The Oxford Forum

The Oxford Forum is a student-run termly magazine distributed freely to Oxford colleges, the Oxford Union and selected university buildings.

The magazine is distinguished among student publications for its striking covers, high quality photography, and serious discussion. It also mixes undergraduate writers with distinguished experts, thereby offering a unique and informed perspective on world events.

Contributors

The Forum boasts an impressive list of former contributors, including:

  • Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama
  • Stephen Fry
  • Sir Simon Jenkins
  • Melanie Phillips
  • Shami Chakrabarti
  • John Simpson
  • Timothy Garton Ash
  • Lord Butler of Brockwell
  • George Osborne
  • Joseph Nye
  • Sir Peter Stothard
  • Richard Griffiths
  • John Lloyd
  • Sir Ivor Roberts (ambassador)
  • David Butler
  • Simon Hughes
  • Frances Cairncross
  • Michael Oren
  • George Monbiot
  • Jared Diamond
  • Mark Leonard
  • Tim Gardam
  • Mark Almond
  • Baron Bew

History

The Forum, as the magazine is colloquially known, was founded in early 2005 with an aim to debate culture, media and current affairs. It was originally an off-shoot of the Oxford Media Society, although the magazine is now published and funded by Oxford Student Services Ltd, the commercial branch of OUSU.

Each issue of the magazine comprises six sections. In its early days, the Forum focused on international development, British politics, new media and culture, although the magazine has since expanded its scope to look at a diverse range of issues such as homelessness, devolution, mental health, globalisation, gender, ethics and higher education.