Readers around the world are getting more of their news from digital sources. And newspapers sold by the homeless are trying to keep up with the times.
A pilot project will enable homeless vendors to offer their customers two options print or
digital priced equally. To retain the crucial vendor- buyer contact on the streets, customers
choosing the digital version will buy an access card with a QR code, which can be scanned or entered onto smart- phones, tablets or desktop computers. The device will then download a digital edition containing all the content from the magazine. With lower production costs and print output, the digital street paper will increase efficiency.
The digital scheme is being sponsored by the UK-based International Network of Street Papers, the trade organization representing street newspapers around the world. The first paper to try the new approach will be The Big Issue, published in England, followed by StreetWise in Chicago. If successful, the digital technology will be made available to all 122 street papers in the INSP network.
INSP Executive Director Lisa Maclean believes the content of street papers is key to the success of the model, stating that: “Homeless vendors are not selling fruit, phones or socks; they’re selling news and information.
Street papers both in print and digital form can challenge public perceptions of poverty and social
injustice. With more than 6 million readers and 12,000 vendors globally, they provide a powerful
platform for unheard voices. We believe this project has the potential to be- come not only one of the world’s largest paid digital media platforms, but one of the most important, too.”
— Street News Service
