In late 2012, I was the newly minted public editor (or newsroom watchdog) at the New York Times, when the news hit that Mark Thompson was likely to be the newspaper’s next CEO. I looked into his background at the BBC where he was director-general during a tumultuous period, and wrote a post questioning the Times hire. Slow down and investigate, I urged.
I was probably overstepping my bounds, since Thompson would be on the business side and not be directly involved in the journalism that I was supposed to be keeping an eye on.
The New York tabloids ran a big headline calling me the “Thompson Gunner.” Then-publisher Arthur Sulzberger, Jr (who never interfered with my work) went so far as to say that I might have given him a heads-up. And I saw an email exchange in which one Times journalist said to another, “She’s going THERE?”
But, as I noted, the business side of any media company does affect the newsroom: “His integrity and decision-making are bound to affect The Times and its journalism – profoundly. It’s worth considering now whether he is the right person for the job.”
Thompson, of course, came aboard. And, during his eight-year Times tenure, he not only helped reinvent the paper for the digital age, but demonstrated a solid understanding of the newsroom’s mission. The traditional strict separations between newsroom and business side were dissolving – former Times executive editor Jill Abramson has written about her discomfort, at times, with that - but a spirit of respect prevailed.
And the Times, then beset by financial problems and layoffs, transformed its main revenue source from print advertising to digital subscribers; that was huge.
Now, Thompson has been tapped to run another beleaguered behemoth: CNN. He becomes the third chief executive in under two years, following Jeff Zucker and Chris Licht, who each flamed out in their own distinctive way.
Lagging behind Fox News and MSNBC in audience ratings, CNN’s profit tanked from over a billion in 2020 to $892m last year. It fired high profile prime-time hosts including Chris Cuomo and Don Lemon, and abruptly ended its brand-new streaming service, CNN+. Worse, under Licht, it tried to be all things to all people, rather than focusing on the mission to serve the public – and the truth.
One difference between his Times role and this new one is that Thompson will serve as the editor in chief as well as CEO. He will direct the entire 4,000-strong operation, including the international newsroom.
Times publisher AG Sulzberger on Wednesday praised Thompson’s record of “finding ways to ensure cultures of journalistic excellence and business innovation flourish alongside each other.” And Meredith Levien, who succeeded Thompson as CEO, described him as a leader who brings out the best in others and “is intently focused on talent development.”
His BBC director-general tenure began in 2004, and, as the Guardian recalled this week, his “challenges included controversies over prank calls by the comedian Russell Brand and an appearance on the flagship Question Time show by Nick Griffin, leader of the far-right British National party. By the time the the Jimmy Savile scandal erupted, over historic sexual abuse by a popular children’s TV presenter, Thompson had already left for the New York Times.”
He denied hearing rumors about Savile, or knowing about the cancellation of an investigation until after it had happened, the Guardian wrote.
“Had I known about the nature of the allegations and the credible allegations that these horrific crimes had taken place during his time at the BBC and in the building at the BBC, I, of course, would have considered them very grave and would have acted very differently,” Thompson said at the time.
A narrow escape? Certainly, Thompson’s exit to America was fortuitously timed.
Just as certainly, his Times tenure was successful.
Although I didn’t report to Thompson, I interviewed him occasionally, and always found him personable, thoughtful and non-defensive. He stayed focused on the prize: digital transformation.
At CNN, the challenges – and the historic moment – are different. Thompson needs to right the ship at a moment when news coverage really matters to the public good.
Will he encourage journalists to call a lie a lie? Will he insist on giving a platform and a megaphone to those who would take down democracy? Can he fulfill the journalistic mission of fearless truth-telling and satisfy the corporate imperatives from parent company Warner Brothers Discovery?
The road to those goals can’t possibly be smooth, but Thompson has about as good a chance as anyone of getting there.
Margaret Sullivan is a Guardian US columnist writing on media, politics and culture
