Donna Chisholm Explained

Donna Elise Chisholm (born 9 June 1957) is a New Zealand investigative journalist and author.^[1]

Career

Chisholm was the first female chief reporter at the Auckland Star newspaper.^[2] Former New Zealand Listener editor Jenny Wheeler has called her the most "outstanding health reporter New Zealand's ever seen."^[3] She is best known for her campaign in the Sunday Star-Times to free David Dougherty from prison for a rape he did not commit.^{[4] [5]} Dougherty was subsequently exonerated and awarded $868,728 in compensation.^{[6] [7]} Chisholm's six-year investigation was dramatised in the 2009 Television New Zealand film Until Proven Innocent,^[8] and recounted in the 2017 book A Moral Truth: 150 years of investigative journalism in New Zealand by James Hollings.^[9]

Chisholm is the author of the book From the Heart, a biography of the heart surgeon Brian Barratt-Boyes.^[10]

She lives in Auckland, and was formerly the editor-at-large for monthly current affairs magazine North & South, and senior writer for the weekly New Zealand Listener.

Awards

• 2000: New Zealand Qantas Media Awards Newspaper Feature Writer of the Year^[11]
• 2004: New Zealand Qantas Media Awards Newspaper Feature Writer of the Year^[12]
• 2011: Canon Media Awards Magazine Feature Writer of the Year: the Helen Paske Trophy^[13]
• 2016: Canon Media Awards Science and Technology Feature Writing award^[14]
• 2017: Outstanding achievement award at the 2017 Voyager Media Awards
• 2018: Voyager Media Awards Science and Technology Award, joint winner^[15]

Notes and References

1. Web site: 2017 Winners. Voyager Media Awards. en-NZ. 7 June 2019.
2. News: Behind the Story. December 2018. North & South.
3. News: Dauntless Donna. Shepheard. Nicola. January 2003. North & South magazine. 68–75.
4. News: Stuff. 30 May 2009. Sunday Star Times.
5. Web site: Forensic Science. 17 August 2009. www.scoop.co.nz. 7 June 2019.
6. News: Arrest interrupts sentencing. Koubaridis. Andrew. 26 May 2011. 7 June 2019. en-NZ. 1170-0777.
7. News: David Dougherty, who was wrongly convicted of rape and abduction, dies of cancer at age 50. Anna. Leask. Sam. Hurley. 28 April 2017. 7 June 2019. en-NZ. 1170-0777.
8. Web site: Crime Watch: DVD Review: Until Proven Innocent (the David Dougherty Story). 30 August 2009. Crime Watch. 7 June 2019.
9. Book: Hollings, James H.. A moral truth: 150 years of investigative journalism in New Zealand. 9780994141583. Auckland, New Zealand. 993043075. 2017.
10. Book: Chisholm, Donna. From the heart: a biography of Sir Brian Barratt-Boyes. 1987. Reed Methuen. 0474002128. Auckland [N.Z.]. 21077473.
11. Web site: Qantas Media Awards – Print Results. 25 May 2001. www.scoop.co.nz. 9 June 2019.
12. Web site: Qantas Media Awards 2004 – Print Results. 16 May 2005. www.scoop.co.nz. 10 June 2019.
13. News: North & South wins. July 2011. North & South.
14. Web site: 2016 Winners. Voyager Media Awards. en-NZ. 2019-07-27.
15. Web site: 2018 winners. Voyager Media Awards. en-NZ. 2019-07-27. 16 January 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200116095519/https://voyagermediaawards.nz/2018-winners. dead.