Editor's desk: Week of June 5, 2006

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Friday June 9

Sir Anthony O'Reilly, chief executive of Independent News & Media (which part-owns nzherald.co.nz, the New Zealand Herald and many other titles in New Zealand) has been speaking positively at the company's AGM about the ability of traditional media to deliver mass audiences to advertisers.
- - - posted 2.00pm by Neil Sanderson


The stats are in and here's what drew the most readers this week on nzherald:

1. Women drivers abducted and sexually assaulted

2. $2400 worker's payout for filthy graffiti

3. Recognition caps big week for Umaga

4. Refugees rob elderly in $100,000 bank card scam

5. Taxi firm ordered off road
- - - posted 1.15pm by Neil Sanderson


The Herald's Robin Martin is in Germany for the World Cup, and posting his thoughts in a World Cup blog. You can also send him your comments or questions.
- - - posted 10.55am by Neil Sanderson


Thursday June 8

Deputy Editor Paul Smith has been busy co-ordinating our coverage of the Fifa World Cup which starts this weekend. Be sure to check out the video clips and if you start to lose track of the results, you can find them all in one place on our fixtures page.
- - - posted 1.30pm by Neil Sanderson


Adrian Holovaty is a pioneer in data mashing or, to use his official title, Editor of Editorial Innovations at washingtonpost.com. As one of a rare breed of journalist/programmers Adrian looks for ways to organise and present information using databases. A couple of brilliant examples are his chicagocrime.org site and washingtonpost.com's 2006 election section. For more on Adrian's work and thoughts, I recommend reading Robert Niles' interview in the Online Journalism Review.
- - - posted 10.45am by Neil Sanderson


The Committee to Protect Journalists says 73 journalists have been killed in Iraq since hostitilies began in March 2003. But journalists continue to volunteer for Baghdad postings in order to cover what one of them calls "the most important story of our generation". The New York Observer talks with three New York Times reporters preparing for war duty.
- - - posted 10.00am by Neil Sanderson


Wednesday June 7

Reader question: Why post only the top line of your editors desk in the RSS feed. If you posted more then i could follow the links from my RSS reader.
- - - posted by Ian

Response: That's true Ian, but then you might decide not to visit nzherald.co.nz, and we'd miss you! ;{-)
- - - posted 2.50pm by Neil Sanderson


Reader comment: I find the Herald Premium Content concept very frustrating. Stuff, The Melbourne Age, The SMH do not have such a pay to read policy. It has spoilt my enjoyment of a very good website. Surely you have enough advertising to pay for site. I would be very willing to subscribe to the on-line edition but not for the high rates you charge for Premium content.
- - - posted by Maureen

Response: Thanks for the feedback Maureen. The Premium Content charges apply to only a small portion of each day's content so there's still plenty to read free of charge. I'm glad to hear you say you would be prepared to subscribe (as many readers already do). I think there's good value in our Premium Content, but we're always working to make it better, and welcome your suggestions.
- - - posted 12.45pm by Neil Sanderson


Police will conduct a 12-month trial of the 50,000-volt Taser stun gun starting in September in Auckland and Wellington. If approved, the Taser could become standard issue for frontline staff in selected districts. Opponents, who held a public meeting in Auckland last night, say police could abuse the Taser as a compliance tool. We'd like to hear what you think. Please visit our Stun guns feature and post your comments on our Readers' Views page.
- - - posted 11.00am by Neil Sanderson


Tuesday June 6

Today, we begin a 4-part series in our Technology & Science section called IT and the NZ economy. Over the next month, we'll look at how New Zealand can improve its business productivity through information and communications technology. With the Government's recent unbundling decision, "cheaper, faster broadband" seems to be on the way. But will productivity gains and improved standard of living naturally follow? Today's chart sets the scene for this discussion.
- - - posted 3.00pm by Neil Sanderson


The weekend story from Toronto that Canadian police had arrested 17 people in a suspected terrorist plot highlights a couple of interesting points for a journalist:

Sign of the times No. 1. The story was a scoop for the Toronto Star, whose editor in chief credits his paper's coverage, which caught the city's three other daily papers off-guard, to a decision two years ago to appoint a full-time national security reporter.

Sign of the times No. 2. The story was actually broken on the Star website Friday evening as police were making their raids, with 3000 words of coverage appearing in the print edition the next morning.


Monday June 5

It's a public holiday of course and I hope you'll have time to read our coverage of the Queen's Birthday Honours announced this morning. There are some inspiring stories there. Congratulations to all the winners.