The Scoop Project - The Story So Far

Scoop has been a news innovator since it started in 1999. We’ve built a strong network of New Zealand communicators and built a platform which supports open press release publishing. Scoop also hosts partnership publications including Werewolf.co.nz, Pacific.scoop, Wellington.scoop and the Scoop Review of Books.

Our +500,000 monthly readers, millions of incoming links, and influential audience has made Scoop the ideal platform for developing a new business model for online news. We want to continue and expand on our collaborative role within the NZ news ecosystem.

We are now well along the way to transforming Scoop into a stable and sustainable not-for-profit independent media enterprise not reliant on dwindling advertising revenue.

• In 2013 Scoop launched the initial Scoop Foundation Project - to create a charitable Trust to fund investigative news projects.

• In 2014 “Operation Chrysalis”, transformed Scoop publishing company into a social enterprise owned by a not-for-profit foundation.

• In early 2015, 321 generous pledgers provided $36,874 to Incorporate Scoop's Publishing business into the Scoop Foundation for Public Interest Journalism.

• In November 2015, the Scoop Foundation raised $56,546 to continue development and sales of the commercial model and develop a community support base through "Scoop Foundation Membership"

• In 2016 the Foundation raised $18,337 and 11,000 respectively in two separate membership fundraising drives. This enabled the foundation to support investigative journalism projects and loans to Scoop Publishing to make much needed tech upgrades.

Back to the start

Scoop was born on June 10th 1999. The three founders were Andrew McNaughton, Ian Lewellyn and Alastair Thompson.

Scoop was quickly embraced by its target audience in the political and government sectors and delivered 131,000 page views in its first five weeks.

Something of a baptism under fire came for Scoop in September 1999 with coverage of the APEC meeting in Auckland and of the East Timor Crisis. Scoop has been joined earlier by Auckland Journalist Selwyn Manning, whose coverage of the APEC end of the crisis was nicely summed up in the article, Goodbye APEC - Has Been Nice Knowing You. Selwyn went on to also serve as Scoop's co-editor, editorial manager/director.

Ever since APEC and the East Timor crisis - the idea of NZ being involved in the wider world and the signs of hope engendered by the relatively peaceful resolution of the crisis - has remained part of the spirit of Scoop, and this spirit is shown in Scoop's ongoing coverage of international news from a uniquely New Zealand perspective.