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Scoop Turns 25!!!
Dear readers, subscribers, supporters, contributors, fans and friends.
25 years ago today Scoop.co.nz was launched on June 10th 1999.
It is thanks to your support that Scoop.co.nz is able to continue its mission to be a reliable source of truth. We are very grateful to you all.
Thank you also to all our staff contractors and suppliers, production team, editors and journalists over the last 25 years, we could not come this far without your dedication and efforts.
On the day of Scoop being turned on I remember posting our very first post. It read “Scoop Is Born!!!”, we were in the former Dominion Building, where my Grandfather had worked for decades in the 20th century.
Back then we were still using dial up internet. Those who remember those days may also remember the strange noises the modems made as they were starting up. This became a fairly constant theme of my life for the next decade at least.
Advertisement - scroll to continue readingIt was the beginning of a wild ride.
We opened a small office across the road from the police station in Victoria St and hired our first reporter – I think the building we were in belonged to the council. Our internet provider was Paradise, an early Wellington based ISP.
In September the East Timor Crisis started brewing and then later it was resolved at the APEC meeting in Auckland which were covered by our first volunteer contributor Selwyn Manning. Then at the end of the year the 1999 election was held. It was the second NZ MMP election, and one which saw the beginning of Helen Clark’s 3 term run as Prime Minister (link to the wayback machine).
Scoop remains committed to its mission to provide a news publication that is open to all New Zealanders to tell their stories, your victories and your concerns, achievements, plans and pain – and with your continued support we plan to do so for another 25 years.
Kind Regards
Alastair Thompson
Scoop Editor (From Bonn Germany)
Alastair Thompson
Scoop Publisher
Alastair Thompson is the co-founder of Scoop. He is of Scottish and Irish extraction and from Wellington, New Zealand. Alastair has 24 years experience in the media, at the Dominion, National Business Review, North & South magazine, Straight Furrow newspaper and online since 1997. He is the winner of several journalism awards for business and investigative work.
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