Episode 185: Ben Smith

Ben Smith is the editor-in-chief of BuzzFeed.

“I do think as a reporter in general, most of what we deal in is ephemera. And I love that. I mean that’s the business, and I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. In fact, I think that’s a plus and something that shapes how you succeed at the job because you realize that this thing you’re writing is about this moment and right now, and about its place in the conversation. It’s not some piece of art to hang on the wall.”

Thanks to MailChimp, Harry's, and Reveal, and Home Chef for sponsoring this week's episode.

Show Notes:
@buzzfeedben
Smith on Longform
[11:00] "Uber Executive Suggests Digging Up Dirt on Journalists" (BuzzFeed • Nov 2014)
[11:00] "Donald Trump Secretly Told the New York Times What He Really Thinks About Immigration" (BuzzFeed • Feb 2016)
[11:00] "Why BuzzFeed Doesn’t Do Clickbait" (BuzzFeed • Nov 2014)
[11:00] "What the Longform Backlash Is All About" (Medium • Jan 2014)
[12:00] "What the Hell Happened To Mickey Kaus?" (BuzzFeed • Dec 2015)
[12:00] "Looking For Tom Lehrer, Comedy’s Mysterious Genius" (BuzzFeed • Apr 2014)
[12:00] "A Personal Middle East Conflict In The Fight For Palestine" (BuzzFeed • Jan 2014)
[12:00] "The Book That Defined Modern Campaign Reporting" (Politico • Dec 2010)
[14:00] "The Boy Wonder of BuzzFeed" (Douglas Quenqua • New York Times • Feb 2013)
[25:00] "Longform Podcast #47: Steve Kandell" (Longform • Jun 2013)
[35:00] "Ben Smith and Jonah Peretti: The Gawker Interview" (J.K. Trotter • Gawker • Apr 2015)
[36:00] "What We’re Doing To Keep Building A Diverse Editorial Operation" (BuzzFeed • Oct 2014)
[39:00] "28 Signs You Were Raised By Persian Parents In America" (Samir Mezrahi • BuzzFeed • Mar 2013)
[40:00] "How Bougie Are You?" (BuzzFeed • Jun 2014)
[40:00] "Longform Podcast #179: Heben Nigatu and Tracy Clayton"
[41:00] "13 Top Editors On How They Think About Diversity In Their Newsrooms" (Heben Nigatu, Tracy Clayton • BuzzFeed • Aug 2014)
[49:00] "29 Things You Only Understand If You’re A Geocacher" (BuzzFeed • May 2014)
[50:00] "The Tennis Racket" (Heidi Blake, John Templon • BuzzFeed • Jan 2016)
[52:00] The Tasty Archive (BuzzFeed)
[52:00] The Nifty Archive (BuzzFeed)
[55:00] "36 Hours On The Fake Campaign Trail With Donald Trump" (McKay Coppins • BuzzFeed • Feb 2014)
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Ben Smith is the editor-in-chief of BuzzFeed.

“I do think as a reporter in general, most of what we deal in is ephemera. And I love that. I mean that’s the business, and I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. In fact, I think that’s a plus and something that shapes how you succeed at the job because you realize that this thing you’re writing is about this moment and right now, and about its place in the conversation. It’s not some piece of art to hang on the wall.”

Thanks to MailChimp, Harry's, and Reveal, and Home Chef for sponsoring this week's episode.

Show Notes:
@buzzfeedben
Smith on Longform
[11:00] "Uber Executive Suggests Digging Up Dirt on Journalists" (BuzzFeed • Nov 2014)
[11:00] "Donald Trump Secretly Told the New York Times What He Really Thinks About Immigration" (BuzzFeed • Feb 2016)
[11:00] "Why BuzzFeed Doesn’t Do Clickbait" (BuzzFeed • Nov 2014)
[11:00] "What the Longform Backlash Is All About" (Medium • Jan 2014)
[12:00] "What the Hell Happened To Mickey Kaus?" (BuzzFeed • Dec 2015)
[12:00] "Looking For Tom Lehrer, Comedy’s Mysterious Genius" (BuzzFeed • Apr 2014)
[12:00] "A Personal Middle East Conflict In The Fight For Palestine" (BuzzFeed • Jan 2014)
[12:00] "The Book That Defined Modern Campaign Reporting" (Politico • Dec 2010)
[14:00] "The Boy Wonder of BuzzFeed" (Douglas Quenqua • New York Times • Feb 2013)
[25:00] "Longform Podcast #47: Steve Kandell" (Longform • Jun 2013)
[35:00] "Ben Smith and Jonah Peretti: The Gawker Interview" (J.K. Trotter • Gawker • Apr 2015)
[36:00] "What We’re Doing To Keep Building A Diverse Editorial Operation" (BuzzFeed • Oct 2014)
[39:00] "28 Signs You Were Raised By Persian Parents In America" (Samir Mezrahi • BuzzFeed • Mar 2013)
[40:00] "How Bougie Are You?" (BuzzFeed • Jun 2014)
[40:00] "Longform Podcast #179: Heben Nigatu and Tracy Clayton"
[41:00] "13 Top Editors On How They Think About Diversity In Their Newsrooms" (Heben Nigatu, Tracy Clayton • BuzzFeed • Aug 2014)
[49:00] "29 Things You Only Understand If You’re A Geocacher" (BuzzFeed • May 2014)
[50:00] "The Tennis Racket" (Heidi Blake, John Templon • BuzzFeed • Jan 2016)
[52:00] The Tasty Archive (BuzzFeed)
[52:00] The Nifty Archive (BuzzFeed)
[55:00] "36 Hours On The Fake Campaign Trail With Donald Trump" (McKay Coppins • BuzzFeed • Feb 2014)

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices