Those of you in the UK will have no doubt seen the Big Issue being sold on the high street. The magazine was founded 30 years ago as a pioneer of the vendor model, where people who have experienced poverty and homelessness sell the cover title at a profit.

The Big Issue is a founding member of The International Network of Street Papers (INSP), now comprising 92 member street papers across 35 countries. Dope Magazine is a more recent street paper that was formed in 2024. The Network has papers in all corners of the globe: South Africa, Australia, Peru, North Macedonia.

But the street paper model has become quite stressed in recent years, mirroring – and oftentimes magnifying – broader media challenges:

Print in declineStreet papers depend on print sales and high footfall in urban areas. The pandemic has had a profound impact on both social interactions and the decline of the high street. This has made it even harder for vendors to reach customers, reflected in declining print sales.

Each INSP member is a separate social enterprise, responsible for generating its own income. Traditional revenue streams like print sales and advertising are under pressure, pushing organisations to experiment with new models — such as selling merchandise or, in the case of Norway's largest street paper =Oslo, training vendors as baristas to run coffee shops to help shift copies and earn additional income.

Press freedom barriersWhere vendors operate around the world – and where they are absent – has a lot to do with press freedom and political regime. As the map below shows, street papers are absent in Africa (except for South Africa), most of Asia and the Middle........

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