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Finlay Macdonald (editor)

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Finlay Macdonald (born 1961)[1] is a New Zealand journalist, editor, publisher and broadcaster. He is best known for editing the New Zealand Listener (1998–2003).[2][3][4][5] Macdonald was appointed New Zealand Editor: Politics, Business & Arts of the online media site The Conversation in April 2020.[6] He lives in Auckland with his partner, media executive Carol Hirschfeld. They have two children.[7][8] His father was the late journalist Iain Macdonald.[9]

Career

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Macdonald began his career as a junior reporter for the NZ Listener, later becoming a senior writer, before leaving to pursue a freelance career, during which time he researched and wrote television documentaries and was for two years a regular scriptwriter for TVNZ's long-running drama series Shortland Street.[citation needed]

From 1996 to 1997 Macdonald was a senior writer for Metro magazine,[10] before returning to the Listener as deputy editor under then-editor Paul Little. When Little left, Macdonald was appointed editor, and hired Steve Braunias from Metro as deputy editor.[4][11]

Macdonald has said that highlights of editing the Listener included driving its coverage of the 9/11 terror attacks and New Zealand's response to the subsequent "War on Terror", and launching the magazine's first website.[3] 

Notable writers he commissioned to contribute to the Listener included C.K Stead (an obituary of New Zealand writer Janet Frame),[12] Michael King, Alexander Cockburn and Christopher Hitchens (on the death of Princess Diana).[3]

Between 2004 and 2006 he was a commissioning editor for Penguin Books New Zealand.[13]  During this time, Macdonald encouraged former New Zealand Prime Minister David Lange to write his memoir, David Lange: My Life.[14] The book's publication coincided with the death of Lange in 2005, and remains a best-seller.

From 2006 to 2010 Macdonald wrote a weekly column for the Sunday Star-Times (which he has compared to writing a Listener editorial);[3] and was also the paper's literary editor.[13]

More recently he has written for North & South magazine, The Spinoff, Radio New Zealand and Newsroom. In 2013 he authored The Life and Art of Lynley Dodd an illustrated retrospective of the New Zealand children's author's work. From 2015 to 2017 he was the New Zealand publisher for HarperCollins[15][16][17] where he specialised in non-fiction works, including New Zealand musician Dave McArtney's memoir Gutter Black,[18] Flying Nun Records founder Roger Shepherd's memoir In Love With These Times,[19] and the celebrated New Zealand writer James McNeish's final book, Breaking Ranks.

Macdonald has worked as a documentary producer/reporter or presenter for television series The Good Word (TVNZ 7);[20] Talk Talk (TVNZ 7); NewsBites (Maori Television Service) and The Book Show (TVNZ).[21] As host and moderator he launched the first seasons of the Auckland Museum LATE series of debates and lectures,[22] has been a regular chair at the annual Auckland Writers Festival, and has hosted the University of Auckland's Bright Lights event for distinguished alumni since 2013.[23]

Education

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Awards

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References

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  1. ^ Macdonald, Finlay (August 2011). "Here's to the Class of '61". North & South.
  2. ^ "Macdonald to quit the 'Listener'". 27 November 2003. ISSN 1170-0777. Retrieved 4 August 2019.
  3. ^ a b c d "Masterpieces: Finlay MacDonald on The Listener". RNZ. 9 February 2017. Retrieved 4 August 2019.
  4. ^ a b Braunias, Steve (2001). Fool's paradise. Auckland, N.Z.: Random House New Zealand. ISBN 1-86941-483-7. OCLC 49920372.
  5. ^ "Who is the Listener listening to? | Scoop News". www.scoop.co.nz. 4 July 2008. Retrieved 4 August 2019.
  6. ^ Minchin, Liz (20 April 2020). "Finlay Macdonald joins The Conversation in New Zealand". The Conversation. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  7. ^ "Romantic Recollections: Carol Hirschfield – New Zealand Weddings Magazine". New Zealand Weddings. Archived from the original on 23 June 2019. Retrieved 4 August 2019.
  8. ^ Husband, Dale (13 February 2016). "Carol Hirschfeld: I love the mission in front of us". E-Tangata. Retrieved 5 August 2019.
  9. ^ Macdonald, Finlay (6 April 2008). "My Dad and Wahine Day". Sunday Star Times. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  10. ^ Little, Paul (June 1996). "Editorial". Metro.
  11. ^ "Books: "Kind of a Dimwit" – An Interview with Steve Braunias". The Spinoff. 4 November 2015. Retrieved 4 August 2019.
  12. ^ "CK Stead on Janet Frame's unmistakable quality of genius". Noted. Retrieved 8 August 2019.
  13. ^ a b "Finlay Macdonald". www.penguin.co.nz. Retrieved 4 August 2019.
  14. ^ O'Neil, Tom (27 June 2014). "Tom O'Neil: Life's purest rewards can take a little time". ISSN 1170-0777. Retrieved 4 August 2019.
  15. ^ "Is this the end for NZ publishing?". Stuff. 15 September 2013. Retrieved 4 August 2019.
  16. ^ "Writer: Finlay MacDonald - Writers • Auckland Writers Festival". www.writersfestival.co.nz. Retrieved 5 August 2019.
  17. ^ "Beattie's Book Blog - unofficial homepage of the New Zealand book community: Finlay Macdonald leaving publishing". Beattie's Book Blog. 22 February 2016. Retrieved 5 August 2019.
  18. ^ "Gutter Black Event, 24th May 2014". unitybooks.nz. Retrieved 5 August 2019.
  19. ^ Shepherd, Roger (2016). In love with these times : my life with Flying Nun Records. Auckland, New Zealand. ISBN 9781775540892. OCLC 946520752.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  20. ^ "NZ On Screen". www.nzonscreen.com. Retrieved 5 August 2019.
  21. ^ "Host Finlay Macdonald". TVNZ Ondemand. Retrieved 5 August 2019.
  22. ^ "James Belich at Auckland Museum, 28 November". The New Zealand Historical Association. 11 November 2017. Retrieved 4 August 2019.
  23. ^ "Distinguished Alumni videos: Bright Lights 2019 - The University of Auckland". www.auckland.ac.nz. Retrieved 5 August 2019.
  24. ^ "Finlay Macdonald: The kindness of strangers – The University of Auckland". www.auckland.ac.nz. Retrieved 4 August 2019.
  25. ^ "50 of the Best" (PDF).
  26. ^ "Wolfson Fellowship". Voyager Media Awards. Retrieved 4 August 2019.
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