Stay ConnectedEvery Friday media reporter Max Tani and Semafor Editor-in-Chief Ben Smith pull back the curtain on the most important stories about media, revealing why you see and hear what you see and hear.
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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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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.
If you have a tip or a comment, email us mixedsignals@semafor.com
Find us on X: @semaforben, @nayeema @maxwelltani or on Instagram @nayeemaraza
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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.
If you have a tip or a comment, email us mixedsignals@semafor.com
Find us on X: @semaforben, @nayeema @maxwelltani or on Instagram @nayeemaraza
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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 mixedsignals@semafor.com
Find us on X: @semaforben, @nayeema @maxwelltani or on Instagram @nayeemaraza
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Mixed Signals from Semafor Media is presented by Think with Google
How did the media miss the biggest story in American politics? Many journalists were shocked by Joe Biden’s decline, showcased on a debate stage. Did we ask the wrong questions, or fall for White House spin? Or did we, as Republicans claim, engage in a cover-up?
In this emergency pod, Nayeema, Ben and Max separate conspiracy from reality and reasonable reporting questions falling out of everything from “Weekend at Bernie’s theories” to Jill Biden’s role. They take you inside the media and party machinery bringing spicy takes from top editors and other media elite. Finally, they make some predictions about where it goes from here and who would be the media savviest Biden-replacement (… if it comes to that).
If you have a take on whether it was the media’s fault - drop us a line mixedsignals@semafor.com
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Where were you when Joe Biden lost the debate to Trump? Max was in the CNN Spin Room, Nayeema watched with a cabal of crypto bros and Ben was at home scrolling X. They discuss the moment the debate was decided (9:22 or 9:23 EST) — and who gets to call it. Then, Ben and Nayeema turn to an interview with political statistician and professional gambler Nate Silver to talk election prediction, Biden’s age, and why Nate’s new Silver Bulletin model gives Trump a 66% chance of winning the election in November.
Finally, Nayeema makes us eat our spinach with a quick tour of global elections whose participants can’t possibly produce 90 minutes of television as bad as we just watched.
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Mixed Signals from Semafor Media is presented by Think with Google
Despite Washington moves to ban TikTok, the company and influencers in the South of France seem to be in denial. Ben, Nayeema, and Max explore conspiracies around TikTok and the company's future, particularly if its most recent Tokfluencer, Donald Trump, wins in November. Then they turn to the saga of Will Lewis, CEO of The Washington Post, unpacking why everyone (in media) is talking about it and what it means for the bigger picture of journalistic ethics. Max brings blind spots from the worlds of short-short fashion and political video editing, and Nayeema and Ben talk about how we get to the bottom of the age question in the presidential campaign.
Also: on-the-ground updates from the Cannes Lions Festival, where you can find the real conspiracy behind media: The ad business.
Watch the full TikTok from user tophertownmusic that we played part of in the episode: https://www.tiktok.com/@tophertownmusic/video/7368680270368787758
Drop us a line if you’ve got a tip: mixedsignals@semafor.com
Find us on X: @semaforben, @nayeema @maxwelltani or on Instagram @nayeemaraza
Sign up for Semafor Media’s Sunday newsletter: https://www.semafor.com/newsletters/media
Mixed Signals from Semafor Media is presented by Think with Google
In the wake of Hunter Biden’s conviction, Ben and Nayeema revisit the media’s history of covering the President’s son and the “October surprise” of his infamous laptop. Then they turn to the challenge of covering foreign wars, including Gaza, and talk with Linda Thomas-Greenfield, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, about her critique that the media is ignoring the crisis in Sudan.
Max joins to share a couple blindspots: The politicized rise of drinking raw milk, and the state of Trump’s private jet.
Drop us a line if you’ve got a tip: mixedsignals@semafor.com
Find us on X: @semaforben, @nayeema @maxwelltani or on Instagram @nayeemaraza
Sign up for Semafor Media’s Sunday newsletter: https://www.semafor.com/newsletters/media
Mixed Signals from Semafor Media is presented by Think with Google
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