According to the Folio: article, McCracken resigned after PC World CEO Colin Crawford pulled a column titled “Ten Things We Hate About Apple.” According to a report on Wired, Crawford also told editors PC World's product reviews were too critical of vendors, especially advertisers, although IDG disputes that claim; Wired later excerpted a forum post by a PC World staffer who said the issue was that Crawford killed the article without even consulting McCracken. The article has now been published, and McCracken is back in his old position. Crawford, who was just promoted to the CEO position in March, has now been moved to a position as executive vice president, online (before becoming CEO, Crawford was senior VP- online). IDG announced that it is searching for a new CEO for PC World and Macworld.
Folio: likens the episode to the controversies over IntelliTXT paid links appearing within editorial copy (see here and here). A quote from Matt Kinsman's article:
It’s a situation that is in danger of becoming common. Unlike print, where content is physically managed by the editorial team, online just about everyone has access to content and a perspective—inappropriate or not—of what to do with it.Related articles:
- "PC World Editor Resigns Over Dispute" (Folio:, May 3, 2007)
- "It's Hard To Know Who To Trust When PC World Is Afraid Of Steve Jobs And A 'Sad Mac' " (Jossip, May 3, 2007)
- "Editor in Chief Harry McCracken Returns to PCW" (PC World, May 9, 2007)
- "PC World Invites Harry Back to Fill Their Crack In" (Jossip, May 10, 2007)
- "A Nod to Journalistic Integrity Is Seen in an Editor’s Return" (The New York Times, May 14, 2007)
Updated May 14, 9:21 p.m.
Labels: Ethics, The Business of Publishing, Web
