Engadget editor Paul Miller has resigned, saying parent company AOL, which has recently been on a buying spree as part of a strategy to become more of a content producer, doesn’t have journalists’ best interests at heart.
In a blog post late last week, Miller said that he has found it hard to work under the company given its focus on advertising, rather than editorial content.
“It doesn’t take a veteran of the publishing world to realise that AOL has its heart in the wrong place with content. As detailed in the “AOL Way,” and borne out in personal experience, AOL sees content as a commodity it can sell ads against.”
“That might make good business sense (though I doubt it), but it doesn’t promote good journalism or even good entertainment, and it doesn’t allow an ambitious team like the one I know and love at Engadget to thrive.”
The resignation comes after AOL acquired the Huffington Post just weeks ago, with the view of becoming a content-driven company rather than a telco.
Patrick Stafford is a freelance journalist and a former deputy editor of SmartCompany.
