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
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]
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 2006, 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]
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]
^Shepherd, Roger (2016). In love with these times : my life with Flying Nun Records. Auckland, New Zealand. ISBN9781775540892. OCLC946520752.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
^"NZ On Screen". www.nzonscreen.com. Retrieved 5 August 2019.