Harry McCracken
{{for|the Northern Irish footballer|Harry McCracken (footballer)}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Harry McCracken
| image = Harry McCracken by Gage Skidmore.jpg
| alt = Harry McCracken sitting on a stage in a suit, gesturing with his hands while speaking
| caption = Harry McCracken in 2023
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| relatives = Elizabeth McCracken (sister)
| occupation = Magazine editor
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Harry McCracken is a global technology editorhttps://www.fastcompany.com/user/harry-mccracken {{Bare URL inline|date=August 2024}} for Fast Company and the founder of Technologizer, a website about personal technology. He was an editor at large for Time, covering technology, from February 2012 to June 2014. McCracken is also a former contributing editor at CNET.{{cite web | url=http://finchannel.com/Main_News/World/94464_CNET_Taps_Distinguished_Technology_Journalist_Harry_McCracken_As_Contributing_Editor | title=CNET Taps Distinguished Technology Journalist Harry McCracken As Contributing Editor | date=September 12, 2011 | work=The Financial | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120329123125/http://finchannel.com/Main_News/World/94464_CNET_Taps_Distinguished_Technology_Journalist_Harry_McCracken_As_Contributing_Editor/ | archive-date=March 29, 2012 | access-date=September 6, 2021}}
Until June 2, 2008, McCracken was the editor-in-chief of PC World for four years; he had previously held other editorial positions for ten.
Biography
He was educated in the public schools of Newton, Massachusetts, the Cambridge School of Weston, and Boston University, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in history.{{cite web|url=http://issuu.com/wearecsw/docs/11495-14_gryphon_spring2014_fm-text/1|work=issuu.com|title=CSW.org|date=22 May 2014 }}{{cite web | url=http://www.bu.edu/bostonia/winter-spring14/an-unrelentingly-active-mind/ | title=An 'Unrelentingly Active Mind': Samuel McCracken was longtime assistant to President John Silber | first=Cynthia K. | last=Buccini | date=2014 | work=Bostonia | publisher=Boston University | access-date=September 6, 2021}}
McCracken is the son of the late Samuel McCracken, a professor at Boston University and a long-time assistant to BU president John Silber; and Natalie Jacobson McCracken, a retired editor in chief for development and alumni publications at BU.{{Cite web|url=https://www.bu.edu/bostonia/winter-spring14/an-unrelentingly-active-mind/|title = An "Unrelentingly Active Mind"}}
Controversy
On May 1, 2007, McCracken resigned abruptly under controversial circumstances. McCracken quit abruptly because the new CEO of PC World, Colin Crawford, tried to stop an unfavorable story about Apple Inc. and Steve Jobs.{{cite magazine| first=Kim |last=Zetter | url=https://www.wired.com/epicenter/2007/05/pc_world_editor/ | title=PC World Editor Quits Over Apple Story | magazine=Wired | date= May 2, 2007}} Crawford responded, calling media reports of McCracken's resignation "inaccurate."{{cite web | url=https://appleinsider.com/articles/07/05/03/pc_world_editor_quits_during_dispute_over_apple_story.html | title=PC World editor quits during dispute over Apple story | publisher=AppleInsider.com | date= May 3, 2007 | accessdate= March 20, 2015}} McCracken told colleagues that IDG, PC World{{'}}s publisher, "was pressuring him to avoid stories that were critical of major advertisers."{{cite web | first=Tom | last= Krazit | url=https://www.cnet.com/news/pc-world-editor-resigns-over-apparent-ad-pressure/ | title=PC World editor resigns over apparent ad pressure | publisher=CNET| date= May 2, 2007}}{{cite web | url =http://www.macnn.com/articles/07/05/03/editor.quits.over.jobs.st/ | title=Editor quits after PC Mag kills Apple story | work=MacNN.com | date=May 3, 2007 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070506150412/http://www.macnn.com/articles/07/05/03/editor.quits.over.jobs.st/ | archive-date=May 6, 2007 | access-date=September 6, 2021}} On May 9, 2007, Crawford was transferred to another department and McCracken returned to PC World.{{cite news | first=Ramon G. | last=McLeod | url=http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,131702-page,1/article.html | title=Editor in Chief Harry McCracken Returns to PCW | work=PC World | date=May 9, 2007 | access-date=May 9, 2007 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080702194808/http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,131702-page,1/article.html | archive-date=July 2, 2008 | url-status=dead}}
Other works
In addition to his computer magazine work, McCracken has also been active in animation fandom, as a central mailer for Apatoons, and editor of Animato! magazine. He was also co-moderator of the BIX Animation Forum, with the late Emru Townsend. He is also the webmaster of the Scrappyland website, devoted to the Charles Mintz cartoon character Scrappy.[http://www.scrappyland.com Scrappyland.com.] He has also contributed to Slate.{{cite web| first=Harry |last=McCracken| url=https://slate.com/technology/2007/10/apple-s-leopard-demolishes-microsoft-vista.html |title=Apple's Microsoft-Devouring Jungle Cat: How Leopard demolishes Vista| work=Slate| date=October 31, 2007| access-date=September 6, 2021}}
Awards
McCracken has won a number of awards for his editorial work. He received the American Business Media (ABM) Timothy White Award for Editorial Integrity in 2008, recognizing his resignation on principle in 2007.[http://www.btobonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080219/FREE/662564585/1094/FREE#seenit "ABM Names Specialty Award Recipients"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110708104127/http://www.btobonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F20080219%2FFREE%2F662564585%2F1094%2FFREE#seenit |date=2011-07-08 }} B2B Magazine, Feb. 2008 That same year he also won Best Editorial Column recognition from ABM and was listed on Folio magazine's list of 40 media influencers.{{cite web | url=https://www.foliomag.com/2008-folio-40/ | title=The 2008 FOLIO: 40 | work=Folio | date=April 4, 2008 | access-date=September 6, 2021}}
Personal life
McCracken married Marie Domingo on December 26, 2010.[http://harrymccracken.com/blog/2010/12/26/the-scrappiest-of-weddings/ HarryMcCracken.com] He is the brother of novelist and teacher Elizabeth McCracken.[http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/bostonglobe/obituary.aspx?pid=167419958 Legacy.com]
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.technologizer.com/ Technologizer.com]
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