Booth was born on 9 September 1929 in
Levin and raised in
Hāwera. His first journalism job was on the
Hawera Star in 1947. In 1950, he became a general reporter for
The Auckland Star, in the first of what became several periods working at the paper, covering everything from sports to politics and crime. In May 1971,
Bishop Delargey of Auckland appointed Booth the editor (in succession to the conservative
Denzil Meuli) of the Catholic newspaper
Zealandia – the first layman to be appointed its editor. In that capacity he condemned the rock musical
Hair, which featured a brief full nudity scene. The New Zealand production was prosecuted and Booth appeared as a police witness. Booth returned to work for
The Auckland Star, and covered the Mr Asia drug syndicate and the Arthur Allan Thomas cases. Booth began a seven-year campaign to free Thomas. In the late 1970s, Booth uncovered the brutal Mr Asia drugs syndicate and one of its key players,
Terry Clark. Despite considerable threats, Booth died at a rest home in
Kumeū, after a short illness, on 31 January 2018, at the age of 88. ==References==