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Thread ID: 78962 2007-05-03 21:39:00 PC World editor resigns over apparent ad pressure paulw (1826) PC World Chat
Post ID Timestamp Content User
546759 2007-05-03 21:39:00 news.com.com

Award-winning Editor-in-Chief Harry McCracken of US PC World resigned Tuesday over disagreements with the magazine's publisher regarding stories critical of advertisers, according to sources.

Now that sort of preasure wouldn't happen here would it??
paulw (1826)
546760 2007-05-03 21:51:00 No, it would not. Biggles (121)
546761 2007-05-03 22:02:00 No, it would not.


Such a definitive answer, and such a relief... oh wait- that was a build-up of methane :D
Shortcircuit (1666)
546762 2007-05-03 23:47:00 Is that a definite "No, he wouldn't resign, just shrug" or a "No, we would never be critical of advertisers", a "No, not unless the publisher told him to" or (probably) "No, it is not a good idea to put tea in the coffee machine".

Today of all days, Use the Force.
R2x1 (4628)
546763 2007-05-04 01:35:00 Maybe its No, We are all on the same page.

After all, Vista+PCworld = Love.

Gah.:xmouth:
Metla (12)
546764 2007-05-04 02:42:00 news.com.com

Award-winning Editor-in-Chief Harry McCracken of US PC World resigned Tuesday over disagreements with the magazine's publisher regarding stories critical of advertisers, according to sources.

Now that sort of preasure wouldn't happen here would it??

...and a little different spin:


PC World CEO seriously injured after falling into credibility gap: If you've ever harbored any vague suspicions about the relationship between big, glossy PC magazines and the companies that buy big, glossy advertisements, this will do nothing to increase your confidence. According to multiple sources who talked to Wired, CNet and anyone else who would listen, PC World's award-winning Editor-in-Chief Harry McCracken has quit the IDG publication because new CEO Colin Crawford was pressuring him to avoid stories critical of major advertisers. Specifically, according to Wired, Crawford wanted McCracken to kill what was described as light-hearted list of gibes titled "Ten Things We Hate About Apple." Crawford has been CEO at PC World for about a month, coming over after a stint at sister publication MacWorld, where he reportedly had a cozy relationship with Apple CEO Steve Jobs. Coming on top of Crawford's general dictum to play nice with ad clients, sources said, this was just too much for McCracken, who apparently retains some old-fashioned notions about journalistic credibility.

McCracken wouldn't go into detail about the dust-up beyond ascribing his departure to "some fundamental disagreements with Colin," and left his bridges unburned. "I've worked at IDG for 16 years. It's been unbelievably good to me, and I have 10,000 great memories, so I'm not leaving an unhappy person," he told Wired's Kim Zetter. But sources inside the mag were not so generous. "Everybody is so proud of Harry but we're devastated that he's gone," one told Zetter. "This is no way to run a magazine. But unfortunately, this looks like an indication of what we've got in store (from the new boss)." Another told CNet, "It saddens us all that Harry, a PC World institution, decided to leave. But dammit, we're proud of him for doing it."

and another:


I've run into this before, beginning over 20 years ago when a major computer magazine asked me to add negatives to a software review because the publisher had cancelled some of its advertising. (For details, see my posts on this subject at http://mikebanks.blogspot.com .)

If advertising "partners" are protected against negative reviews, or non-advertisers are slammed, it begins to look like payola. As in, "Pay us [advertise] and we'll sing your product's praises; don't pay and we'll bury it."
SurferJoe46 (51)
546765 2007-05-04 02:42:00 Or, "no the bastards would have to sack me". Murray P (44)
546766 2007-05-06 01:49:00 Good on him for sticking to his principles. dolby digital (5073)
546767 2007-05-06 01:51:00 After all, Vista+PCworld = Love.


Microsoft sponsored the front cover :D
dolby digital (5073)
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