High flier

That Mark Thompson, he likes San Francisco. In June this year, he flew in from London, £5,789.19 return, and managed a side trip to LA. Flying across the pond at roughly the same time was his Director of Future Media, Ralph Rivera, who claimed business at £6213.09 return and spent three nights in Dinah's Garden Hotel, Palo Alto ("Our six acres of gardens featuring koi-filled lagoons, tranquil waterfalls and art objects from the Pacific Rim will transport you to a tropical paradise").

In all, across the quarter, the departing DG had a travel itch. Flights to Sun Valley via Charles De Gaulle and Salt Lake City were booked and cancelled in July, as was a trip to San Francisco in May. But he did manage a return to Berlin at £666.55, and another to Edinburgh, at £468.37.

Last night, Mark was in San Francisco again, at the Commonwealth Club, for a talk by New York Times Executive Editor Jill Abramson, entitled "Deciding The News That's Fit To Print".