Sir Mark John Thompson (born 31 July 1957
["THOMPSON, Mark John Thompson," in '' Who's Who 2009'' (London: ]A & C Black
A & C Black is a British book publishing company, owned since 2002 by Bloomsbury Publishing. The company is noted for publishing ''Who's Who'' since 1849 and the ''Encyclopædia Britannica'' between 1827 and 1903. It offers a wide variety of boo ...
, 2008); online ed., (Oxford: OUP, 2008)
Retrieved 25 January 2009.) is a British–American media executive who is Chairman of the Board of Directors of
Ancestry.com, Ancestry, the largest for-profit genealogy company in the world, and Chief Executive Officer of the
Cable News Network (CNN).
He is the former
president
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
* President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment Film and television
*'' Præsident ...
and
chief executive officer
A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization.
CEOs find roles in variou ...
of
The New York Times Company
The New York Times Company is an American mass media corporation that publishes ''The New York Times'' and its associated publications such as ''The New York Times International Edition'' and other media properties. The New York Times Company's ...
. From 2004 to 2012, he was
Director-General
A director general, general director or director-general (plural: ''directors general'', ''general directors'', ''directors-general'', ''director generals'' or ''director-generals'') is a senior executive officer, often the chief executive officer ...
of the
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
, and before that was the Chief Executive of
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...
. In 2009 Thompson was ranked as the 65th
most powerful person in the world by ''
Forbes
''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine founded by B. C. Forbes in 1917. It has been owned by the Hong Kong–based investment group Integrated Whale Media Investments since 2014. Its chairman and editor-in-chief is Steve Forbes. The co ...
'' magazine. He was elected to the
American Philosophical Society
The American Philosophical Society (APS) is an American scholarly organization and learned society founded in 1743 in Philadelphia that promotes knowledge in the humanities and natural sciences through research, professional meetings, publicat ...
in 2017.
Early life
Thompson was born in London, England, and brought up in
Welwyn Garden City
Welwyn Garden City ( ) is a town in Hertfordshire, England, north of London. It was the second Garden city movement, garden city in England (founded 1920) and one of the first New towns in the United Kingdom, new towns (designated 1948). It is ...
,
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and one of the home counties. It borders Bedfordshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Essex to the east, Greater London to the ...
,
by his parents, Sydney ( Corduff) and Duncan John Thompson. Sydney was Irish, the daughter of a
County Donegal
County Donegal ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county of the Republic of Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster and is the northernmost county of Ireland. The county mostly borders Northern Ireland, sharing only a small b ...
policeman
Garda Síochána
(; meaning "the Guardian(s) of the Peace") is the national police and security service of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is more commonly referred to as the Gardaí (; "Guardians") or "the Guards". The service is headed by the Garda Commissio ...
. Mark Thompson has a sister, Katherine.
Duncan Thompson was an accountant from
Preston who died when Mark was twelve after suffering from chronic illness and depression.
Mark Thompson was educated by
Jesuits
The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...
at
Stonyhurst College
Stonyhurst College or Stonyhurst is a co-educational Catholic Public school (United Kingdom), public school providing education for boarding school, boarding and day school, day pupils, adhering to the Society of Jesus, Jesuit tradition. It is ...
in Lancashire, and then went to
Merton College, Oxford
Merton College (in full: The House or College of Scholars of Merton in the University of Oxford) is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Its foundation can be traced back to the 126 ...
where he took a
first in English.
He edited the university magazine, ''
Isis
Isis was a major goddess in ancient Egyptian religion whose worship spread throughout the Greco-Roman world. Isis was first mentioned in the Old Kingdom () as one of the main characters of the Osiris myth, in which she resurrects her sla ...
''.
Early career
Thompson first joined the BBC as a production trainee in 1979. His career at the corporation included a number of roles.
In 1981, he assisted in the launch of the long-running consumer programme ''
Watchdog
Watchdog or watch dog may refer to:
Animals
*Guard dog, a dog that barks to alert its owners of an intruder's presence
* Portuguese Watchdog, Cão de Castro Laboreiro, a dog breed
* Moscow Watchdog, a breed of dog that was bred in the Soviet U ...
.'' Two years later he was part of the team that created British television's first national
breakfast television
Breakfast television (Europe and Australia) or morning show (Canada and the United States) is a type of news broadcasting, news or infotainment television programme that broadcasts Live television, live in the morning (typically broadcast pro ...
programme, ''
Breakfast Time''. In 1985, Thompson became the Output Editor of ''
Newsnight
''Newsnight'' is the BBC's news and current affairs programme, providing in-depth investigation and analysis of the stories behind the day's headlines. It is broadcast weeknights at 10:30 on BBC Two and the BBC News channel; it is also avail ...
'' and in 1988, at the age of 30, he was promoted to Editor of the ''
Nine O'Clock News''.
In 1990, he became Editor of ''
Panorama
A panorama (formed from Greek language, Greek πᾶν "all" + ὅραμα "view") is any Obtuse angle, wide-angle view or representation of a physical space, whether in painting, drawing, photography (panoramic photography), film, seismic image ...
.'' He was made Head of Features in 1992 and Head of Factual Programmes in 1994.
In 1996, Thompson succeeded
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Michael Jackson, one of the most culturally significan ...
as Controller of
BBC2
BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's second flagship channel, and it covers a wide range of subject matter, incorporating genres such as comedy, drama and ...
. He commissioned series including
''The Cops'', ''
The Royle Family'',
''Our Mutual Friend'' and ''
The Fast Show
''The Fast Show'', also known as ''Brilliant'' in the United States, is a BBC comedy sketch show that ran on BBC Two, BBC 2 from 1994 to 1997, with specials in 2000 and 2014. The show's central performers were Paul Whitehouse, Charlie Higson, Si ...
''. He left BBC Two in 1999 and was replaced by
Jane Root
Jane Marianna Root (born 18 May 1957) is an executive in the media industry. She was controller of BBC Two from 1999 to 2004, and the first woman to serve as a channel controller for the BBC. She became president of Discovery Networks in the Unite ...
, who became the channel's first female Controller.
In 1999 Thompson was named Director, National and Regional Broadcasting at the BBC. He became the BBC Director of Television in 2000, but left the corporation in March 2002 to become Chief Executive of
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...
. He succeeded
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Michael Jackson, one of the most culturally significan ...
in the role, and left in 2004 to be succeeded by
Andy Duncan.
Director-General of the BBC
Appointment
Thompson was appointed Director-General of the BBC on 21 May 2004.
He succeeded
Greg Dyke, who resigned on 29 January 2004 in the aftermath of the
Hutton Inquiry
The Hutton Inquiry was a 2003 judicial inquiry in the UK chaired by Brian Hutton, Baron Hutton, Lord Hutton, who was appointed by the Labour Party (UK), Labour government to investigate the controversial circumstances surrounding the death of Dav ...
. Although he had originally stated he was not interested in the role of Director-General and would turn down any approach from the BBC, he changed his mind, saying the job was a "one-of-a-kind opportunity". The decision to appoint Thompson Director-General was made unanimously by the
BBC Board of Governors, headed by the then new Chairman
Michael Grade
Michael Ian Grade, Baron Grade of Yarmouth (born 8 March 1943) is an English Media proprietor, television executive and businessman. He has held a number of senior roles in television, including controller of BBC1 (1984–1986), chief executive ...
(another former chief executive of Channel 4). His appointment was widely praised:
Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell
Tessa Jane Helen Douglas Jowell, Baroness Jowell, (; 17 September 1947 – 12 May 2018) was a Labour Party (UK), British Labour Party politician and life peer who served as the Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parliament (MP) f ...
, Shadow Culture Secretary
Julie Kirkbride
Julie Kirkbride (born 5 June 1960) is a British Conservative politician. She was the Member of Parliament for the Conservative stronghold of Bromsgrove from the 1997 to the 2010 general elections.
Early life
Kirkbride was born in Halifax, W ...
and
Greg Dyke were amongst those who supported his selection. He took up the role of Director-General on 22 June 2004
(
Mark Byford had been Acting Director-General since Dyke's resignation). On his first day he announced several management changes, including the replacement of the BBC's sixteen-person executive committee with a slimmed-down executive board of nine top managers.
Editorial guideline breaches
In 2007 it emerged that the BBC had been involved in a number of editorial guideline breaches: competitions on BBC shows had used fake winners who were either members of the production team or fictitious. In addition, a sequence of clips featuring the Queen and photographer
Annie Leibovitz
Anna-Lou Leibovitz ( ; born October 2, 1949) is an American Portrait photography, portrait photographer best known for her portraits, particularly of celebrities, which often feature subjects in intimate settings and poses. Leibovitz's Polaroid ...
were shown out of order in a trailer for a documentary, giving the impression the Queen stormed off in a huff about her outfit after a conversation with Leibovitz.
Thompson, as BBC editor-in-chief, investigated the breaches, and presented his interim report to the
BBC Trust
The BBC Trust was the governing body of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) between 2007 and 2017. It was operationally independent of BBC management and external bodies, and its stated aim was to make decisions in the best interests of ...
on 18 July 2007. The Trust felt that the BBC's values of accuracy and honesty had been compromised, and Thompson outlined to the Trust the actions he would take to restore confidence.
Later that day he told BBC staff, via an internal televised message, that deception of the public was never acceptable. He said that he, himself, had never deceived the public – it would never have occurred to him to do so, and that he was sure that the same applied to the "overwhelming majority" of BBC staff. He also spoke on
BBC News 24
The BBC News channel is a British free-to-air Public broadcasting, public broadcast television news channel owned and operated by the BBC. The channel is based at and broadcasts from Broadcasting House in the West End of London, West End of ...
and was interviewed by
Gavin Esler for ''
Newsnight
''Newsnight'' is the BBC's news and current affairs programme, providing in-depth investigation and analysis of the stories behind the day's headlines. It is broadcast weeknights at 10:30 on BBC Two and the BBC News channel; it is also avail ...
''. He stated that "from now on, if it
eceiving the publichappens we will show people the door." Staff were emailed on 19 July 2007 and later in the year all staff, including the Director-General, undertook a Safeguarding Trust course.
''The Russell Brand Show'' prank telephone calls row

In October 2008, Thompson had to cut short a family holiday to return to Britain to deal with the arrival of
''The Russell Brand Show'' prank telephone calls row. Thompson took the executive decision to suspend the BBC's highest paid presenter,
Jonathan Ross, from all his BBC work for three months without pay. He also said it was the controversial star's last warning. Thompson reiterated the BBC's commitment to Ross' style of "edgy comedy", arguing that "BBC audiences accept that, in comedy, performers attempt to push the line of taste". Thompson had previously defended the star's conduct and salary in 2006, when he described Ross as "outstanding" and said that "the very best people" deserved appropriately high salaries.
Comments on political bias
In September 2010, Thompson acknowledged some of the BBC's previous political bias, which he said he had witnessed early in his career. He stated: "In the BBC I joined 30 years ago there was, in much of current affairs, in terms of people's personal politics, which were quite vocal, a massive bias to the left". He added: "the organisation did struggle then with impartiality".
''Jerry Springer: The Opera'' blasphemy allegations
Thompson was criticised by religious groups in relation to the broadcast of ''
Jerry Springer: The Opera'', with a private prosecution brought against the BBC for blasphemy.
Lord Pannick QC appeared and won the case. The High Court ruled that the cult musical was not blasphemous, and Pannick stated that Judge Tubbs had "acted within her powers and made the only decision she could lawfully have made; while religious beliefs were integral to British society, so is freedom of expression, especially to matters of social and moral importance."
Accusations of pro-Israeli editorial stance
A number of commentators have suggested that Thompson has a pro-Israeli editorial stance, particularly since he supported the controversial decision by the BBC not to broadcast the
DEC Gaza appeal in January 2009.
Complaints to the BBC about the decision, numbering nearly 16,000, were directed to a statement by Thompson. In May 2011, Thompson ordered the lyrics 'free Palestine' in a rap on
BBC Radio 1Xtra
BBC Radio 1Xtra is a British digital radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It broadcasts Black music and urban music, including hip hop and R&B and is a sister station to Radio 1. Launching at 18:00 on 16 August 2002, it had been ...
to be censored. During a meeting of the British Parliament's Culture and Media Committee in June 2012, Thompson also issued an apology for not devoting more coverage to the murders of an Israeli settler family in the West Bank, saying the "network got it wrong" – despite the fact that the incident occurred on the same day as the
2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
On 11 March 2011, at 14:46:24 Japan Standard Time, JST (05:46:24 UTC), a 9.0–9.1 Submarine earthquake, undersea megathrust earthquake occurred in the Pacific Ocean, east of the Oshika Peninsula of the Tōhoku region. It lasted approx ...
.
Tam Dean Burn wrote in ''
The Herald'': "I would argue that this bias has moved on apace since Thompson went to Israel in 2005 and signed a deal with prime minister Ariel Sharon on the BBC's coverage of the conflict."
Nick Griffin ''Question Time'' appearance
In October 2009, Thompson defended the decision by the BBC to invite
British National Party
The British National Party (BNP) is a Far-right politics, far-right, British fascism, fascist list of political parties in the United Kingdom, political party in the United Kingdom. It is headquartered in Wigton, Cumbria, and is led by Adam ...
leader
Nick Griffin
Nicholas John Griffin (born 1 March 1959) is a British far-right politician who was chairman of the British National Party (BNP) from 1999 to 2014, and a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for North West England from 2009 to 2014. Follow ...
to appear on the ''
Question Time'' programme following criticism by Labour politicians including
Home Secretary
The secretary of state for the Home Department, more commonly known as the home secretary, is a senior minister of the Crown in the Government of the United Kingdom and the head of the Home Office. The position is a Great Office of State, maki ...
Alan Johnson
Alan Arthur Johnson (born 17 May 1950) is a British politician who served as Secretary of State for Education and Skills from 2006 to 2007, Secretary of State for Health from 2007 to 2009, Home Secretary from 2009 to 2010, and Shadow Chancello ...
and Secretary of State for Wales
Peter Hain
Peter Gerald Hain, Baron Hain, (born 16 February 1950), is a British politician who served as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland from 2005 to 2007, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions from 2007 to 2008 and twice as Secretary of State ...
. The decision also led to protests outside
BBC Television Centre
Television Centre (TVC), formerly known as BBC Television Centre, is a building complex in White City, London, White City, West London, which was the headquarters of BBC Television from 1960 to 2013, when BBC Television moved to Broadcasting H ...
by
UAF campaigners. Thompson said:
It is a straightforward matter of fact that... the BNP has demonstrated a level of support which would normally lead to an occasional invitation to join the panel on ''Question Time''. It is for that reason alone... that the invitation has been extended. The case against inviting the BNP to appear on ''Question Time'' is a case for censorship... Democratic societies sometimes do decide that some parties and organisations are beyond the pale. As a result, they proscribe them and/or ban them from the airwaves. My point is simply that the drastic steps of proscription and censorship can only be taken by government and parliament... It is unreasonable and inconsistent to take the position that a party like the BNP is acceptable enough for the public to vote for, but not acceptable enough to appear on democratic platforms like ''Question Time''. If there is a case for censorship, it should be debated and decided in parliament. Political censorship cannot be outsourced to the BBC or anyone else.
Earning controversy
In 2010, Thompson was identified as the highest paid employee of any public sector organisation in the UK, earning between £800,000 and £900,000 per year. In January 2010, Thompson was criticised over his apparent £834,000 salary by BBC presenter
Stephen Sackur, who told him "there are huge numbers of people in the organisation who think your salary is plain wrong and corrosive."
Formula One broadcast rights
Thompson was Director-General of the BBC when on 29 July 2011 it was announced that the corporation would no longer televise all
Formula One
Formula One (F1) is the highest class of worldwide racing for open-wheel single-seater formula Auto racing, racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The FIA Formula One World Championship has been one ...
Grand Prix live, instead agreeing to split the broadcast between the BBC and
Sky Sports
Sky Sports is a group of British broadcasting of sports events, subscription sports channels operated by the satellite television, satellite pay television company Sky Group (a division of Comcast), and is the dominant subscription television ...
. This prompted an outcry from several thousand fans and a motion on the UK Government e-petition site. On 2 September 2011, Thompson and several "senior BBC figures" were called upon by the
House of Commons
The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...
to answer questions over the exact nature of the broadcast arrangement.
Jimmy Savile controversy
Although Thompson departed the BBC before public exposure of the
Jimmy Savile sexual abuse scandal
In late 2012, it emerged that Jimmy Savile, a British media personality who had died the previous year, had sexually abused hundreds of people throughout his life, mostly children but some as old as 75, and mostly female. He had been well kn ...
and is not noted in the BBC chronology of the unfolding coverage, Thompson faced questions about his role in the events around Savile's actions and BBC coverage of them. According to a
''New York Times'' review, Thompson denied knowing of a BBC ''
Newsnight
''Newsnight'' is the BBC's news and current affairs programme, providing in-depth investigation and analysis of the stories behind the day's headlines. It is broadcast weeknights at 10:30 on BBC Two and the BBC News channel; it is also avail ...
'' programme on accusations against Savile before it was became public knowledge soon after Savile's death in October 2011.
[ Nocera, Joe]
"The Right Man for the Job?"
''The New York Times'', 29 October 2012. Retrieved 30 October 2012.
Praise and criticism of his BBC leadership
Thompson left the BBC in September 2012 after eight years as Director-General. ''
The Independent
''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...
'' said the BBC was in "apparent great shape" with his departure and the BBC Trust's chairman,
Chris Patten
Christopher Francis Patten, Baron Patten of Barnes (; born 12 May 1944), is a British politician who was the Chairman of the Conservative Party from 1990 to 1992, and the 28th and last Governor of Hong Kong from 1992 to 1997. He was made a lif ...
, described his directorship as "outstanding".
In late 2007,
Richard Eyre, former artistic director of the
National Theatre, accused the BBC under Thompson's leadership of failing to produce programmes "that inspired viewers to visit galleries, museums or theatres".
Tony Palmer, a multi-award-winning filmmaker, stated that the BBC "has a worldwide reputation which it has abrogated and that's shameful". He concluded, "In the end, the buck stops with Mark Thompson. He is a catastrophe."
In May 2008, fertility expert and BBC presenter
Robert Winston
Robert Maurice Lipson Winston, Baron Winston (born 15 July 1940) is a British professor, medical doctor, scientist, television presenter and Labour peer.
Early life
Robert Winston was born in London to Laurence Winston and Ruth Winston-Fox, ...
accused Thompson's leadership of showing "cowardice", and following Thompson's departure he accused the corporation of "dumbing down" its science programming and "pursuing viewing figures" rather than producing quality programmes.
President and CEO of The New York Times Company

On 14 August 2012, Thompson was named CEO of
The New York Times Company
The New York Times Company is an American mass media corporation that publishes ''The New York Times'' and its associated publications such as ''The New York Times International Edition'' and other media properties. The New York Times Company's ...
, effective 12 November 2012.
He was brought on to accelerate the company's digital transition and extend its global reach,
and in this role he directs strategy and oversees business operations. Thompson invested heavily in the Times' digital products,
and has attributed increased autonomy for the digital product teams as "the single biggest reason" for the news outlet's success.
In 2013, he hired
Meredith Kopit Levien as chief revenue officer and promoted her to
chief operating officer
A chief operating officer (COO), also called chief operations officer, is an executive in charge of the daily operations of an organization (i.e. personnel, resources, and logistics). COOs are usually second-in-command immediately after the C ...
in 2017. Thompson has been critical of Google and Facebook.
He has said the Times seeks to be a destination and not reliant on the platforms, and hopes to "more reliably turn engagement into a regular revenue stream".
In 2018, he gave a speech at the Open Markets Institute in Washington, D.C., in which he described Facebook's policy of labeling political news as ads as "a threat to democracy".
According to a filing with the
Securities and Exchange Commission
The United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is an independent agency of the United States federal government, created in the aftermath of the Wall Street crash of 1929. Its primary purpose is to enforce laws against market m ...
, Thompson's total compensation in 2019 was $6.1 million, including salary and stock awards.
In 2015, he pledged to transform the Times into an "international institution", the same way "we once successfully turned a metro paper into a national one".
The Times now has more international digital subscribers than it had total digital subscribers when Thompson took over as CEO.
Under Thompson's leadership, ''The New York Times'' became the first news organization in the world to pass the one million
digital-only subscription mark. As of May 2020, the company surpassed 5 million digital-only subscriptions, and 6 million total subscriptions, accounting for nearly sixty per cent of the company's revenue. In 2015, Thompson set the goal of doubling the company's digital revenue by 2020. The goal was met ahead of schedule in 2019. The company's new goal is to have 10 million subscriptions by 2025.
He has also predicted that the print paper will last for at least 15 more years.
In July 2020, he was replaced by
Meredith Kopit Levien as CEO and president of the New York Times Company.
Chairman of Ancestry
In January 2021, Thompson was appointed as Chairman of the Board of Directors of
Ancestry.com, Ancestry.
CEO of CNN
On 30 August 2023, Thompson was named the CEO of
CNN
Cable News Network (CNN) is a multinational news organization operating, most notably, a website and a TV channel headquartered in Atlanta. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable ne ...
, replacing
Chris Licht
Christopher Andrew Licht (born October 22, 1971) is an American television newsman and producer. He is best known as the showrunner and executive producer of ''The Late Show With Stephen Colbert'', as well as CBS's executive vice president of sp ...
, who was fired in June. He officially started on 9 October 2023. Writing of the appointment in a note to staff,
Warner Bros. Discovery
Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. (WBD) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational mass media and Outline of entertainment, entertainment Conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered in New York City. It was formed from WarnerMedi ...
CEO
David Zaslav shared, "I am confident he is exactly the leader we need to take the helm of CNN at this pivotal time."
Criticism of coverage of the Israel-Gaza War
In a 4 February 2024 investigation by
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
, some CNN staff blamed their channel's newly appointed director Mark Thompson for what they described as biased reporting of the
Gaza war
The Gaza war is an armed conflict in the Gaza Strip and southern Israel fought since 7 October 2023. A part of the unresolved Israeli–Palestinian conflict, Israeli–Palestinian and Gaza–Israel conflict, Gaza–Israel conflicts dating ...
. The staff criticized their network's coverage of the war, charging that it had promoted Israeli propaganda, and gave more attention to Israeli suffering, and the Israeli narrative of the war. One staffer claimed that this bias was systematic and institutionalized, as many journalists' stories were forced to be cleared by channel's Jerusalem bureau before publication. Staffers claimed that statements by Hamas and the Palestinian Authority were rarely reported on, while Israeli statements were taken at face value. A CNN spokesperson denied the charges of bias.
''Enough Said''
In 2016, Thompson published ''Enough Said: What's Gone Wrong with the Language of Politics?'' in which he condemns political discourse that is "just a fight to the political death, a fight in which every linguistic weapon is fair game" and is critical of the rejection of science and expertise, writing that this has disastrous policymaking consequences.
Thompson also criticised
false balance
False balance, known colloquially as bothsidesism, is a media bias in which journalists present an issue as being more balanced between opposing viewpoints than the evidence supports. Journalists may present evidence and arguments out of pr ...
in news reporting.
The book was favorably reviewed by
Andrew Rawnsley
Andrew Nicholas James Rawnsley (born 5 January 1962) is a British political journalist and broadcaster. A columnist and chief political commentator for ''The Observer'', he has written two books on New Labour.
Early life
Rawnsley was born in Le ...
, who called it an "important study" that "identifies many culprits for the destructiveness of political debate."
[Andrew Rawnsley]
Enough Said: What's Gone Wrong With the Language of Politics? by Mark Thompson – review
''The Guardian'' (4 September 2016). John Lloyd, writing in the ''
Financial Times
The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and also published digitally that focuses on business and economic Current affairs (news format), current affairs. Based in London, the paper is owned by a Jap ...
'', praised the work as reflective and an "intricately but also urgently argued book." ''The Washington Post'' said the book shows that Thompson "believes devoutly in the importance ... of intelligent and productive public discussion".
Personal life
Thompson is a
Roman Catholic
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
, and was educated at the English
Jesuit
The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...
public school,
Stonyhurst College
Stonyhurst College or Stonyhurst is a co-educational Catholic Public school (United Kingdom), public school providing education for boarding school, boarding and day school, day pupils, adhering to the Society of Jesus, Jesuit tradition. It is ...
, from 1970 to 1975. In 2010, ''
The Tablet
''The Tablet'' is a Catholic Church, Catholic international weekly review published in London. Brendan Walsh, previously literary editor and then acting editor, was appointed editor in July 2017.
History
''The Tablet'' was launched in 1840 by ...
'' named him as one of Britain's most influential Roman Catholics. Thompson lives in the United States with his wife, Jane Blumberg (daughter of
Baruch Samuel Blumberg
Baruch Samuel Blumberg (July 28, 1925 April 5, 2011), known as Barry Blumberg, was an American physician, geneticist, and co-recipient of the 1976 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (with Daniel Carleton Gajdusek), for his work on the hepat ...
) whom he married in 1987. They have two sons and one daughter.
He is a member of the
Reform Club
The Reform Club is a private members' club, owned and controlled by its members, on the south side of Pall Mall, London, Pall Mall in central London, England. As with all of London's original gentlemen's clubs, it had an all-male membership for ...
and a patron of the Art Room charity in Oxford. In 2002, he joined the board of trustees of
Media Trust, the UK's leading communications charity.
Thompson has been on the board of directors for The New York Times Company and the
Royal Shakespeare Company
The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs over 1,000 staff and opens around 20 productions a year. The RSC plays regularly in London, Stratf ...
.
In September 2021, it was announced that Thompson would co-chair, with Filipino journalist and editor
Maria Ressa
Maria Angelita Ressa (; born Maria Angelita Delfin Aycardo on October 2, 1963) is a Filipino and American journalist. She is the co-founder and CEO of Rappler. She previously spent nearly two decades working as a lead investigative reporter in ...
, the
International Fund for Public Interest Media.
In 2011, Thompson was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by
Edge Hill University
Edge Hill University is a campus-based public university in Ormskirk, Lancashire, England. The university, which originally opened in 1885 as Edge Hill College, was the first non-denominational teacher training college for women in England, befo ...
, and 2015, he was awarded a Honorary Doctor of Letters from
Sacred Heart University
Sacred Heart University (SHU) is a private, Roman Catholic university in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States. It was founded in 1963 by Walter W. Curtis, Bishop of the Diocese of Bridgeport, Connecticut. Sacred Heart was the first Catholi ...
.
In 2012, Thompson was the first
Humanitas Visiting Professor in Rhetoric and the Art of Public Persuasion at the University of Oxford.
Thompson was
knighted
A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity.
The concept of a knighthood ...
in the
2023 Birthday Honours
The 2023 King's Birthday Honours are appointments by some of the 15 Commonwealth realms of King Charles III to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The Birthday Honours are awarded as part ...
for services to media.
See also
*
New Yorkers in journalism
New York City has been called the Media in New York City, media capital of the world. Many journalists work in Manhattan, reporting about international, American, sports journalism, sports, business journalism, business, entertainment journalism ...
References
Specific citations:
Other references:
Channel 4 boss lands BBC top job(BBC)
New BBC boss announces shake-up(BBC)
Thompson "to transform BBC"(BBC)
(Guardian)
(Telegraph)
(Times)
Thompson welcomes strike suspension(BBC)
BBC Resources sell-off delayed(Press Gazette)
Thompson sells BBC Broadcast– which becomes
Red Bee Media
Red Bee Media Ltd., formerly Ericsson Broadcast and Media Services (EBMS), is an international broadcasting and media services company and the largest access provider in Europe. Red Bee has its headquarters in London, England, with branch offi ...
(BBC)
Thompson flogs Books– to
Random House
Random House is an imprint and publishing group of Penguin Random House. Founded in 1927 by businessmen Bennett Cerf and Donald Klopfer as an imprint of Modern Library, it quickly overtook Modern Library as the parent imprint. Over the foll ...
(BBC)
BBC changes mark a digital future(BBC)
(Guardian)
Media Trust
External links
About the BBC: Mark Thompson(BBC biography – includes salary and expenses data)
Mark Thompson's blog(BBC)
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thompson, Mark
1957 births
Living people
Alumni of Merton College, Oxford
BBC executives
BBC Two controllers
British expatriates in the United States
British people of Irish descent
English Roman Catholics
British television executives
Businesspeople from London
Channel 4 people
Directors-general of the BBC
Fellows of Merton College, Oxford
Members of the American Philosophical Society
People educated at Stonyhurst College
People from Welwyn Garden City
The New York Times corporate staff
Knights Bachelor
CNN executives