Media outlet Semafor was founded in 2022 by BuzzFeed and NYT alumnus Ben Smith, but in its relatively brief existence, it’s already run into some pretty notable trouble. Remember this less-than-stellar moment?
Semafor reporting on Sam Bankman-Fried when Sam Bankman-Fried had made a substantial investment in Semafor was not a good look. Know what else is not a good look for Semafor?
This:
🟡 China and Global Business | Our new platform, spanning events in Beijing and New York, plus special coverage, takes a look at one of the world's biggest stories.
Read more: https://t.co/BD9ZVyG4Si pic.twitter.com/qvi7J9liVs
— Semafor (@semafor) March 1, 2023
Bold move.
.@semafor has officially partnered with a Chinese think tank affiliated with China's United Front foreign influence operations. https://t.co/vz9GNfVm3a
— Josh Rogin (@joshrogin) March 1, 2023
Oh. How nice!
Ahem… https://t.co/WPbfSW1tgf
— Kelley Currie 🌻 (@KelleyCurrie) March 1, 2023
oh goodie https://t.co/OMgfUrTW0y
— T. Becket Adams (@BecketAdams) March 1, 2023
So we should not be expecting critical coverage of the CCP regime from Semafor anytime soon, then.
Read all about @semafor's new partner, the Center for China and Globalization, and its ties to CCP foreign influence operations and the United Front Work Department in this paper by @ASPI_org https://t.co/90ZFKQ2ZqR
— Josh Rogin (@joshrogin) March 1, 2023
Yes, read all about the CCP’s United Front:
In recent years, Xi Jinping has been promoting the United Front’s ‘multiparty cooperation and political consultative system’ as a ‘new type of party system’. It also serves as an inspiration for the CCP’s engagement with political parties around the world.22 A 2018 foreign policy editorial by the People’s Daily claimed that Xi Jinping’s ‘systematic elaboration on the super advantages of China’s party system has enlightened the whole world.’23 The chaos of Western societies shows that the CCP ‘is providing the world with … a China solution on how to seek a better political system’, the piece concluded. This point is echoed in training material for united front cadres, which warns that ‘Western hostile forces’ seek to overthrow the CCP and that their influence on overseas ethnic Chinese must be undone.24
The fact that the United Front is a political model and a way for the party to control political representation—the voices of groups targeted by united front work—means its overseas expansion is an exportation of the CCP’s political system. Overseas united front work taken to its conclusion would give the CCP undue influence over political representation and expression in foreign political systems.
"The centre is headed by Wang Huiyao (王辉耀), a prominent international commentator who is also an adviser to the UFWD, a member of several united front groups and an important figure in the development of China’s talent recruitment strategy."https://t.co/90ZFKQ2ZqR
— Josh Rogin (@joshrogin) March 1, 2023
In 2018, Wang dropped out of an event at The Wilson Center after @marcorubio wrote to them about Wang's affiliation with the United Front, China's foreign influence operations system, as reported by @BethanyAllenEbr @ForeignPolicy https://t.co/XNMLB15AdF
— Josh Rogin (@joshrogin) March 1, 2023
There are literal red flags all over the damn place, including at Semafor.
This follows @semafor's event last month sponsored by @AlibabaGroup, featuring a "sponsor's perspective," as pointed out by @michaelsobolik https://t.co/fqzMaISgRg
— Josh Rogin (@joshrogin) March 1, 2023
Alibaba, the Chinese tech and e-commerce company? Geez, Semafor. You guys aren’t even trying to be subtle, are you?
.@semaforben @Justin_B_Smith There is a real need for smart & reasoned discussion of the U.S.-China relationship. At the same time, partnering with United Front groups is not the answer. Foreign influence operations can only work if we enable them.
— Josh Rogin (@joshrogin) March 1, 2023
And evidently Semafor has decided to enable them. Well, this will definitely call their three-pronged “Semafor Approach” into question …
Semafor’s reporting can only be as transparent as the ChiComs will allow, which is to say, not very transparent at all.
“Distilled Views” as in “views distilled through the CCP apparatus.”
Apparently what that means to Semafor is that citizens of every country need to be exposed to ChiCom propaganda.
Great job, Semafor!
Kind of amazing how much their credibility just plummeted upon learning this.
— Colin Duffy (@TheRightDuff) March 1, 2023
Right? And it’s not as though Semafor’s credibility was super-high before we found out about this.
— Mama V (@VickiMo08056436) March 1, 2023
Yikes
— Richard Grenell (@RichardGrenell) March 1, 2023
Major yikes.
From the “news” platform brought to you by that trustworthy organization, FTX.
Cc. @daveweigel https://t.co/4AtfRs1hy9
— Get vaccinated. Against COVID & fascism. web rant (@web_rant) March 1, 2023
sounds awesome @semaforben. keep cashing those sweet sweet chicom checks https://t.co/zneixE4Vrf
— Fetterman/Cortez 2024 (@Glutton4Pnshmnt) March 1, 2023
Looks like that’s Semafor’s plan for the foreseeable future.
Editor’s note: This post has been updated with additional text and a tweet.
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