Journalism's Future: Human Intention Amidst AI and Divisive Content

The Kicker · December 23, 2025 · Listen to Original Episode →

Original Title:

TL;DR

The rise of divisive content, exemplified by the "The Dress" phenomenon, revealed its popularity and potential for engagement, influencing media strategies to capitalize on arguments and polarization.
In-person convening has emerged as a defensible business model against AI, offering a human connection that digital spaces increasingly lack, particularly post-pandemic.
The "intention economy" suggests that genuine human intent behind content is becoming a key differentiator, as AI can generate text but not possess true intent.
The historical shift towards partisan media funding, reminiscent of the 19th century, is re-emerging, challenging the notion of a purely objective press and highlighting the complexities of revenue streams.
Digital platforms amplified toxic and engaging aspects of blogging, with social media becoming a more effective mechanism for rapid information spread and discourse.
The shift from an "attention economy" to an "intention economy" highlights a growing desire for content rooted in genuine human purpose rather than mere engagement metrics.
The consolidation of media around large entities like The New York Times, while potentially good for their business, poses a risk to journalism by reducing competition and creating a singular target for criticism.

Deep Dive

The future of journalism is not a singular, predictable path but a dynamic landscape shaped by evolving technological capabilities and fundamental human desires. While digital platforms once promised a democratized, open exchange of information, they have instead amplified divisiveness and created an environment where discerning truth is increasingly challenging. This necessitates a return to core journalistic principles, emphasizing human intention and verifiable reporting, particularly as artificial intelligence emerges as a transformative force.

The evolution of the internet from a nascent, open space to a fragmented and often toxic digital public square has profoundly impacted journalism. Initially, platforms like blogs and early social media fostered direct audience connection and rapid information dissemination, allowing journalists like Ben Smith to break news and engage with readers in unprecedented ways. However, this era of optimism, where diverse voices could challenge established narratives and provide crucial counterpoints, as seen in the response to the Iraq War, has given way to an environment where engagement, often fueled by divisive content, became the primary currency. The viral phenomenon of the "The Dress" in 2015 exemplifies this shift, revealing how platforms amplified arguments, which in turn generated revenue through engagement. This insight, while revealing the mechanics of online virality, also highlighted a critical tension: the potential for divisive content to be exploited for political gain, as suggested by Steve Bannon's interest in applying similar tactics to political campaigns.

The rise of AI presents both a challenge and an opportunity for journalism. While AI can generate content, it lacks human intention, a distinction that may become increasingly valuable to audiences seeking authentic, human-driven information. This is particularly relevant for business audiences who have historically prioritized high-quality, verified information for decision-making, a trend exemplified by platforms like Bloomberg and Reuters. Semaphore, for instance, aims to serve this discerning audience by synthesizing original journalism with a curated selection of external content, offering diverse perspectives and combating information overload. This approach acknowledges that while the delivery systems for journalism have collapsed into a "mess," the fundamental desire for access to diverse, high-quality information persists.

Ultimately, the core challenge for journalism moving forward lies in navigating the tension between technological advancement and the enduring need for trustworthy information. The consolidation of media power, whether by legacy institutions like The New York Times or emerging AI technologies, poses a risk to the health of journalistic competition and the diversity of voices. The increasing noise and distrust in the public sphere, exacerbated by the potential for AI to enable a "liar's dividend"--the ability to deny reality by claiming any information could be fake--effectively neutralizes journalism's impact. Therefore, the focus must remain on the fundamental journalistic act of obtaining and reporting scoops, ensuring that this vital function is supported by sustainable and ethical revenue models, whether through advertising, events, or subscriptions, without succumbing to moralizing about specific streams.

Action Items

Audit authentication flow: Check for three vulnerability classes (SQL injection, XSS, CSRF) across 10 endpoints.
Create runbook template: Define 5 required sections (setup, common failures, rollback, monitoring) to prevent knowledge silos.
Implement mutation testing: Target 3 core modules to identify untested edge cases beyond coverage metrics.
Profile build pipeline: Identify 5 slowest steps and establish 10-minute CI target to maintain fast feedback.

Key Quotes

"You know, for us that's meant it's meant different things it's meant this trend toward a sort of connection with individuals rather than institutions has kept accelerating and that's certainly something we've built around it's meant that in person convening I think particularly post-COVID has taken off in a way I didn't totally anticipate."

Ben Smith explains that Semaphore has adapted to a trend where individuals, rather than institutions, are increasingly the focus of connection. He highlights that in-person events have become a surprisingly significant part of their business model, exceeding his initial expectations.

"And it also, I mean, I don't know, it's, I mean, there's certainly more broadly been this return to a kind of 19th-century media landscape with these partisan publications and in silos and different senses of truth and another feature of that is that all the great writers were, you know, Emerson and Thoreau and Douglas and, you know, were traveling speakers first who made their money, you know, doing gigs and what we think of as their books was like kind of the secondary product."

Ben Smith draws a parallel between the current media landscape and the 19th century, noting a resurgence of partisan publications and fragmented truths. He points out that historically, influential writers often built their careers and income through public speaking engagements, with their books being a secondary output.

"I guess my own view on this is that everybody talks their book and in, you know, in any business and in journalists just love to moralize and so people moralize about their revenue streams and it's like journalism's a tough business and if you're going to build a successful journalism business you're going to sell ads, you're going to do events, you're going to have subscriptions, you're going to license stuff, who knows and the and you should not go out deciding that one of these things is more moral than the other."

Ben Smith argues that in the challenging business of journalism, all revenue streams--advertising, events, subscriptions, and licensing--have inherent risks and should not be judged on a moral basis. He believes that journalists often moralize about their revenue models, which can be a liability for publishers.

"And I think, you know, anybody who was most people who, you know, kind of came up as in college in the '90s on the Usenet and then and then, you know, the sort of it was it was so, it was just so fun to suddenly have access to every publisher in the world and to go from having these sort of the information that was either could reach you because somebody had built a printing press or had a broadcast tower in your area or had mailed you a magazine to this sort of wide array of perspectives."

Ben Smith recalls a period of immense optimism regarding the future of information and discourse, stemming from the early internet. He describes the excitement of having access to a vast array of global publishers, a significant shift from the limited information sources of the past, such as print media and broadcast towers.

"And I think, looking back about it, the thing about that that was like so fundamental and the reason it spread was that it was divisive just in the literal sense it divided between people who saw one way and saw it the other provoked our, you know, silly and good-hearted but fundamentally arguments in and which the platform saw as engagement and amplified it to everybody."

Ben Smith reflects on the viral "The Dress" phenomenon, identifying its divisiveness as the core reason for its spread. He explains that the platform interpreted these arguments, even if silly and good-hearted, as engagement and amplified them to a wider audience.

"And I think the core problem for consumers is information overload, right? It's just that you're drowning in information and that you don't know who to trust and that's, I mean, that was sort of our core thesis starting Semaphore that you, you know, and I think it's complicated."

Ben Smith states that the primary challenge for consumers today is information overload, leading to a lack of trust in sources. He identifies this as the foundational idea behind the creation of Semaphore, acknowledging the complexity of the issue.

Resources

External Resources

Books

"Traffic" by Ben Smith - Mentioned as a book written by Ben Smith about the recent history of journalism.

Articles & Papers

"The Silencing of Barry Weiss" (Author not specified) - Mentioned as a piece written by the interviewer about the challenges of having influence within large media conglomerates.

People

Ben Smith - Guest, founding editor of Semaphore, former editor-in-chief of BuzzFeed.
Heather Chaplin - Co-host of the podcast "Journalism 2050."
Emily Bell - Co-host of the podcast "Journalism 2050," associated with Columbia Journalism School.
Jonah Peretti - Mentioned as the founder of BuzzFeed and a collaborator with Ben Smith on early social media news initiatives.
Steve Bannon - Mentioned in relation to his time running the Trump campaign and his interaction with Ben Smith regarding BuzzFeed's content strategy.
Cory Booker - Mentioned as having spoken to students about the relationship between likes/shares and revenue.
Emerson - Mentioned as an example of a 19th-century writer who was also a traveling speaker.
Thoreau - Mentioned as an example of a 19th-century writer who was also a traveling speaker.
Douglas - Mentioned as an example of a 19th-century writer who was also a traveling speaker.
Michael Kolanko - Mentioned as a Polish writer who sent stories to Ben Smith.
Reese Heller - Mentioned as a communications director for Chuck Schumer.
Chuck Schumer - Mentioned in relation to a communications director hire.
John Edwards - Mentioned in relation to a news story broken by Ben Smith.
Barack Obama - Mentioned in relation to his Twitter activity and its impact on news consumption.
Brenton Carr - Mentioned as someone Ben Smith has debated regarding US federal government actions against media companies.
Nate Silver - Mentioned as a hypothetical outcome if Ben Smith had taken a deal with Disney.
Barry Weiss - Mentioned as a hypothetical outcome if Ben Smith had taken a deal with Disney, and in relation to a column about her.

Organizations & Institutions

Semaphore - Mentioned as the current venture founded by Ben Smith.
BuzzFeed - Mentioned as the previous employer of Ben Smith, where he observed the virality of divisive content.
Columbia Journalism School - Mentioned as the affiliation of Emily Bell and the Tow Center for Digital Journalism.
The Tow Center for Digital Journalism - Mentioned as a co-producer of the podcast.
Columbia Journalism Review - Mentioned as a co-producer of the podcast.
The New School - Mentioned in relation to the Journalism and Design Lab.
Journalism and Design Lab at the New School - Mentioned as providing help for the podcast.
Politico - Mentioned as a previous employer of Ben Smith.
New York Times - Mentioned in relation to its historical role in journalism, its current business model, and its perceived impact on the industry.
Pro Football Focus (PFF) - Mentioned as a data source for player grading.
National Football League (NFL) - Mentioned as a subject of sports discussion.
New England Patriots - Mentioned as an example team for performance analysis.
Maker Studios - Mentioned as a company acquired by Disney that attempted to be a YouTube middleman and failed.
ABC News - Mentioned as a potential place Ben Smith might have consulted if a deal with Disney had gone through.
CBS News - Mentioned in relation to its cost structure and programming challenges.
The Guardian - Mentioned as the publication where the interviewer wrote a piece about Ben Smith joining The New York Times.
The New York Observer - Mentioned as a publication where Ben Smith started his career.
The Times - Mentioned as a publication where Ben Smith worked.
The FT (Financial Times) - Mentioned as an example of a legacy publisher that has adapted to the digital landscape.
Bloomberg Terminal - Mentioned as an example of high-quality information that businesses pay for.
Reuters Feed - Mentioned as an example of high-quality information that businesses pay for.

Websites & Online Resources

Twitter - Mentioned as a platform that became a more effective mechanism for both toxic and interesting aspects of blogging.
Facebook - Mentioned in relation to its role in content sharing and its executive's reaction to the "dress" phenomenon.
StumbleUpon - Mentioned as a platform for content sharing in the early days of social media news.
Tumblr - Mentioned as a BuzzFeed platform where the "dress" phenomenon was shared.
The Internet - Mentioned as a concept that has evolved from an open, democratic space to a more complex and potentially divisive environment.

Other Resources

The "Last Good Day on the Internet" - Mentioned as a concept referring to February 26, 2015, characterized by viral, unifying online events.
The Blue and Black/White and Gold Dress - Mentioned as a divisive viral phenomenon that highlighted the power of engagement on social media.
Llamas in Arizona - Mentioned as a viral event that occurred on "the last good day on the internet."
"Pink Slime" - Mentioned as a term for dark money influencing local news systems.
The Attention Economy - Mentioned as a concept that Ben Smith finds frustrating.
The Intention Economy - Mentioned as a concept Ben Smith finds frustrating.
AI (Artificial Intelligence) - Discussed as a disruptive technology, a potential threat, and a business opportunity, with concerns about its ability to deny reality.
The Social Graph - Mentioned as a concept Facebook showed journalists and academics, illustrating its potential for making connections.
The Liar's Dividend - Mentioned as a scary aspect of AI, referring to the ability to deny reality.
Capital J Journalism - Mentioned as a term for mainstream journalism, with The New York Times serving as a metaphor.
Small d democracy - Mentioned as a concept that people may be less enthusiastic about than previously thought.
19th Century Media Landscape - Mentioned as a historical parallel to current trends in partisan publications and silos.
The Attention Economy - Mentioned as a concept that Ben Smith finds frustrating.
The Intention Economy - Mentioned as a concept Ben Smith finds frustrating.
AI (Artificial Intelligence) - Discussed as a disruptive technology, a potential threat, and a business opportunity, with concerns about its ability to deny reality.
The Social Graph - Mentioned as a concept Facebook showed journalists and academics, illustrating its potential for making connections.
The Liar's Dividend - Mentioned as a scary aspect of AI, referring to the ability to deny reality.
Capital J Journalism - Mentioned as a term for mainstream journalism, with The New York Times serving as a metaphor.
Small d democracy - Mentioned as a concept that people may be less enthusiastic about than previously thought.
19th Century Media Landscape - Mentioned as a historical parallel to current trends in partisan publications and silos.