Cyndi Stivers of Columbia Journalism Review interviewed outgoing Time Inc. leader John Huey, who once ran Fortune magazine, about his career.
Here is an excerpt:
What was the stickiest wicket you encountered while leading Time Inc.? Journalistically, leading Time Inc. didn’t prove to be as sticky as some of the things I encountered while editing Fortune, mostly because the editors I worked with were just so damned good at what they did. At Fortune, I had the challenge of covering stories like the AOL Time Warner merger, from which we did not shrink in the least. But I always knew I had the backing of (then-editor in chief) Norman Pearlstine and (then-CEO) Don Logan. As editor in chief, my toughest challenge has been trying to lead through some very difficult business conditions without sacrificing the quality, integrity, and distinctiveness of our journalism. I give myself a good grade for that, but then I would, wouldn’t I?
What was the most indelible magazine cover on your watch? Honestly, I think those covers belong to the editors of the individual magazines. At Fortune, I had so much fun making covers that it’s hard to remember. But probably winning a bet with Steve Jobs that our photographer, Michael O’Neill, could take a better portrait of him than his own photographer was as satisfying as any.
Read more here.
