Editor-in-Chief of PC world leaves over advertising dispute
Running a publication of any sort is no easy task,
especially when you have to deal with and talk to the companies you write about
on a daily basis. This is the dilemma that faced award-winning Editor-in-Chief
Harry McCraken of PC World. According to reports, McCraken left PC World just
recently over a dispute with its publisher about advertisers. People close
to McCracken say that the editor left because he was pressured by his
publishers to avoid stories that were critical about companies that advertised
in the magazine.
McCracken spent a total of 28 years at publishing firm International Data
Group (IDG) -- 12 of those years was at the helm of one of its most famed
magazines, PC World. "I spent 12 years at PC World; it's been incredibly
good to me," said McCracken.
After the news broke, senior vice president of IDG, Colin Crawford, wrote an
e-mail to CNET News indicating that there was no link between McCracken's
resignation and anything about advertising. Despite this, three sources
confirmed that McCracken did leave from above pressure and in fact quit right
after Crawford cut a story titled "Ten Things We Hate About Apple."
According to reports, Crawford wanted to avoid any story about that could
jeopardize advertising money from the computer maker.
Fellow coworkers of McCracken expressed their sorrows about McCracken's
departure but agreed that it was for the best. "It saddens us all that
Harry, a PC World institution, decided to leave. But dammit, we're proud of him
for doing it," said some of his coworkers.
PC World magazine is trusted by millions of readers and has a monthly
circulation of 4.3 million according to IDG. The magazine's website alone
attracts roughly 6.8 million monthly visitors. McCracken's leave with PC World
proves that in publishing, there is a fine line to dance on when working with
sources, whether they are for insider information or product reviews.
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