Ben Smith has been at the vanguard of digital journalism for two decades. In a candid conversation, Semafor's co-founder and editor-in-chief discusses his mission to fix the chaos of information overload, how Semafor's unique format tackles trust and transparency, and the surprisingly "boring" ways AI is already changing newsrooms. Plus, he weighs in on the political spectacle of Donald Trump, the rise of Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, and whether New York is on the path to becoming a "gilded museum" of the 20th century.

📝 Show Notes & RecommendationsGuest:

• Ben Smith, Co-founder and Editor-in-Chief of Semafor.

  Member of The New York Editorial Board

Ben Smith's Podcast:

• Mixed Signals from Semafor Media. (Ben Smith and Max Tani pull back the curtain on the media industry.)
  • Find the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Semafor's website.

Recommended Book:

• The Emergency: A Novel by George Packer
  • (Smith describes it as a novel about the collapse of an empire and grappling with the challenges facing the United States today.)

Recommended NYC Politics Podcasts:

• Ben Smith highlighted a thriving "ecosystem" of New York City-focused podcasts, including:
  • FAQ NYC (Mentioned in the search results as a great interview-heavy political podcast.)
  • Max Politics with Ben Max (Features in-depth interviews on NYC and State politics.)
  • The Bigger Apple Podcast, with Liena Zagare and Nicole Gelinas

  Also mentioned:

• The Interview, from the New York Times