When Pressured by Ad Department, Editor Leaves

According to a C/Net story, PC World editor Harry McCracken said that he had to get crackin' and left the magazine where he had worked for a dozen years. According to the story, he moved on because a senior vice president kept pressuring him to pass on stories that were critical of advertisers. For those writers who think that there is always an impenetrable wall between editorial and advertising, all I can say is ... wanna buy a bridge? Small bills only, please.

I can remember in the late 90s writing a piece for a major technology magazine. When I finished the draft and talked about it with an editor, I heard a lot of concern that my article wasn't complimentary enough to what turned out to be a class of advertiser the magazine wanted to approach. They ended up radically changing the article to make the advertisers happy.

In such a situation, there are only a few things you can do. Have your byline removed from the article if possible, and be sure never work for the publication again. And I think this is one of the few situations where you should become confrontational with the editors. Those who have talked to me about negotiation strategies know that I almost never suggest this, but there are principles involved and nothing to lose. Sure, they might go elsewhere and cause problems at another publication if you show up. But while lots of people note how small the publishing world is, remember that it's also pretty big. Maintaining your business is important, but there do come times that you have to stand up for yourself and for what is right, if for no other reason than backing down can sit with you for an awfully long time - like the rest of your life. And what business client or contact is worth that?