Farhad Manjoo wird Nachfolger von David Pogue

Datum:17. Januar 2014 durch:Jörgen Camrath 0 Bemerkungen
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Da geht man abends völlig ahnungslos ins Bett, nur um am nächsten Morgen lesen zu müssen, dass Farhad Manjoo das Wall Street Journal nach wenigen Monaten als Tech-Kolumnist schon wieder verlässt. Ab Februar wird er bei der New York Times arbeiten – als Nachfolger von David Pogue, der im vergangenen Jahr zu Yahoo gewechselt war.

Auf Linkedin hat sich Manjoo – dem man unbedingt auf Twitter folgen sollte – zu seinen Beweggründen geäußert:

This is a very strange situation, so I should explain. In October, about a month after I’d started my new job as a tech columnist for the Wall Street Journal, long-time New York Times tech writer David Pogue announced that he was leaving for Yahoo.

I was a bit chagrined by the news. I’ve been reading the Times since I was a teenager (I grew up in California), and, like a lot of people in this business, I’ve long idolized the paper. Pogue’s job, in particular, is one I’ve thought about doing forever. Like Matt Buchanan and Dave Winer, I think we’re at a moment in our cultural appreciation of tech that calls for a new kind of technology critic.

Though I do want to write about gadgets, I want to write about much more, too — how technology is shaping music and movies and language and cooking, how it’s altering human intelligence, whether it’s turning us into irretrievable narcissists (and whether that’s so bad), and also what the deal with hashtags is. The Pogue departure opened up an opportunity to do this at a paper I’ve always wanted to work for.

So I read the news about Pogue and was somewhat disappointed, because the timing, for me, was terrible, as I’d just started this new job.

But I was not actually very disappointed, because my new job at the WSJ and the colleagues I’d found myself working with were pretty much perfect.

Honestly, I mean that very sincerely. I wish there was an emoticon I could use to indicate I’m not speaking out of the corner of my mouth when I say this. The fact that I spent like four seconds at the WSJ before departing to a rival raises all kinds of assumptions—mainly about my own character, granted, but also regarding the WSJ.

And I want to nip those in the bud. Over the last few months, I’ve gotten a chance to work with some of the best reporters and editors anywhere. Jonathan Krim, the editor who hired me, was a master to work with, and he has assembled an amazing team whose skills I was constantly in awe of. Until about a couple weeks ago, I thought I would work at the WSJ for a very long, happy time. Krim has big plans for the place, and I was eager to be a part of them.

Indeed, even after I got the NYT offer, I agonized about what to do. Yes, this is sort of like the agony of choosing between two very delicious pieces of cake, but still. I was on the fence about this, and though I’m thrilled beyond words about the NYT, I really hope those guys at the WSJ know that I bear them no ill will.

I’d wish them the best of luck, but they don’t need it.

I start at the NYT in February. It will be fun.

Hier ein paar Reaktionen von Kollegen:

Wer noch etwas über die Arbeiten wissen will, die beim Wall Street Journal gerade laufen, um die Berichterstattung über Technologie, Digitales und Netzthemen auszubauen und voranzubringen, dem empfehle ich diesen Blog-Artikel: „WSJ Announces Personal Tech Reviewing Team“, diese Pressemitteilung: WSJD’s Jonathan Krim Announces New Tech Appointments und natürlich ganz grundsätzlich WSJD.com.

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