Semafor

Semafor is a news website founded in 2022 by Ben Smith, a former editor-in-chief of BuzzFeed News and media columnist at The New York Times, and Justin B. Smith, the former CEO of Bloomberg Media Group. Description and etymology The New York Times has called Semafor a "global news organization". Vox has described Semafor as "a collection of newsletters, plus a website, aimed at an upscale audience that understands topics like Washington politics and Silicon Valley tech but wants more". The website is free to access and supported by advertisements, though Semafor's co-founders have described plans to convert to a paid subscription model. The organization is based in New York City. The name "Semafor" is derived from the word "semaphore", which "appears in similar form in many languages". According to The New York Times, "semaphore" is "often used in a nautical context" and can be described as "a visual signaling apparatus often involving flags, lights and arm gestures". The co-founders appreciated that the word "sounds about the same in thirty-five languages". History Semafor was launched by journalist Ben Smith, who was previously a media columnist for The New York Times, and Justin B. Smith (no relation), the chief executive officer of Bloomberg Media Group, in October 2022. The duo had met in Manhattan in 2008 and kept in touch; at a conference in Davos in 2018, they began a series of discussions which led to the development of Semafor over four years. Ahead of the launch, both men resigned from their previous positions in January 2022. A federal trademark registration for Semafor was filed on January 16, and the Smiths announced the organization's name in March 2022. In a memo that Justin Smith sent to "close confidants", he described a new company that would "reimagine quality global journalism" aimed at what he said was an "English-speaking, college-educated, professional class" that had "lost trust in all sources of news and information". Semafor launched on October 18, 2022, with Gina Chua as executive editor.