Semafor (website)
Semafor is a news website founded in 2022 by Ben Smith, a former editor-in-chief of BuzzFeed News and media columnist at The New York Times, and Justin B. Smith, the former CEO of Bloomberg Media Group.[1][2]
Type of site
Description and etymology[edit]
The New York Times has called Semafor a "global news organization".[3] Vox has described Semafor as "a collection of newsletters, plus a website, aimed at an upscale audience that understands topics like Washington politics and Silicon Valley tech but wants more". The website is free to access and supported by advertisements, though Semafor's co-founders have described plans to convert to a paid subscription model.[4] The organization is based in New York City.[5]
The name "Semafor" is derived from the word "semaphore", which "appears in similar form in many languages". According to The New York Times, "semaphore" is "often used in a nautical context" and can be described as "a visual signaling apparatus often involving flags, lights and arm gestures".[6] The co-founders appreciated that the word "sounds about the same in thirty-five languages".[5]
Content[edit]
Semafor's articles and newsletters are structured into short sections, each with a separate subtitle. The first section generally consists of a short summary of the relevant facts, followed by "The Reporter's View", a section containing analysis or an editorial by the writer of the article.[2] Other common sections include "The View From," which describes perspectives from countries or parties involved in the story, and "Room for Disagreement," which explores why the writer's analysis may be wrong.[2][23] The structure, which Semafor calls "Semaform", is intended to clearly separate fact from opinion.[3] To allow journalists to cultivate direct relationships with their readers, bylines are displayed prominently.[3]
Semafor publishes a daily newsletter covering world news called Flagship,[10] as well as distinct newsletters focusing on Africa, U.S. politics and policy, business and finance, climate, international security, media, and technology. Each newsletter contains a regular feature called "One Good Text", in which journalists conduct one-question interviews of politicians, business executives or other influential people via text message.[25]
Events[edit]
Events are a significant part of Semafor's operations, accounting for 30% of its revenue in 2022, its first year of operation.[26] Co-founder Justin B. Smith noted that part of the motivation for this was that traditional sources of revenue, such as subscriptions and advertising, take a long time to cultivate, while events provide an immediate source of income for a young news startup.[13] Even before launching, Semafor had already held 12 events,[27] including one in July 2022 with Tucker Carlson and Taylor Lorenz that focused on polarization and trust within the news industry[28] and one in November 2022 called "Media, Government, and a Healthy Democracy" with Karine Jean-Pierre and Anthony Scaramucci.[29]
Semafor also hosted several live journalism event series. In December 2022, it hosted an event focusing on Africa to coincide with that year's U.S.–Africa Leaders Summit in Washington, D.C. The event featured interviews with Rwandan president Paul Kagame,[30] U.S. trade representative Katherine Tai,[31] and Qin Gang, China's ambassador to the U.S.[13][26] Subsequent events included a "media summit" in April 2023 in New York City with Barry Diller,[32] Chris Licht, Jen Psaki,[33] Stephen A. Smith, and Kara Swisher,[26][34] and a "World Economy Summit" in Washington, D.C. in April 2023 with National Economic Council director Lael Brainard[35][36] and Microsoft president Brad Smith.[37]
China[edit]
In March 2023, Semafor launched its "China and Global Business Initiative," a collaboration with the Center for China and Globalization (CCG), a think tank registered as a non-governmental organization, though its independence from the Chinese Communist Party has been disputed.[20] The initiative would consist of regular events in New York and Beijing and would foster dialogue between business leaders amid increasing China–U.S. tensions.[38]
Semafor's partnership with the CCG has occasionally come under scrutiny.[20] Semafor CEO Justin Smith said Semafor would go into the collaboration with "eyes wide open" and that it was under no "illusion that Chinese business leaders or other local groups operate independently of the Chinese Communist Party." Smith also said Semafor would retain editorial independence and full ownership of the project.[20]
The project's advisory board contains both U.S. and Chinese business leaders and academics,[39] including several influential members of the Chinese Communist party and former Chinese government officials, including Zeng Yuqun, the chairman of CATL who is also a member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, and Wang Huiyao, founder and President of CCG. Other advisors include Chen Deming, a former Minister of Commerce; Cui Tiankai, a former ambassador of China to the U.S.; and Zhou Xiaochuan, a former governor of People's Bank of China. U.S. board members include Jessica Chen Weiss, a professor at Cornell University and former senior advisor to the United States Department of State's Policy Planning Staff; Jerry Yang, co-founder of Yahoo!; Susan Thornton, former acting Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs; Rana Mitter, ST Lee Chair in US-Asia Relations at the Harvard Kennedy School; John L. Thornton, former co-president of Goldman Sachs; and David Rubenstein, philanthropist, investor and former Deputy Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy.[39]
