Where are all the columns?
Arrargh. The NZ Herald has modified its website and the very useful Opinion section has moved and changed.
It’s moved it to under News which is fine. Worked that out pretty easily. But now it lists editorials only. It used to have all the columns and guest op-eds for the day together – was very very handy. But now it is just the editorials.
Please someone change it back. Or set up another section called Columns.
No TweetBacks yet. (Be the first to Tweet this post)
Tags: Media, NZ Herald
March 6th, 2008 at 9:10 am
I got to other Opinion headlines by clicking on a teaser for Garth George under featured stories on the right of the page and other op pieces were listed to the right of his. But yes, I second your motion to change it back or set up another section called Columns.
March 6th, 2008 at 10:03 am
“Please change it back”, mmmm perhaps there should be a renaming of the NZ Herald to the DPF Herald ( NZ Edition ).
It’s a fair request, but came out sounding awefully like an instruction.
[DPF: Heh more like a plaintive cry from the wild]
March 6th, 2008 at 10:22 am
Talk about the Herald changing. There’s IMHO too many topics posted too frequently on Kiwiblog these days also. One just gets into a good exchange and its gone. No chance for in depth discussion or reading. Surely three or four issues a day is enough?
[DPF: It's a fair point. To some degree it depends on how many things happen that day of interest. Ideally I'd like to have 3 - 4 serious issues a day only and maybe 3 - 4 lighter posts also. ]
March 6th, 2008 at 11:45 am
I’d heard that they were tired of bloggers doing selective cut and pastes on their opinion pieces, so they decided to make it harder to find them.
March 6th, 2008 at 12:31 pm
Really Tamaki? Who are these lazy bloggers that apparently can’t think for themselves? Boy how i’d like to give them a good mocking
March 6th, 2008 at 12:56 pm
Perhaps Auckland’s daily newspaper has decided to focus more on reporting NEWS and FACTS, instead of OPINIONS?
(No, that would be a cold day in hell wouldn’t it…)
March 6th, 2008 at 1:52 pm
I don’t think any newspaper focuses on ‘news’ and ‘facts’ these days. Papers should be looked at just like any another form of entertainment in my view.
March 6th, 2008 at 2:08 pm
Yes it could be part of a GWRC plot or (if we take our tinfoil hats off for a moment…) it could be that they’re messing round trying to find a model whereby they can leverage revenue from the web. Remember how they tried charging for access to opinion pieces – a move that was decried by Russell Brown, DPF and others at the time?
Eventually it failed – as all pay-for-content models not offering some sort of sexual content seem doomed to do. I do hope they’re not having second thoughts about somehow limiting access to the site. Publishers are constantly looking at ways to turn a dollar fromtheir sites (other than online advertising) and of course they have every right to do so. But the market has fairly clearly indicated – to everyone from the Herald to MSN (Slate) that pay-for-content isn’t the way to go.
March 6th, 2008 at 2:30 pm
Perhaps they are all waiting approval from Martin Simons? It seems that he is driving the op-ed for all APN these days. No wonder they can keep sacking journalists over at the Herald, the stories are all generated between the Mr. Simons and Mr. Key’s offices…
March 6th, 2008 at 2:50 pm
Hmm, they all seem to be under other headings – eg, all the political commentary is under News -> Politics.
March 6th, 2008 at 6:52 pm
Don’t you hate it when sites don’t do their user research?
March 6th, 2008 at 7:17 pm
Or maybe they’ve decided to distribute their opinion pieces throughout the paper in order to increase the chances of readers mistaking them for NEWS?
March 7th, 2008 at 12:33 am
Get on the blower to National then and I’m sure they’ll get the Herald to change it back for you.
March 7th, 2008 at 12:46 am
I was on the Herald site looking for something sensible (T.M. columns) and I found some blog links.
Surprisingly it is about what the owners of the Herald are doing to their newspaper’s editorial independence at the behest of the National Party.
http://www.thestandard.org.nz/?p=1317.