Red Pepper: a new model for the alternative press?

This article revisits Comedia's assessment and theory of the alternative press. In its examination of the radical projects and press in the 1970s and 1980s, the group pointed out some internal weaknesses and the failure of the alternative press to take advantage of some `useful' aspects of capitalism. It suggested that the alternative press, in order to escape from the ghetto of marginality, should employ mainstream economic and organizational technique to put finances on a firmer footing. This article examines Comedia's view by looking at the founding and history of Red Pepper, which can be seen as a test bed for Comedia's theory. The article presents the Comedia position in its intellectual context. By outlining the background to the launch of the magazine, which was organized according to the principles that were set out by Comedia, and through detailed analysis of its organization and financing, the Comedia theory of the alternative press is shown to be wrong. It suggests that the more commercially sophisticated model of an alternative press independent of the party is not viable.