Way back in September of 2008, newly appointed Newsweek tech columnist Dan "Fake Steve Jobs" Lyons confided in me that he was "uncomfortable" covering Apple after having skewered its CEO in his blog.
I asked him about following Steven Levy, his predecessor on the tech beat, who had extraordinary access to Apple, including direct contact with Steve Jobs. In response, he diminished the value of Levy's access.
Now, a little controversy has erupted over what conversations Levy had with the Apple PR team over Lyon's hiring. Things heated up today.
Whatever was said, everyone involved seems to agree that Apple was not pleased that Lyons got the new gig.
As far as access, Newsweek has been completely blocked from Apple as Lyons tells the Jay Yarrow of the Silicon Alley Insider by e-mail: "And, sure enough, we have had no access at Apple since I was hired."
I interviewed Lyons back in September of 2008 just after he was hired.
Andy Plesser, Executive Producer