Mark Thompson’s BBC past haunts

Steerpike is back in this week’s magazine. As ever, here is your preview:

‘One of Lord Hall’s predecessors, Mark Thompson, is toiling away as chief executive of the New York Times. But he’s devised a brilliant wheeze to give his old chums at Broadcasting House a bit of extra work. Later this month his newspaper will co-host a Social Media Summit at the Times Center in New York. Thompson promises an ‘exciting line-up’ including world-class media luminaries like Matthew Eltringham, ‘Head of Web Site and Events at the BBC Academy College of Journalism’, and Dmitry Shishkin, ‘Digital Development Editor at BBC Global News’. These sages will discuss ‘journalism’s current use of social media and investigate the challenges ahead’. Perhaps someone at the New York Times could look up ‘exciting’ in the dictionary.’

With the ongoing saga around what Thompson knew about Jimmy Savile, and when, I’m sure he will be delighted to see his old chums.