4 ms·

> may be closed any day soon. It has been doing this since 1961 Kind of contradictory, no? Nobody is going to shut Private Eye down any time soon.

pjc50 3y ago
It's pretty much a personal project of Ian Hislop these days, who is a mere mortal. And it would only take a few libel lawsuits going against them to bankrupt the business.
sgt101 3y ago
Ian Hislop (the editor) is apparently the most sued man in history! (I may be exagerating). Seriously though, they are roped around with super injunctions and actions of every type intended to bring them down. I agree that they seem to be in rude health now (mostly because of my subscription I am sure) but it's really possible that some bastard will get them. After all - they got Twitter...
- alibarber 3y ago
  > (mostly because of my subscription I am sure) I enjoyed this, thank you.
- zimpenfish 3y ago
  > Ian Hislop (the editor) is apparently the most sued man in history! (I may be exaggerating). Wikipedia says he's in the Guinness Book of Records for that but equally a whole bunch of links say it's unverified (and I believe he himself has said he isn't recently.)
tialaramex 3y ago
Indeed. British politicians have not infrequently been crooks or shaggers (or like Boris, both), but we don't see the authoritarian tendencies that have seized the Right across much of the world in recent years. Private Eye's biggest threat is likely the death of print, apparently the reason you can't get it at all except on paper is cited by the editor (Ian Hislop) as a success factor. I admit if I could pay the same and get it online (instead of a package through the door every couple of weeks) I'd do that, but it would significantly reduce their visibility.
zimpenfish 3y ago
> Nobody is going to shut Private Eye down any time soon. I believe, based on my admittedly shaky memory of the PE podcast, that they said it did come close at least once due to court costs and judgements. (I'll have to go through the episodes and see if I've gone mad.)
- hermitcrab 3y ago
  They have come close to being sued out of business on several occasions. Most notably by thief, bully and liar Robert Maxwell. Private Eye was one of the very few institutions to stand up to him during his (sadly much too long) lifetime.
  - gpderetta 3y ago
    One of their legal battles[1], Harkell vs Pressdram[2], has become legendary and the precendent apparently referenced often in the UK legal system and beyond. [1] for very small values of "battle" [2] https://news.lettersofnote.com/p/arkell-v-pressdram https://news.lettersofnote.com/p/arkell-v-pressdram
    - hermitcrab 3y ago
      I hadn't seen that. Worth a look. ;0)
  - hermitcrab 3y ago
    BTW I subscribe to Private Eye partly because it is interesting and funny, but mainly because they are one the few institutions in the UK that still seem to be doing proper investigative journalism and holding power to account. The rest have been hamstrung by Google et al taking all their advertising revenue or being owned by plutocrats (or both).

pjc50 3y ago

It's pretty much a personal project of Ian Hislop these days, who is a mere mortal. And it would only take a few libel lawsuits going against them to bankrupt the business.

sgt101 3y ago

Ian Hislop (the editor) is apparently the most sued man in history! (I may be exagerating). Seriously though, they are roped around with super injunctions and actions of every type intended to bring them down. I agree that they seem to be in rude health now (mostly because of my subscription I am sure) but it's really possible that some bastard will get them. After all - they got Twitter...

alibarber 3y ago
> (mostly because of my subscription I am sure) I enjoyed this, thank you.
zimpenfish 3y ago
> Ian Hislop (the editor) is apparently the most sued man in history! (I may be exaggerating). Wikipedia says he's in the Guinness Book of Records for that but equally a whole bunch of links say it's unverified (and I believe he himself has said he isn't recently.)

tialaramex 3y ago

Indeed. British politicians have not infrequently been crooks or shaggers (or like Boris, both), but we don't see the authoritarian tendencies that have seized the Right across much of the world in recent years. Private Eye's biggest threat is likely the death of print, apparently the reason you can't get it at all except on paper is cited by the editor (Ian Hislop) as a success factor. I admit if I could pay the same and get it online (instead of a package through the door every couple of weeks) I'd do that, but it would significantly reduce their visibility.

zimpenfish 3y ago

> Nobody is going to shut Private Eye down any time soon. I believe, based on my admittedly shaky memory of the PE podcast, that they said it did come close at least once due to court costs and judgements. (I'll have to go through the episodes and see if I've gone mad.)

hermitcrab 3y ago
They have come close to being sued out of business on several occasions. Most notably by thief, bully and liar Robert Maxwell. Private Eye was one of the very few institutions to stand up to him during his (sadly much too long) lifetime.
- gpderetta 3y ago
  One of their legal battles[1], Harkell vs Pressdram[2], has become legendary and the precendent apparently referenced often in the UK legal system and beyond. [1] for very small values of "battle" [2] https://news.lettersofnote.com/p/arkell-v-pressdram https://news.lettersofnote.com/p/arkell-v-pressdram
  - hermitcrab 3y ago
    I hadn't seen that. Worth a look. ;0)
- hermitcrab 3y ago
  BTW I subscribe to Private Eye partly because it is interesting and funny, but mainly because they are one the few institutions in the UK that still seem to be doing proper investigative journalism and holding power to account. The rest have been hamstrung by Google et al taking all their advertising revenue or being owned by plutocrats (or both).