Mixed Signals from Semafor Media

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Mixed Signals from Semafor Media Podcast

Every Friday journalist Nayeema Raza and Semafor Editor-in-Chief Ben Smith pull back the curtain on the most important stories from the past week, revealing why you see and hear what you see and hear across the media landscape. Joined by Media Editor Max Tani, they also unpack the blindspots your media diet might be missing. Mixed Signals from Semafor Media is supported by Think with Google

  1. The Sports Boom — Football, Pickleball, Tennis and, um, Cricket

    5 DAYS AGO

    The Sports Boom — Football, Pickleball, Tennis and, um, Cricket

    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.” If you have a tip or a comment, email us mixedsignals@semafor.com Find us on X: @semaforben, @nayeema @lizrhoffman or on Instagram @nayeemaraza  Sign up for Semafor Media’s Sunday newsletter: https://www.semafor.com/newsletters/media

    51 min
  2. Can Kamala Keep It Up? With Tommy Vietor

    AUG 23

    Can Kamala Keep It Up? With Tommy Vietor

    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.  If you have a tip or a comment, email us mixedsignals@semafor.com Find us on X: @semaforben, @nayeema@maxwelltani or on Instagram @nayeemaraza Sign up for Semafor Media’s Sunday newsletter here. Mixed Signals from Semafor Media is presented by Think with Google

    56 min
  3. Hacks, Olympics, and “Boomscrolling”

    AUG 16

    Hacks, Olympics, and “Boomscrolling”

    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.

    47 min
  4. COVID Special: What the Media Got Wrong, and Right, with Dr. Anthony Fauci

    AUG 2

    COVID Special: What the Media Got Wrong, and Right, with Dr. Anthony Fauci

    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.  If you have a tip or a comment, email us 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

    49 min
  5. Can Kamala Hold On? With Veep EP Frank Rich

    JUL 26

    Can Kamala Hold On? With Veep EP Frank Rich

    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  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

    1h 5m
  6. Trump, the Man's Man at the RNC, AKA the Happiest Place on Earth

    JUL 19

    Trump, the Man's Man at the RNC, AKA the Happiest Place on Earth

    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  Sign up for Semafor Media’s Sunday newsletter: https://www.semafor.com/newsletters/media

    55 min
  7. Is Sex Political? And Will Biden — and Kamala — Survive the Vibe Shift?

    JUL 12

    Is Sex Political? And Will Biden — and Kamala — Survive the Vibe Shift?

    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  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

    1h 2m
  8. Did The Media Cover Up Biden’s Condition? And 13.5 Other Conspiracy Theories

    JUL 2

    Did The Media Cover Up Biden’s Condition? And 13.5 Other Conspiracy Theories

    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 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

    47 min
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Every Friday journalist Nayeema Raza and Semafor Editor-in-Chief Ben Smith pull back the curtain on the most important stories from the past week, revealing why you see and hear what you see and hear across the media landscape. Joined by Media Editor Max Tani, they also unpack the blindspots your media diet might be missing. Mixed Signals from Semafor Media is supported by Think with Google

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