A Day In The Life Of… Paul McNamee, Big Issue UK Editor

From local newspapers in Northern Ireland to leading the Big Issue, Paul McNamee has had a long-standing journalism career spanning 25 years. Making his mark at music magazines Blank and NME, he is now guiding the Big Issue into the digital age, earning multiple Editor of the Year awards along the way.

We caught up with Paul to learn about a typical day in the life of an editor for a magazine with a mission, different routes into journalism, and the importance of human stories.

How does your day start?

At 8am or 8.30am in the morning, I don’t go straight down the mine, I check emails, have a read of what’s happening, and get ready to speak to senior staff about what we’re working on. It’s really just a period of catching up and making sure everything is where it should be.

What does your typical day involve?

The shape of the week tends to be content earlier in the week and planning later on in the week. We go to print on a Wednesday evening, so we’re focused around the deadline. It’s mainly final changes, checking pages, making sure that it’s got all the content, and chasing up last-minute things. Whereas on Thursday or Friday, it’s more planning, meeting people and looking further ahead to specific themes the Big Issue group will work on.

What surprises you most about your job?

There is always something new, otherwise we would have a lot of blank pages and screens.

One thing that doesn’t surprise me but pleases me is that we try to engage with our readers an awful lot, particularly online with the content we cover. For example, we’ve been doing a lot of work in recent times on how the Department for Work and Pensions deals with disability applications. A lot of that is relying on people coming to the Big Issue and sharing their stories with us in an honest and candid way, and allowing us to take those stories, investigate on their behalf, challenge those in authority, and print them.

It doesn’t surprise me, but it pleases me that people trust us enough to be the title that does that for them. It means we’re doing something right after all these years, we’re finding a way to advocate for people.

Was journalism always the plan?

I think I’ve always wanted to be a journalist. There was no journalism background in my family, they were all tradespeople. I found out quite early about journalism because I used to read the Daily Mirror that my dad had. I discovered you could get paid to watch football and write about it. I thought it was a double joy — you could see football for free and you got some money. After that, I became hugely interested in music [and] I wanted to write about it.

There was a spark from a very early period – I don’t think I had much focus on anything else. I just knew it was going to be journalism in some respect. When you read about journalists, you get slightly intoxicated by this sense of old-fashioned journalists who choose the story and then run back to their desks smoking their cigars while typing it up. It’s attractive but not exactly the reality.

I never had a career plan — I suppose an early goal was to work for the NME. Outside of that, I never really thought ‘I need to be there by this time’, I’ve just tried to work so that any title I’m on is the best it can be, that it serves the readers and organisation, and that it can grow.

What kind of experience did you have?

I started out in local papers in Northern Ireland and then set up a music magazine with [radio and TV presenter] Colin Murray. It was great fun and it taught us a lot; we weren’t very good at any aspect of the business but we learned very quickly.

From there I went to work on the NME and after that, I picked up experience working on a load of different titles. I was doing shifts or freelancing for The Guardian, The Irish Times, Daily Mirror, and other places. I had a good range of experience, both as a writer and editor and understanding the printing aspect of the business.

I was invited to do some work by the person who was running the Big Issue in Scotland at the time. I went in as deputy editor in Scotland and then became editor. There used to be a lot of regional editions of the Big Issue, but it was becoming too difficult to maintain as a business model. They decided to amalgamate them and have one national edition, so I became UK editor.

I had knowledge of the title, I understood the social agenda we were working towards, I understood the goals, and I had a great deal of experience in journalism. That was important because while the Big Issue is a vehicle for social change, it’s also a publication.

What are you most proud of?

I don’t necessarily reflect too much on one thing I’m proud of. I’ve been lucky enough to be pretty successful in what I do at a successful title. We’ve rolled out a great digital program and now we’re growing the digital reach. I did quite a lot of work on broadcasting for the BBC and Sky, which I enjoy. I’ve done all these things but I think at heart, I’m still just a journalist who likes the story. I haven’t lost that appetite and desire.

I look forward to our press day on Wednesdays, I look forward to the thrill of it. I love the Big Issue, what it does, and what it stands for — the constant changing of lives for the better.

If you were starting out as a journalist now, what would you be wary of?

People often say ‘Nobody will pay for publications’ but there will always be an outlet. It’s about finding a way to encourage people to either support what you do or pay for what you do. There is still a desire to consume media, whether it’s on phones, social, or long-read essays in papers and magazines.

We, as journalists and editors, just need to find a way to encourage people to stay with us. If we keep doing it, people will keep coming. Humans have a desire for human stories and we have a responsibility to bring them to them.

What would you say to those hoping to follow in your footsteps?

In the very early days of your career, say yes as much as possible. If you’re taking freelance commissions or an editor is saying to go out and do something, just go and do it. Obviously, not to the extent that it puts you at personal risk or it makes you feel uncomfortable, but you need to show you’re willing.

Covers of the Big Issue in 2011 (L), the year Paul joined as UK editor, and 2024 (R). (Image Credit: Big Issue)

What would you like to change about the industry?

I don’t think three-year degrees are necessary for journalists. This might not be a popular opinion, but I think there should be much more focus on students, trainees, and in-job training.

Journalism is not a profession, it’s a trade. The only way you can learn the trade well and get better at it is by doing it. You do need some level of training, perhaps a one-year course that allows you to learn while doing the job.

I don’t always look for a degree when employing people, I look for the best person and some of them don’t have any journalistic training. Other experiences broaden your worldview, the questions you ask, and your understanding.

Your experiences and abilities are worth so much more than a degree.

How do you unwind after a long day?

I’ve got a dog that needs attention, so I go home and walk Toastie. I like to spend time with my family as my children get older. I listen to a lot of music. I like to go boxing, even at my advanced age.

The truth is if you’re really in journalism, you need to find a way to balance the realisation that it doesn’t quite ever leave you. For good or bad, it’s kind of there. If I’m watching the news, I think about a story we need to get an opinion piece on, or how we can move a piece along.

I know you’re told you have to free yourself up but I don’t necessarily find that. You have to find some space so you’re not totally consumed but the truth is, it’s there with you and you have to balance that. If you can understand that and maintain good mental health with the understanding that the job remains with you, that’s positive.