2. Paul Keilthy, Camden New Journal
  3. David Leigh and Rob Evans, The Guardian
  4. Rob Waugh, Yorkshire Post
  5. The Salford Star
  6. Richard Brooks, Private Eye and
  7. Deborah Wain, Doncaster Free Press[16]

The 2007 Paul Foot Award was announced at the Media and Spin Bar, Millbank Tower on Monday, 15 October 2007. Ian David Hislop (born 13 July 1960) is an British Comedian, Scriptwriter and Editor of satirical magazine Alan Rusbridger (born 29 December 1953 in Northern Rhodesia) is the son of the late G H Rusbridger the Director of Education Jeremy Dear is the General Secretary of the National Union of Journalists in Great Britain and Ireland. Richard Ingrams (born August 19, 1937) was a co-founder and second editor of the British satirical Magazine Private Eye A short list is a list of candidates for a job prize award political position etc Times Higher Education ( THE) formerly The Times Higher Education Supplement ( THES) is a magazine based The Camden New Journal is a free independent newspaper that covers the London Borough of Camden. The Guardian (until 1959 The Manchester Guardian) is a British Newspaper owned by the Guardian Media Group. The Yorkshire Post is a daily Broadsheet Newspaper, published in Leeds, England by Yorkshire Post Newspapers, a company Private Eye is a fortnightly British satirical Magazine, edited by Ian Hislop. The Doncaster Free Press is a weekly newspaper in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. Millbank Tower is a high Skyscraper in Central London at 21-24 Millbank The top prize of £5,000 was shared by Deborah Wain, (of the Doncaster Free Press) and by David Leigh and Rob Evans (The Guardian). The Doncaster Free Press is a weekly newspaper in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. The remaining five nominees – Phil Baty, Richard Brooks, Paul Keilthy, Rob Waugh and free magazine, The Salford Star – were each awarded a £1,000 prize. [17]

Ownership

The magazine is apparently owned by an odd and eclectic cartel of people, albeit officially published through the mechanism of a limited company called Pressdram Ltd,[18]which was bought as an "off the shelf" company by Peter Cook in November 1961. Peter Edward Cook (17 November 1937 &ndash 9 January 1995 was an English Satirist, Writer and Comedian.

Private Eye is not the kind of magazine to publish explicit details of individuals concerned with its upkeep (it notably doesn't even contain a "flannel panel" listing of who edits, writes and designs the magazine), but in 1981 the owners were quoted in the book The Private Eye Story as being Peter Cook, who owned most of the shareholding, with smaller shareholdings by the likes of Dirk Bogarde, Jane Asher, and several of those involved with the founding of the magazine. Sir Derek Jules Gaspard Ulric Niven van den Bogaerde ( 28 March, 1921  &ndash 8 May, 1999) better known by his Stage name Jane Asher (born 5 April 1946) is an English actress, who is well known in the United Kingdom for her Television career Most people on the list have since died, however, and it's not clear what happened to their shareholdings. Those concerned are reputedly contractually only able to sell their shareholdings at the price they originally paid for them.

Shareholders as of the last annual return, 26 March 2005, are: (note: many of the shareholders have inherited shares)

The other directors are Sheila Molnar, who is also the company secretary, and Richard Ingrams. Richard Ingrams (born August 19, 1937) was a co-founder and second editor of the British satirical Magazine Private Eye

Trivia

See also

References

  1. ^ Certificate of Circulation July 2007 - December 2007 (PDF). Frank is a bi-weekly Canadian scandal or Satirical magazine inspired by and often compared to the British Private Eye. Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page For the vegetable see Onion. The Onion is an American " fake news " organization The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The Phoenix is an Irish News and Satire Magazine, inspired by the British magazine Private Eye, and Ireland ( Irish: Éire, ˈeːrʲə is a country in north-western Europe. Le Canard enchaîné (French The Chained Duck) is a Satirical Newspaper published weekly in France. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. The Clinic, a Chilean satirical/investigative newspaper was founded by Patricio Fernández Chadwick in November 1998 Chile, officially the Republic of Chile ( Spanish:) is a country in South America occupying a long and narrow Coastal strip wedged between the Titanic is a German satirical Magazine which is published monthly Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. Over the course of two weeks in April 2004, the British satirical magazine Private Eye published a Journal, Teacher's Diary, written ABC. Retrieved on 2008-05-28. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 585 BC - A Solar eclipse occurs as predicted by Greek philosopher and scientist Thales, while Alyattes is battling
  2. ^ Richard Ingrams interview, Press Gazette 15th December 2005 [1]
  3. ^ Not Private Eye, Tony Quinn, Magforum. Press Gazette, formerly known as UK Press Gazette (UKPG is a British media trade magazine dedicated to journalism and the press com, 6 March 2007
  4. ^ The fictional Sally Jockstrap
  5. ^ Private Eye Issue 256. Events 1079 - Omar Khayyám completes the Iranian calendar. 1454 - Thirteen Years' War: Delegates of Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Retrieved on 2007-06-15. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 763 BC - Assyrians record a Solar eclipse that will be used to fix the Chronology of Mesopotamian history
  6. ^ Private Eye Issue 932. Retrieved on 2007-06-15. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 763 BC - Assyrians record a Solar eclipse that will be used to fix the Chronology of Mesopotamian history
  7. ^ Private Eye Issue 1137. Retrieved on 2007-06-15. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 763 BC - Assyrians record a Solar eclipse that will be used to fix the Chronology of Mesopotamian history
  8. ^ Private Eye Issue 1122. Retrieved on 2007-06-15. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 763 BC - Assyrians record a Solar eclipse that will be used to fix the Chronology of Mesopotamian history
  9. ^ Byrne, Ciar. "Ian Hislop: My 20 years at the "Eye"", The Independent, 2006-10-23. The Independent is a British compact Newspaper published by Tony O'Reilly 's Independent News & Media. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 4004 BC - Creation of the world begins according to the calculations of Archbishop James Ussher 42 BC - Retrieved on 2006-10-23. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 4004 BC - Creation of the world begins according to the calculations of Archbishop James Ussher 42 BC -  
  10. ^ http://www.private-eye.co.uk/pictures/covers/full/257_big.jpg
  11. ^ "Colour Section" (in English) (September 1996). Private Eye (907): 5. Pressdram. “Now that the victory of Sir Jammy Fishpaste's Referendum party is assured by the addition of zoo-keeper John Aspinall to its candidates' list, Jammy is checking his members more carefully. ” 
  12. ^ "Colour Section" (in English) (October 1996). Private Eye (908): 6. Pressdram. “Referendum Party News. Sir Jammy Goldsmith's briefing session for more than 100 Referendum party faithful” 
  13. ^ "A-list libel lawyer dies", BBC News, December 21, 2003.  
  14. ^ "Private Eye - 40 not out ... yet", BBC News, October 25, 2001.  
  15. ^ The Paul Foot Award for campaigning journalism
  16. ^ The Paul Foot Award for Campaigning Journalism - 2007 Short List
  17. ^ Foot award winners keep investigative journalism light burning bright
  18. ^ Pressdram. WebCHeck - Company Details. Companies House. Companies House is an Executive Agency of the United Kingdom Government in the Department for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform. Retrieved on 2007-12-06. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1060 - Béla I of Hungary is crowned king of Hungary 1240 - Mongol invasion of Rus: Kiev  “PRESSDRAM LIMITED
    C/O MORLEY AND SCOTT
    LYNTON HOUSE
    7-12 TAVISTOCK SQUARE
    LONDON WC1H 9LT
    Company No. 00708923
    Date of Incorporation: 24/11/1961”
  19. ^ Eric Ellis. "A Punch In The Eye", Sydney Morning Herald, November 23, 1991.  

Further reading

External links

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