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Socialist Worker
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Socialist Worker is the name of several socialist/communist newspapers. It is a weekly newspaper published by the International Socialist Organization in the United States, a weekly published by the Socialist Workers Party in the United Kingdom, a biweekly published by International Socialists in Canada, and a biweekly published in Ireland.
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| Type | Weekly newspaper |
| Format | Tabloid |
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| Owner | N/A |
| Editor | Chris Bambery |
| Founded | 1968 |
| Political allegiance | Socialist |
| Headquarters | |
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| Website: www.socialistworker.co.uk | |
The Socialist Worker published in the UK, claims to be the most widely read socialist newspaper in the United Kingdom, although this claim is also made by the daily Morning Star, and Socialist Worker sales/circulation data is not publicly available.
Originally Industrial Worker, and then Labour Worker, it was founded by the Socialist Review Group (who became the International Socialists, then the SWP) in 1961 in London (Cliff 78).
The newspaper was renamed Socialist Worker in 1968 and moved to weekly production; its first editor was Roger Protz (Higgins 90). Its language and general approach was modelled on the The Daily Mirror but aimed to provide a very different set of ideas (Harman 40). Writers included Paul Foot, Duncan Hallas and Eamonn McCann plus reports of strikes and other struggles from across the country sent in by readers. The editor from 1974 to 1978 Paul Foot (Foot xii) later went to work for the Mirror, though he continued to contribute to Socialist Worker until his death in 2004. It was edited for many years by Chris Harman. Working for the newspaper has proved to be an effective apprenticeship for many prominent journalists at the onset of their careers, including Gary Bushell.[citation needed]
Since 2004 it has been edited by Chris Bambery who has moved it away from a tabloid format towards a style more like newspapers published by Rifondazione Comunista in Italy.
The paper is printed early on Wednesday morning, then delivered to key parts of the country, where people in the region collect the paper and sell it. It also has a subscription service from which the paper is delivered on the Thursday through the postal system in an A4 envelope. It is also distributed to some shops through the WHSmith News distribution network.
It is also published online where it can be read for free.
Shortly after its foundation in 1977, the International Socialist Organization began publishing a monthly titled Socialist Worker, modelled after the British publication of the same name and the biweekly Workers' Power, then published by the International Socialists. As its circulation increased along with the growth of the International Socialist Organization (ISO), the frequency of publication has increased, becoming a weekly with issue 379, dated October 12, 2001. The 500th issue was published on May 21, 2004.
Since April 13th, 2001, the ISO has also published a Spanish language supplement to Socialist Worker, titled Obrero Socialista. Publication was irregular until 2005, since when it has been bimonthly. Socialist Worker is edited by Alan Maass, and Obrero Socialista by Hector Reyes.
Socialist Worker is the publication of the International Socialists, a Canadian socialist organization affiliated with the International Socialist Tendency. The newspaper was originally called Workers' Action and was published monthly from 1975 until August 1985. After 108 issues, it was renamed Socialist Worker. In 1994 Socialist Worker started publishing every two weeks, except for tri-weekly issues in May, July and December. Socialist Worker published its 450th issue on June 8 2005.
The editor during the 1980s was David McNally, who led a split from the IS in 1996 to form the New Socialist Group. Paul Kellogg was editor after McNally. In late 2006, the editor became James Clark.
Socialist Worker is twelve pages and printed in black and red. Its circulation is estimated to be 1200, according to IS members. A French-language monthly, Résistance!, is also published by the IS and claims a circulation of 300, most of it in Quebec.
The Irish fortnightly Socialist Worker also styles itself as a "paper of the movements", with more in depth articles and commentary from left activists outside the party.
Similar publications with the same title are published in Australia and New Zealand.
- Tony Cliff (2000) A World to Win. Bookmarks, London, ISBN 1-898876-62-2
- Paul Foot (1990) Words as Weapons, Verso, London, ISBN 0-86091-527-1
- Chris Harman (1991) The Revolutionary Paper, SWP, ISBN 0-905998-78-2
- Jim Higgins (1997) More years for the Locust, IS Group, London, ISBN 0-9530607-0-5 Complete text
- Socialist Worker Web page (British)
- Socialist Worker Web page (United States)
- Socialist Worker Web page (Canada)
- Socialist Worker (US) compilation of articles about the paper's goals and the history of socialist newspapers
Categories: Articles with unsourced statements since February 2007 | All articles with unsourced statements | Alternative weekly newspapers | Newspapers published in the United Kingdom | Communist newspapers | Trotskyism | National newspapers published in the United States | National newspapers published in Canada | Socialist Workers Party (UK)