Jeff Jarvis

Jeff Jarvis (born July 15, 1954) is an American journalist, professor, public speaker and former television critic. He advocates the Open Web and argues that there are many social and personal benefits to living a more public life on the internet.

Career

Jarvis began his career in journalism in 1972 writing for the Addison Herald-Register, a local weekly newspaper at which he was the sole journalist. In 1974 Jarvis was an undergraduate in the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University when he was hired by the Chicago Tribune. He completed his degree and holds a BSJ from Northwestern.

In the mid-1980s Jarvis worked as a television critic for TV Guide and People magazines. In 1984, while still at People, Jarvis proposed the idea for Entertainment Weekly, a magazine which he hoped would feature "tough reviews and offbeat subjects" pertaining to the entertainment industry. The first issue was published in February 1990, with Jarvis as creator and managing editor. On June 12 of the same year, Jarvis left the publication; spokesman Peter Castiglio cited "creative differences" between Jarvis and senior management as the cause for his departure.