Hard News by Russell Brown on the Public Address website covered satire gone wrong - where Jeremy Wells got criticised for his satirical take on Mike Hosking - and "the rise of fake news" this week.
How can newspapers survive with the growth in news consumption online? And it is not all lightweight trash either - this week I read an outstanding interview with journalist Sarah Smarsh on the Longreads blog, following up from her "Poor Teeth" essay, about the experience growing up "bone of the bone of them that live in trailer homes".
It's a must-read piece on the challenges of prejudice in reporting as well as giving insight into someone who provides a rare voice in the industry.
Smarsh said: "Most journalists, I'd wager, don't have direct experience with poverty but are somewhat aware of their own privilege, and that translates to treating reporting of poverty preciously and yet at a distance ...
"Do you think you're telling the untold story because you drove your own car into the ghetto to get some quotes and a few shots of shivering children for a write-up on a family who had their heat turned off?
"If you'd stuck around you might have seen that family build an electric-blanket fort in the middle of the living room, huddle over a game of Monopoly and crack up all night long about how screwed they are."
Clearly there are journalists we respect telling stories that matter, plus entertaining us, out there - why do they keep hitting the bottom of the barrel in the popularity stakes?
Of course, some of them make mistakes - so do doctors and police officers but you don't see the whole profession's reputation getting wiped out because of a few.
In the past week we have had well-respected but lesser-known Mihingarangi Forbes from Maori TV's current affairs programme Native Affairs resign, allegedly due to management interference with stories. Journalists have principles.
I watched an episode of Seven Sharp the other night and even though I am not a fan of Hosking's angle on many things, it wasn't as bad as I recall. Sometimes we can get a bit precious about the quality of our news - there are good people, chasing important stories, giving a voice to those without power and influence.
I think it's time journos shifted up the ranks - they do a pretty good job if you stop and take notice.
-Nicola Young has worked in the government and private sectors in Australia and NZ and now works from home in Taranaki for a national charitable foundation. Educated at Wanganui Girls' College, she has a science degree and is the mother of two boys.
