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May 3, 2007

macuser

PC World Editor Harry McCracken resigns

Posted May. 3, ’07, 1:29 PM PT by Dan Moren
Category | MacUser

Harry McCrackenI saw with some surprise this morning that PC World Editor Harry McCracken had resigned. Reports are flying that he had refused to kill an anti-Apple article as requested by PC World CEO Colin Crawford (full disclosure: Crawford is also the president and CEO of Mac Publishing, which owns MacUser).

We’ve ribbed Harry a couple times in the past, but I had a chance to meet and chat with him at CES this year and I found him to be a very pleasant, knowledgeable fellow. I’m saddened to hear that he’ll be departing PC World, and wish him the best of luck in wherever he goes from here.


10 Comments

Fletcher said:

I think this story would have greater impact if the anti-Apple article weren't entitled "Ten Things We Hate About Apple". It doesn't exactly scream journalistic integrity.

May 3, 2007 3:23 PM
tayker Author Profile Page said:

If that defines integrity then a lot of Mac sites and magazines are a farce. What about MacWorld that changes their articles because Jobs isn't happy?

May 4, 2007 6:21 AM
Dan Moren Author Profile Page said:

@tayker: I certainly hope you have something more to back up that allegation than "I read it on the Internet, so it must be true."

May 4, 2007 7:18 AM
Walt Basil said:

“Journalistic integrity” and accusations aside, if someone doesn’t like the restrictions placed on him/her by the boss, they have two options. Accept or leave. He chose to leave. Those two choices are faced by countless people every day when they are faced with something they may not like. I don’ think it’s something to be heralded or berated. A simple business decision. Harry chose to leave because he apparently disliked the alternative worse than leaving.

May 4, 2007 8:45 AM
Jason Author Profile Page said:

"What about MacWorld that changes their articles because Jobs isn't happy?"

Unless you know something I don't -- which I doubt since I've worked at Macworld for 10 years -- that's a load of crap.

May 4, 2007 9:50 AM
tayker Author Profile Page said:

@everyone:
"Crawford was former CEO of MacWorld and only started at PC World about a month ago. According to the PC World source, when Crawford was working for the Mac magazine, Steve Jobs would call him up any time he had a problem with a story the magazine was running about Apple."
I hope someone who gets their information on the Internet and contributes to information on the Internet isn't calling me out on where I get my information.
Also, where a person works doesn't mean anything. Unless someone is monitoring phone calls, intercepting e-mails or is involved in upper management decisions then that person can't call it crap.
My point is this: Mac sites and magazines have articles like that ALL the time about Microsoft and Windows, so to question integrity isn't wise.

May 4, 2007 1:51 PM
Dan Moren Author Profile Page said:

Tayker, it might be wise to know who you're responding to. Jason Snell (who commented directly above you) is the Editorial Director of Macworld. So, erm, I think he would know.

May 4, 2007 2:55 PM
tayker Author Profile Page said:

Dan, thanks for educating me as to who he is.

My point was not to question his character, but to call attention to the fact that most Mac-related media frequently run similar articles that don't get the same level of scrutiny.

Also, did Jobs really call to complain about articles? I don't know. Is there going to be a Zune phone, in spite of what Ballmer says? I don't know. Either way, why take one person at their word yet question other people who appear to be in similar positions?

May 4, 2007 3:44 PM
Dan Moren said:

Tayker, my main issue was with your allegation that "MacWorld[...] changes their articles because Jobs isn't happy." As far as taking one person at their word while questioning another, that's a question you could apply to life in general. I trust what Jason says because a) he's in a position to know and b) I know him personally and have found him to be a straightforward, honest individual. I don't know the writer of the Wired article; while they may have information that I don't, the source in the piece is unnamed and very well might have their own axe to grind. I have no way of assessing their credibility and/or bias if they choose to not put their name to their comments. But, hey, that's their choice.

As to the alleged article itself, it seems a little silly to me to debate the content of an article that none of us have seen. We really don't know what it was about, but it seems that if it was worth someone resigning over, perhaps there's more to this whole situation.

May 4, 2007 8:17 PM
Dave-O nee Dave said:

I think the "journalistic integrity" argument is off the mark. The fact is he supposedly resigned over a fluff piece. I can understand resigning over an important story, but this wasn't by all accounts. It seems clear to me that McCracken was already unhappy.

May 5, 2007 9:04 AM

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