EDITORAL DIFFERENCES?

Harper's Editor Fired Over ‘Sh*tty Men in Media’ Story

Editor James Marcus said he was fired after expressing opposition to Katie Roiphe's story.

Former Harper’s editor James Marcus is claiming that he was fired by the magazine's publisher after opposing a story penned by Katie Roiphe that would out the author of the “Shitty Men in Media” list. The creator of the list, Moira Donegan, ended up outing herself in an essay for The Cut after rumors about the Harper’s story circulated in January. Roiphe’s story ended up making the cover of the March issue. Marcus confirmed his termination on Tuesday. “All I can say for the moment is that Katie Roiphe’s article was assigned over my objections by Rick MacArthur, the magazine’s publisher. I nonetheless worked very hard on the piece, as did the rest of the editorial staff,” Marcus wrote in a statement to PublishersLunch. “I had hoped that despite our differences, Rick and I could agree to disagree and move on. He could not. When I was fired on Friday afternoon, it was clear that the dispute over Roiphe’s article was the main cause.” Marcus was promoted to a top editor position in 2016 after joining the publication in 2010. A former editor, Christopher Cox, was also fired in 2016 due to “editorial differences with the publisher.”