Scoop has risen to number two Best News Site in New Zealand by winning the highly commended award in the Best News Service category at New Zealand’s Netguide Awards in Auckland. Scoop’s win is a clear endorsement for concise news and persuasive commentary that advocates public interest ideals in an independent news environment with attitude.
Netguide said: “Public opinion: No one tells it like Scoop does, truthful, political, comprehensive and delivered by email.”
HIGHLY COMMENDED: www.scoop.co.nz
Netguide’s category description for Best News Service (sponsored by Red Sheriff) said: “The shape of news media has changed, and is changing still with the advent of the Net. We are looking for news sites that utilise the immediacy and technology of the Web to cover the latest breaking news stories, whilst also being easy to follow at a glance.”
Winner of the Best News Service was Stuff.co.nz owned by Australasian media giant Fairfax. Netguide said of Stuff: “Public opinion: All the latest news from any locality in New Zealand – easy to use, colourful and great coverage.”
Netguide said there were 77 New Zealand news websites entered in this year’s awards.
The Best News Service finalists were: www.ruralnews.co.nz, www.nzoom.com, www.newstalkzb.co.nz, www.nzherald.co.nz, www.xtramsn.co.nz.
Other Netguide Awards winners included Russell Brown in the Best Personal Blog category with his PublicAddress blog-site. Judge's Comments: “A good blog has a pleasing visual aesthetic. It provides useful and interesting information to the outsider, but it is infused with the personality of the blogger who creates it. It is a cathartic release for the writer, but it never degrades into self indulgent poetic drivel. It should be a part of the Internet, and not a black hole that stands alone. Many of the finalists achieve some of these goals, but I selected www.publicaddress.net because it provides a window into several blogs, each with personality and intelligence. There's something there for everyone.”
Russell Brown’s Public Address columns feature regularly on Scoop.
Scoop was a finalist in Netguide’s Best News Service category in 2002.