Mixed Signals from Semafor Media

Ben and Nayeema discuss a reporter’s digital dalliance with RFK. Jr, and what it says — and doesn’t — about journalism. Then they bring on Tim Miller, host of The Bulwark Podcast, and a star of the anti-MAGA movement. They ask: Is the hot new space in the media, and on YouTube, in the political center? Finally, Max joins in for Blindspots to get quick takes on VP Harris’ decision to guest on the All The Smoke podcast.

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On the heels of Mark Zuckerberg’s live interview with the Acquired podcast, hosted at a packed Chase Center in San Francisco, Ben and Nayeema explore the icy relationship between traditional media and big tech. 

Why are Silicon Valley’s CEOs more likely to be found gabbing on a podcast about their fashion choices than quoted in the New York Times? When did the media and tech breakup, who is to blame, and who wins and loses when hard questions are optional?

To answer these questions, they talk to a podcast host, creator, and investor who has been on the winning side of this dynamic: Jason Calacanis host of This Week in Startups and co-host of All-In. On All-In, Jason has interviewed tech titans and political figures including Marc Benioff, Elon Musk, JD Vance, and Donald Trump. Ben and Nayeema ask whether anything is lost when “CEO safe spaces” replace hardball interviews. 

To wrap things up and bring the temperature down, Max Tani brings on an ESPN blindspot. 

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After a quick review of what moderator lessons and memes will stick from this week’s debate, Ben and Nayeema turn to New York Times reporter and former restaurant critic Pete Wells to explore the fight between the new wave of influencers and the old guard of gatekeepers in food. On the menu: the health hazards of criticism, how celebrity chefs and TikTokers altered the power of his seat and whether diversifying food reviews in the midst of the culture wars were “DEI,” “virtue signaling” or simply — as Pete reveals — an organic evolution. Also: if, unlike immigrants in Ohio, he’s ever tasted dog or cat.  “It's one of the few things I haven't eaten” 

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If you feel surrounded by sports on all sides, losing the battle to keep up with new leagues (hello pro pickleball?), athlete-influencers post-game podcasts, and who’s getting paid what, you’re not alone. Sports is swallowing media, and swallowing our lives. This week, Ben and Nayeema explore whether the sports boom is driven by culture or by commerce, and if this boom might be a bubble. 

To help figure it out, they bring on John Skipper, former President of ESPN and current founder and CEO of Meadowlark Media who makes a compelling case of American exceptionalism in sports, and the incentives of billionaires who own these teams.

Finally they bring on Semafor business and finance editor Liz Hoffman for a blindspot from Silicon Valley: the rise of “founder mode.”

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Ben and Nayeema tape from the Democratic National Convention, breaking down the positive vibes, rise of the credentialed TikTok creator and what Trump is up to on the outside of this bubble. Tommy Vietor joins them to discuss what sway he and his fellow Pod Save America hosts have with Obama, why the DNC is tuning out Gaza protesters, and whether the party’s newfound unity around Kamala Harris can last through November 5. Finally, fresh off a GQ photoshoot, Max joins the podcast to talk style and the viability of a Chick-fil-A streaming service. 

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Mixed Signals from Semafor Media is presented by Think with Google

Fresh off digital detoxes, Ben and Nayeema plug back in to a moment of Olympics patriotism and to a patriotic (?) American media that is refusing to report on the substance of a foreign hacking campaign that targeted former President Trump.

This episode digs into the irony of the media’s glee at the 2016 DNC hack – and the careful treatment of the Trump campaign hack of today. Eight years ago Wikileaks dumped a trove of emails before the public, leading to revelations about Hillary Clinton’s Goldman Sachs speeches and John Podesta’s secret to a great risotto. Today, we’re not sure if any amazing recipes are part of the Trump campaign hack because The New York Times, Politico, and The Washington Post have all declined to report its contents. Ben and Nayeema explore why these two campaign hacks are receiving totally different media treatments and why people are mad at Ben for celebrating today’s editorial restraint. 

To dive deeper, they talk to Christina Reynolds, a Democratic operative, opposition researcher, and two-time victim of digital hacks. Her emails were part of both the 2014 Sony hack and the 2016 DNC hack. Finally, producer Alli stands in for Max this week, offering a breakdancing blindspot.

COVID-19 feels like ancient history, but its effects linger — including what the pandemic did to citizens’ trust in media. Ben and Nayeema discuss the distrust that came out of the coronavirus pandemic and dig into the role that the media played. They talk to the man who became the center of media scrutiny during the peak of the crisis: Dr. Anthony Fauci, who recently came out with his memoir, On Call: A Doctor's Journey in Public Service. Then for Blindspots, they check in with Donald McNeil Jr., the health and science reporter behind The Wisdom of Plagues, whose voice became a fixture of The Daily during the pandemic. 

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Mixed Signals from Semafor Media is presented by Think with Google

In the flurry of the brat phenomenon, Nayeema and Ben debate whether Kamala Harris can surf memes all the way to election day and how “childless cat lady” is only expanding the K-hive. They bring on Frank Rich, the executive producer of the hit shows Veep and Succession, to get his notes on an election month that’s stranger than fiction, and ask whether an idealist show like The West Wing could be made today.

Finally, Max Tani joins for Blindspots to discuss RFK’s phone-free farming program for the Lexapro-addled, Adderall-popping American populace — plus: why Americans are hiding their spending habits from loved ones.

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Mixed Signals from Semafor Media is presented by Think with Google

Ben and Nayeema discuss reactions to the attempted assassination of former President Trump – from a cautious media, an internet in overdrive and a Republican National Convention that proved surprisingly welcoming. Then, they turn to the undercurrent of the RNC: the campaign for the hearts of American men, via the UFC, Hulk Hogan, and broader “manosphere.” Semafor Political Reporter Kadia Goba also joins to talk about Trump’s appeal to Black men, particularly the iconic athletes of the 80s (you’ll hear from Mike Tyson and Lawrence Taylor). And, of course, Max Tani fills our blind spots … with a dog interview and gym etiquette.

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After a brief assessment of President Biden’s strategy to shut down his critics, Ben and Nayeema move on to the larger culture and gender wars that will define the 2024 election, regardless of who ends up on the Democratic ticket. They look at recent upheavals of a media-fueled myth that women can “have it all” and dig into how trends of trad wives, polyamory and “hot celibacy summer” pierce that mythology, as does the conservative Project 2025.Then they connect with Lindsay Peoples, editor-in-chief of The Cut, to discuss vibe shifts, the politicization of gender roles and whether the publication is putting its thumb on the scale for Kamala Harris. 

Finally, Max Tani joins to rid us of our blindspots, replete with DC spin and (national security) influencers in the wild. 

If you have a tip or a comment, email us [email protected]

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Mixed Signals from Semafor Media is presented by Think with Google