Editor of New Scientist who saw the magazine’s circulation double during his 10 years at the helmNew Scientist, the weekly founded in 1956, owes its continuing success to Bernard Dixon, its editor from 1969 to 1979. Thanks to his own blend of curiosity, enthusiasm and scepticism, he struck a successful – and at the time, unique – balance between accessible science reporting, analysis of new technology and scrutiny of the relationships between science, government and society.
Combined with a good dose of irreverent humour and covers that drew on the best of contemporary graphic design, this formula saw the magazine’s circulation almost double over the decade of Dixon’s tenure and provided a model for his successors.