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PC World Editor Resigns When Ordered Not to Criticize Advertisers

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the i-can-only-imagine dept.

bricko noted a story of our modern journalism world gone so wrong it makes me sad. "Editor-in-Chief Harry McCracken quit abruptly today because the company's new CEO, Colin Crawford, tried to kill a story about Apple and Steve Jobs." The link discusses that the CEO was the former head of MacWorld and would get calls from Jobs. Apparently he also told the staff that product reviews had to be nicer to vendors who advertise in the magazine. The sad thing is that given the economics of publishing in this day and age, I doubt anything even comes of this even tho it essentially confirms that PC World reviews should be thought of as no more than press releases. I know that's how I will consider links from them in the future. But congratulations to anyone willing to stick to their guns on such matters.

10 of 327 comments (clear)

  1. Good character by grub · · Score: 4, Funny


    That's good, an editor or news outfit should never be swayed by an advertiser. Guess I'll go read Slashdot's Intel Opinion Center now...

    --
    Trolling is a art,
    1. Re:Good character by drinkypoo · · Score: 4, Funny

      MacWorld is an awful magazine and has been for years.

      MacWorld is such garbage that even now that I use a Mac for work five days a week - and I don't think a day has passed in the last two months that I haven't had to do something with it - I actually dropped the MacWorld subscription that my employer was paying for.

      If you won't even allow the purchasing department to bring it to your desk so that you have reading material for when you're on the can... it's a message :P

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
  2. Harry McCracken? by Deadplant · · Score: 4, Funny

    Dude, this is obviously a late april fool's joke.

    Sincerely, I. P. Freely

    1. Re:Harry McCracken? by $RANDOMLUSER · · Score: 4, Funny

      He's being replaced by Aaron McColon.

      --
      No folly is more costly than the folly of intolerant idealism. - Winston Churchill
    2. Re:Harry McCracken? by MarkGriz · · Score: 4, Funny

      Harry,

      Ignore these morons and their childish comments.
      I'm so proud of you for standing up for what you believe in.

      Your brother,

      Phil

      --
      Beauty is in the eye of the beerholder.
  3. Re:Traditional Media is dieing by DriveDog · · Score: 5, Funny

    Yep. So is spelling.

  4. Re:Hey, it happens by PhxBlue · · Score: 4, Funny

    Yes, but that was a good thing. After all, it's John Dvorak we're talking about.

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    !#@%*)anks for hanging up the phone, dear.
  5. Can we please refrain from... by StressGuy · · Score: 4, Funny

    These tired, grade-school funny name jokes?

    Sincerely,

    Hugh G. Rection

    --
    A goal is a dream with a deadline
  6. Re:"Free" Press by gEvil+(beta) · · Score: 5, Funny

    The video game industry has suffered from this for ages. No matter how crappy or buggy the game, it would get good reviews from the rags and web sites.

    Good point. 4/5

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    This guy's the limit!
  7. Re:Traditional Media is dieing by Floritard · · Score: 5, Funny

    Only traditional spelling is dying. New spellings are born every day!