Robert James Dell’Oro Thomson | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Thomson in 2014 | |
| Born | (1961-03-11)11 March 1961 (age 64) Torrumbarry,Victoria, Australia |
| Education | RMIT University |
| Occupation(s) | journalist,editor |
| Spouse | Wang Ping |
Robert James Dell’Oro Thomson (born 11 March 1961) is an Australianjournalist and business executive. He has been the chief executive ofNews Corp since 2013.[1]
Thomson was born inTorrumbarry,Victoria, and studied atChristian Brothers College inSt Kilda East, and at theRoyal Melbourne Institute of Technology.[2][3]
Thomson started work as acopyboy atThe Herald (now theHerald Sun) in Melbourne in 1979.[4] In 1983, he became senior feature writer forThe Sydney Morning Herald, and two years later became Beijing correspondent forThe Sydney Morning Herald as well as theFinancial Times.[3] Thomson then became a Tokyo correspondent for theFinancial Times in 1989.[5] Thomson was appointed theFinancial Times foreign news editor in 1994[2] and in 1996 became editor of theFinancial Times weekend edition.[3] While atSydney Morning Herald, Thomson wrote a series on Australian judges, which was published as a book in 1987,The Judges: A Portrait of an Australian Judiciary.[6][7][8] In 1998, Thomson became U.S. managing editor of theFinancial Times.[4]
In 2007, Thomson was one of the first media executives to criticise Google and big tech for the disaggregation of content and publication of falsehoods, and to pressure them for a higher share of advertising value.[9][10] He has been known to use alliterative expressions to call out those companies, such as platforms for "the fake, the faux and the fallacious", and "tech tapeworms."[9][11] Thomson called for new terms of trade for tech platforms to allow viable business models for creators and to benefit broader society.[12][13]
In May 2008, he was appointed managing editor ofThe Wall Street Journal, having previously been theeditor ofThe Times.[14][15]
He received an honorary doctorate fromRMIT University in 2010.[16]
In January 2013, Thomson became the chief executive of News Corp.[1]
In 2023, Thomson has decried the unauthorised use of journalistic content by generative AI and the resulting existential risk posed to media companies. Thomson and several other media leaders[17] have called for compensation by tech companies that are developing and employing AI. Speaking in May 2023 at INMA, a media conference, Thomson summed up the industry's outrage, saying "[media's] collective IP is under threat and for which we should argue vociferously for compensation."[18] He said that AI was "designed so the reader will never visit a journalism website, thus fatally undermining that journalism."[19]
In June 2025, it was reported that News Corp had extended Thomson's contract as its chief executive until June 2030.[1]
One of his ancestors was named Arturo Dell'Oro, and came fromDomodossola, in northern Italy.[20] He is married to Wang Ping, the daughter of a general in the ChinesePeople's Liberation Army.[21][22]
He wrote a lauded series on Australian judges, which he turned into a book: The Judges: A Portrait of the Australian Judiciary
Thomson proposed an ambitious project – a series of interviews with Australia's reclusive judges. It led to a book and a Journalist of the Year nomination.
| Media offices | ||
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| Preceded by | Editor ofThe Times 2002–2007 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
