Even corporate titans have feelings too.
Jack Welch, the former chief executive of General Electric, said Tuesday he said he would no longer write for Fortune Magazine, after Fortune produced coverage that was critical of his comments last Friday about the monthly jobs report. The report showed the unemployment rate dipping below 8 percent for the first time since January 2009, and Mr. Welch suggested on Twitter that the Obama administration had manipulated the numbers to help the president's re-election campaign.
“Unbelievable jobs numbers. these Chicago guys will do anything. can't debate so change numbers,†Mr. Welch tweeted.
Those comments managed to gain some traction on the Web among some conservatives, but also came under widespread attack and even ridicule from economists and the financial media, some of whom argued that Mr. Welch's comments were just plain wrong. And the critics included Fortun e, its managing editor, Andy Serwer, and CNN Money, which shares content with Fortune.com.
In a story that Fortune posted online this afternoon, Stephen Gandel wrote that on Monday morning Mr. Serwer went on “Morning Joe†and disputed Mr. Welch's contention about job manipulation. Early on Tuesday morning, Fortune.com posted a story highlighting the fact that General Electric shed some 100,000 jobs during Mr. Welch's two-decade leadership.
By breakfast time, Mr. Welch had had enough. In an e-mail Mr. Welch sent to Mr. Serwer, as well as Steve Adler of Reuters, and that Fortune posted on its Web site, Mr. Welch said he and his wife Suzy would no longer contribute to Fortune or Reuters. He said that on Wednesday he would have an article in The Wall Street Journal instead.
“It's just a better platform for us than Reuters or Fortune,†he wrote. “So effective today, we're terminating our contract.â€
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