438,000+ posting their news comments

Nearly 14 in every 100 New Zealand adults has posted comments on stories on news media web sites.

A July 7-14 HorizonPoll result comes at a time when Radio New Zealand has announced it is turning off comments at its web site.

However, the Horizon survey of 616 adults, representing the adult population nationwide at the last census, finds 13.7% have posted on news media web sites, the equivalent of 438,257 people.

While Radio New Zealand and some media offshore argue comments are fraught and often "toxic", the Horizon research finds that the occupation groups in which most post comments are professionals (like accountants and lawyers) and senior Government offcials (43.4% of this group have posted), followed by business managers and executives (26.1% have posted comments). 

Horizon's research indicates Radio New Zealand National's 18+ audience in the past month to be about 575,000, with 67,000 adults overall visiting its web site.

RNZ says it wants to concentrare on its journalism and reflecting it's charter.

Clause 5d of its charter says the public radio company must endeavour to provide services of the highest quality, which "foster critical thought, and informed and wide-ranging debate".

Comments on this result are open at Horizon's Facebook site:

https://www.facebook.com/HorizonResearchNZ