New Tech Magazine a Hoax?
Wednesday, February 20th, 2002
[UPDATE: Yes, Dig-It is for real. Fred Davis, with whom I just got off the phone, adds that the anonymous job postings ascribed to Dig-It were from someone else. Dig-It posted its own listings this week. Sorry Fred. - Paul]
The latest speculation on the announcement of a Dig-It, a new tech magazine being launched by a bunch of Bay Area publishing veterans, says the whole thing is a hoax. The name, after all, was one of those rejected in favor of Wired by Louis Rossetto and company in the early 90s (”Millennium” was another). At least one old-timer claims early Wired collaborator Fred Davis, one of the people behind Dig-It, is just having a laugh with the media-on-media rumor mill.
Another reason Dig-It is being called a prank: A job posting to journalismjobs.com insisted that applicants include their salary requirements along with their rÈsumÈs - a rather clumsy approach to attacting candidates, and something the old Spy mag might have done to create a chart of who asked for how much.
Hoax or not, the SJ Merc News story would read well on April Fool’s Day: Davis says Wired became too exclusive. Dig-It, he promises, will be different. “If we have J. Lo modeling the new Sony MP3 player,” he says, “that’s going to be seen as the new MP3 player.”
