All's well that ends well

I like a happy ending.
Harry McCracken has been reinstated as editor of PC World. And that should please everyone at PC World, parent company IDG and the journalism world in general.

If you haven't been following the story, you can read coverage from CNET.
But suffice it to say that McCracken stepped down after complaining that he had been facing inappropriate pressure on coverage from executive Colin Crawford.
Now from the beginning, I've had a hard time with this story. I've met both Harry and Colin. And I like and admire both of them tremendously. In fact, I haven't written about the issue prior to today because I had hoped that I might help arbitrate the dispute. I've believed from the start that this was a situation that could be resolved. Two good guys, both of them professionals, had a disagreement over vital issues. And it seemed to me that if we could lock them in a room with a disinterested third party (not me, I had some other folks in mind), then things would be resolved quickly.

As it turns out, IDG didn't need help from me or anyone else. It seems that the company handled things with sensitivity and common sense. Harry is back at PC World. Colin is returning to his role overseeing online initiatives. I expect both guys will do great work in the future.

(DISCLOSURE: I consider IDG a client, although I haven't worked with the company or received payment from it for about a year. More importantly, I consider IDG a good example of how to run a publishing company. And the way IDG has responded to this crisis renews my faith in the wisdom of the company.)

For more on this story, check out what Chad Dickerson has to say.

tags: journalism, b2b, media, trade press, magazines, newsletters, business media, journalism ethics, advertising