Stay Tuned with Preet WHCD, the Media, and Covering Trump (with Ben Smith)
26 snips
Apr 30, 2026 
Ben Smith, longtime journalist and co-founder of Semafor, talks media life from the White House Correspondents' Dinner scare to why anonymous sourcing matters. He explores access versus objectivity, Semafor’s mission to cut through noise, AI’s role in cross-language reporting, the crisis in local news, and how coverage of Trump has evolved. Short, sharp conversations on journalism’s future and its blind spots.
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Access Is A Transactional Tool Not A Moral Failing
- Smith mapped access versus objectivity as a core tension: sourcing is transactional and varies by reporter.
- He emphasized honesty about methods and that different reporters use different paths to publish true facts.
Call Sources Before Publishing Tough Stories
- Call subjects before publication and give them the exact story to avoid surprising them and allow contesting details.
- Smith credited Maggie Haberman's rule: don't sneak a tough story in and duck; be transparent.
Anonymous Sources Power Many Major Stories
- Smith said publications follow wildly different rules on anonymous sourcing, and good stories often come from people who didn't want the story published.
- He noted junior, scared insiders frequently provide key off-the-record facts.