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Karl Bode
@karlbode.com

once a year the brunchlords at Semafor host a "restoring trust in news" conference where they unironically platform most of the people responsible for destroying trust in news, then lob softball questions at them this year's lineup is a real doozy (notice the complete absence of indie media)

Karl Bode
@karlbode.com

in fact, one of the VERY FIRST THINGS Semafor did after getting $25 million in seed money was to host a "restoring trust in news" conference where they platformed Tucker Carlson as a serious journalist Ben Smith peppered him with softballs on a weird video stream from his Hamptons closet

techdirt.comBen Smith’s New Media Venture Ably Demonstrates Why Platforming Authoritarian Propagandists Is A Lose-Lose ScenarioFormer Buzzfeed and New York Times reporter Ben Smith is poised to launch a new media company named Semafor on the back of $25 million in donations. To grab some attention for the venture’s l…
Karl Bode
@karlbode.com

last year's Semafor "restoring trust in news" included names like overt white supremacist Megyn Kelly (who of course didn't have to answer any questions about her racism or her overt destruction of trust in news) and Fox News heavy hitter Bret Baier

techdirt.comSemafor Keeps Hosting “Restoring Trust In News” Events Stocked With Known Right Wing BullshittersBack in 2022, former New York Times reporter Ben Smith and friends launched a new media company named Semafor on the back of $25 million in donations. You might recall that one of th…
Karl Bode
@karlbode.com

the more private money flowed Ben Smith's way, the less capable he was of actually supporting or doing actual journalism, to the point where it feels like satire I do feel like he's at least partially TRYING to be awful to drum up interest in an otherwise inane event

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Karl Bode
@karlbode.com

a last aside it's kind of disappointing this performative brunchlord cack is being hosted by The Knight Foundation, who generally does good work on this front. That money should be going to people ACTUALLY restoring trust in news.

Karl Bode
@karlbode.com

I remember that @nandoodles.checkmyads.org tried to point out to Ben Smith that platforming Tucker Carlson as a real journalist was having the inverse impact his conference claimed to be about, and he just couldn't understand what she was even talking about:

techdirt.comBen Smith’s New Media Venture Ably Demonstrates Why Platforming Authoritarian Propagandists Is A Lose-Lose ScenarioFormer Buzzfeed and New York Times reporter Ben Smith is poised to launch a new media company named Semafor on the back of $25 million in donations. To grab some attention for the venture’s l…
Karl Bode
@karlbode.com

It's not a great choice given how hungry independents are for cash it's not like Ben smith needed the money. Assuming he was capable of honestly tackling this subject. Which he clearly isn't.