Published four times a year, the LIP invites people like you to contribute the kind of work that you want to produce. In turn, we publish the kind of work that you want to see. In order for the LIP to develop, we need to hear from as many of you as possible – that’s why we’ve included a questionnaire in this issue. Completing it will only take a couple of minutes, and when you do, you stand the chance of winning a whole bunch of goodies.

We want to provide as much exposure for our network of freelance writers and contributors as possible. So if you know of likeminded people who you think would be interested in reading and contributing to the magazine, point them in our direction.

Where better to start this new phase of the LIP than with a look at the media itself. The recent BBC/Reuters We Media poll found that 61% of those questioned trusted the media more than their own government. And yet, as Alice Fordham observes, the UK is still typified by a lingering distrust for those who deliver us our daily news. More and more emphasis is being placed on the importance of citizen journalists and bloggers, such as Tim Worstall who explains the relevance of the perceived ‘revolution’ in journalism. The threat of democratising the press is perhaps not as new as some may think. Laura Keynes discusses how the life of a hack in the 18th century wasn’t much different from today.

In a world in which political opinion is increasingly shaped by media representation (see Tom Wipperman), the views of Dr Phil Edwards of the BNP make for fascinating, if nauseating reading. With press officers like Edwards, who needs enemies?

Our impressions of the wider world are frequently mediated by the glare of the cameraman’s lens. Alex Masi’s photos accompanied by text by Leo Warner illustrate that what the media don’t show is often as important as what they do. The phenomenon of ‘unrecognised villages’ in Israel demonstrates how mass media attention can actually distract from other injustices, which, for whatever reason, are not deemed as newsworthy.

The question of what to show and what not to show, especially in sensitive situations is a concern for both journalists and broadcasters alike. The balance between honest reporting and respect for those caught up in the horrors of war is a difficult one to strike, as The Times war correspondent, Anthony Loyd explains. Honesty and integrity are two of the main tenets of all good journalism, yet are often the most challenged. Al Jazeera’s Head of International and Media relations, Satnam Matharu tells the LIP how even media organisations like Al Jazeera are not immune to misrepresentation in the press.

Writer and media expert, Philip Meyer, has suggested that extrapolating from today’s declining print news readership, the last reader will pop his or her paper into the bin in 2040. The challenges against publications are tougher now than at any other time in history. With your help, the LIP will continue to take bold steps into what is already a vastly overpopulated, media-saturated world, confident that the value we place in our writers and the quality we present to our readers make the challenge one that is well worth tackling. You are welcome to join us.

In compiling this issue, it has become clear that the catalyst for turning religion from a unifying force to a divisive threat is ignorance. Ignorance of other religions, of other peoples and of other cultures. Refreshing, then, to read of the work of the organisers of the Children of Abraham internship in creating real opportunities for people of diverse backgrounds to share their own experiences of religion and, more importantly, to learn from the experiences of others.

In his interview with the LIP, broadcaster Rabbi Lionel Blue observes that the mix of ‘politics with religion is a lethal cocktail.’ Belonging to a religion carries with it certain political and social consequences and the headlines in recent months have shown a blurring between the political and religious domains. For those of us living in societies in which expression of religious conviction is allowed, the stories of those oppressed in other parts of the world (see Dharma Police page 9) should be a reminder that it is a right which should not be taken for granted.

Religious diversity is one of the central tenets of a successful multicultural society. It is in a climate of ignorance and fear that the paranoia kicks in, prompting the questioning of loyalties – can an individual be true to both religion and country (see our Film Reviews) as though the two are mutually exclusive. As American writer Elbert Hubbard pointed out, ‘religions are many and diverse, but reason and goodness are one.’ The true common-ground that exists between us all, regardless of creed and colour is our humanity, and that is what should exist at the core of all religions.

One organisation that is well accustomed to mediating between such arguments is the United Nations. The recent Iraq crisis exposed the UN to a barrage of criticisms from almost every political angle, including George W. Bush’s notorious threat that the organisation would be rendered irrelevant if it failed to enforce its own resolutions on Iraq in a manner approved of by George’s administration.

Now that the war is over and the UN was neither able to endorse it nor prevent it, the question of the UN’s utility is even more pertinent. We open this, the Liberation Issue of the LIP, by allowing Edward Mortimer, Director of Communications in the office of the UN Secretary-General, to put his case forward for the relevancy of his employers.

However fractured and imperfect the United Nations may be, its spirit of cross-cultural dialogue should surely be commended by all those who claim to be supporters of multiculturalism. The LIP rejects the idea that absolutism – epitomised in the coarse nature of wartime propaganda – provides a healthy model for interaction on any level.

In Britain, one of our most respected living philosophers takes a different view. Roger Scruton is a self-confessed opponent of both multiculturalism and globalisation. In a challenging interview with Tim Glencross, he outlines his suspicion of the UN and his opposition to its multilateral ideals.

By contrast, Ziauddin Sardar, co-author of Why Do People Hate America? provides us with a strong defence for multiculturalism on the basis that it is ‘all about subverting the power of Western civilisation.’ For Ziauddin, the process of encouraging multiculturalism is primarily a way of resisting Western domination on an international scale, and transforming our precepts internally.

Despite the uncertainties of our current historical moment, Ziauddin is hopeful that we can work to create a future based on a dialogue, rather than a clash, of civilisations. Learning to accept that no-one has a monopoly on the truth – that we all see things differently – is surely the first step.

The Level Information Project was conceived to provide a defiantly pro-multicultural platform for students across the country and beyond, to engage in an ongoing debate on what it means to live in an increasingly ‘globalised’ world. As always, the cutting edge of student writing is presented alongside contributions from more established writers and cultural critics. The result is an inspirational cacophony of voices and perspectives – often contradictory, always contentious.

You will find our pages filled with comment and criticism from the world of art, and the world of politics. It is our firm contention that cultures are both formed and informed by a web of artistic and political influences, and that any serious attempt at their extrication is dishonest at worst, futile at best.

If support for multiculturalism is to mean more than travelling abroad or listening to rap records, it is vital we do not flinch from addressing the difficult questions that arise in our contemporary context. The overwhelming number of submissions we received ahead of this, our launch issue, suggests we are supported by a great reservoir of like-minded others.

If multiculturalism is, as Hanif Kureishi suggests, ‘the idea that one might be changed by other ideas’ then the application of this project is infinite. We are only just beginning.

The founders of the LIP believe that the political climate of the day raises a number of concerns that students are well placed to address in an independent publication produced for them, by them. The rise in the prominence of the Far Right both in Britain and across the European continent, the upsurge in anti-Arab, Islamophobic and anti-Jewish attacks related to internal and external political affairs, and the apparent crisis over those seeking asylum in Britain demands a proactive response from the student community.

If prejudice is born of ignorance, the LIP will counteract such ignorance with intelligent news, reviews and analysis of what it means to live in an increasingly ‘globalised’ world. By showcasing articles from those studying and living in Britain and abroad, we will both reflect and promote the diversity of our student communities and the wider global society.

Students have historically been at the forefront of fighting for social justice, insisting that society treat all its citizens with equality and fairness. The LIP aims to support and re-energise an emerging generation of student activists, particularly encouraging contributions from minority ethnic students.

The articles featured in this preview provide a select sample of the material we will attract as part of the wider project. The LIP is now seeking contributors, collaborators, advertisers and supporters for the February launch issue. If you would like to become part of the team, or discuss any details of the project, please contact: editor@theLIP.org.