Stephen A. Smith

It's the way I can get my message in front of people. And you would react to – the media could, if they picked a thing that was going to become the narrative, could change government policy, right? It would create such a firestorm that you would have to stop doing it or change course or whatever else.

It's the way I can get my message in front of people. And you would react to – the media could, if they picked a thing that was going to become the narrative, could change government policy, right? It would create such a firestorm that you would have to stop doing it or change course or whatever else.

I do sort of question after watching this election, the first couple weeks of Trump, whether – like it seems like that role is so diminished as to be – is that the media becomes – maybe this is for better, not for worse from your perspective, but more – almost entirely an observer and chronicler of the process as opposed to a participant when it was a huge participant in politics for basically since the invention of the newspaper.

I do sort of question after watching this election, the first couple weeks of Trump, whether – like it seems like that role is so diminished as to be – is that the media becomes – maybe this is for better, not for worse from your perspective, but more – almost entirely an observer and chronicler of the process as opposed to a participant when it was a huge participant in politics for basically since the invention of the newspaper.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah. And I think, I mean, I don't think it's a binary thing, but yeah, but I think the media's role in being able to sort of set the agenda essentially is obviously diminished, you know, to some degree given over to whatever, like a non on Twitter caught Elon's eye this morning. Like right now, that's what's driving.

Yeah. And I think, I mean, I don't think it's a binary thing, but yeah, but I think the media's role in being able to sort of set the agenda essentially is obviously diminished, you know, to some degree given over to whatever, like a non on Twitter caught Elon's eye this morning. Like right now, that's what's driving.

That's what you'll see on Fox tomorrow morning and in the white house the next day. Like that's, you know, is literally random people tweeting it in Elon's replies, but, And I guess, yeah, and I think that the media can overplay it. Yeah, I do have some ambivalence about that role.

That's what you'll see on Fox tomorrow morning and in the white house the next day. Like that's, you know, is literally random people tweeting it in Elon's replies, but, And I guess, yeah, and I think that the media can overplay it. Yeah, I do have some ambivalence about that role.

And we definitely, I think, we are able, like Semaphore has been able to build a lot of trust with Republicans and Democrats, partly because we see our lane as narrower, right? Like we're trying to tell you what's going on and provide really good information, but not ultimately resolve the argument. Yeah.

And we definitely, I think, we are able, like Semaphore has been able to build a lot of trust with Republicans and Democrats, partly because we see our lane as narrower, right? Like we're trying to tell you what's going on and provide really good information, but not ultimately resolve the argument. Yeah.

That said, I do think that there's a long tradition of people in American politics who think they can shape reality. There was a famous... Who was it in the Bush administration?

That said, I do think that there's a long tradition of people in American politics who think they can shape reality. There was a famous... Who was it in the Bush administration?

It was Karl Rove in the New York Times magazine.

It was Karl Rove in the New York Times magazine.

He told Robert Draper that they didn't have to be accountable to the reality-based community anymore. At some point, journalism is the reality-based community. The power doesn't really ultimately come from... To me, like it comes from the fact that you're revealing things that are in fact true and the citizen voters are going to wind up having to react to.

He told Robert Draper that they didn't have to be accountable to the reality-based community anymore. At some point, journalism is the reality-based community. The power doesn't really ultimately come from... To me, like it comes from the fact that you're revealing things that are in fact true and the citizen voters are going to wind up having to react to.

And I don't think we've I don't think that's the people kind of underestimate that that's really the power of it in the first place.

And I don't think we've I don't think that's the people kind of underestimate that that's really the power of it in the first place.