Pennsylvania biz reporter dies

Jeff McCready, a longtime business reporter at the Johnstown Tribune-Democrat in Pennsylvania, died Sunday at the age of 68 from lung cancer.

Arlene Johns of the paper writes, “McCready was a general assignment reporter until settling into the labor and industry beat. He took each assignment seriously and always did his best to produce fair and balanced articles – even when they occasionally angered someone.

“One large company president grew increasingly frustrated with how the business writer reported both sides of each issue – talking to the president as well as the union.

“He got so upset that one day he called McCready – just to tell him he was not talking to him anymore.

“The easy-going reporter got a big kick out of that and treated the company president with the same respect when he eventually started talking to him again.

“‘People trusted Jeff as a reporter and would confide in him things most people wouldn’t tell anyone else,’ Pam Mayer, former Tribune-Democrat publisher, said. ‘Business people knew they could trust Jeff to keep a confidential source. He knew everyone in town and people would give him incredible news tips.'”

Read more here.