Ben Smith (journalist) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ben Smith
|
|
|---|---|
.jpg)
Smith in 2012
|
|
| Born |
Benjamin Eli Smith
New York, New York, U.S.
|
| Alma mater | Yale University (BA) |
| Occupation | Journalist |
| Years active | 1999–present |
| Spouse(s) |
Liena Zagare
(m. 2002) |
| Children | 3 |
| Parents |
|
Benjamin Eli Smith is an American journalist who helps lead a news website called Semafor. He started Semafor with Justin Smith in early 2022. Before that, he wrote about media for The New York Times from 2020 to 2022. From 2011 to 2020, he was the main editor for BuzzFeed News.
Contents
Early Life and School
Benjamin Eli Smith grew up in Manhattan, New York. His mother, Dian, was an author, and his father, Robert S. Smith, was a judge. His mother was Jewish, and his father was Christian. Ben admired his grandfather, who was a novelist, and his grandmother, who studied the writer Mark Twain.
He went to Trinity School (New York City) in New York City. In 1999, he graduated with high honors from Yale University. While at Yale, he wrote for student newspapers. He first became interested in journalism when he worked as an intern at The Forward during college.
Ben Smith's Career in Journalism
Ben Smith's first job as a reporter was covering crime for The Indianapolis Star. After that, he moved to Latvia to work for The Baltic Times. He also wrote for The Wall Street Journal Europe for a few years.
Smith also wrote for other newspapers in New York City, like The New York Sun, The New York Observer, and the New York Daily News. He also started three online blogs about New York City politics.
Working at Politico
From 2008 to 2011, Smith wrote for the news website Politico. He joined Politico as it was growing. In 2008, he covered the election campaign for the Democratic presidential candidate. He reported on important political stories during that time.
In 2010, he reported on a private meeting where Republicans discussed how to raise money.
Leading BuzzFeed News
In December 2011, Ben Smith became the main editor of BuzzFeed News. He focused on making the news organization stronger in investigative journalism. This means they worked on finding out important facts and uncovering hidden stories.
In early 2015, Smith interviewed then-President Barack Obama for BuzzFeed News. This was the first time BuzzFeed interviewed a president.
In January 2017, Smith made the decision to publish a document about Donald Trump called the Steele dossier. Other major news organizations had not published it because they weren't sure if the information was proven. Smith said he chose to publish it because he believed in sharing information.
Writing for The New York Times
In January 2020, Smith became a media columnist for The New York Times. In this role, he wrote articles about the news industry itself.
In May 2020, Smith wrote an article questioning some of the reporting by another journalist, Ronan Farrow. Farrow stated that he stood by his work.
In September 2021, Smith reported that a media company called Ozy had tried to trick investors and advertisers. After his article came out, other news sources also investigated. This led to Ozy's board of directors deciding to close the company.
Starting Semafor
In early 2022, Ben Smith announced he was leaving The New York Times. He planned to start a new global news company called Semafor with Justin Smith. Ben Smith would be the top editor.
The goal of Semafor is to report news and offer different viewpoints on complicated stories. Justin Smith said they wanted to "reimagine quality global journalism" for people who are educated and professional but have lost trust in news. The name Semafor was announced in March 2022.
Awards and Recognition
- In 2012, Fast Company magazine put Ben Smith on its list of "100 Most Creative" people.
- In 2016, The Hollywood Reporter listed him and BuzzFeed co-founder Jonah Peretti as two of the most powerful people in media.
- In 2017, he and journalist Andrea Mitchell received The Jewish Daily Forward's Distinguished Journalism Award.
Personal Life
Ben Smith married Liena Zagare, a publisher from Latvia, in 2002. They have three children. In 2014, they were living in Brooklyn, New York.
Books Written
- Traffic: Genius, Rivalry, and Delusion in the Billion-Dollar Race to Go Viral. Penguin Press, ISBN: 978-0-593-29975-3
See also
- New Yorkers in journalism
