Looking For Journalistic Credibilty? Don't Let Chevron Sponsor Your New Climate Newsletter

[hatrack]

I was hopeful that Ben Smith, the editor-in-chief of the new global media startup Semafor, might speak to HEATED about the misleading Chevron ad atop the site’s debut climate newsletter on Monday. Smith has, after all, repeatedly claimed that Semafor’s purpose is to restore eroding public trust in journalism. In the site’s introductory post, he wrote, “We’ve been listening to readers and viewers who feel overwhelmed and unsure of what to trust among the sprawl of current news outlets—and eager for something new.” So I figured Smith would consider it a priority to answer for climate misinformation on Semafor—particularly, misinformation that Semafor is making money from spreading to its readers.

Link to tweet

But when I contacted Smith on Monday night to ask for a conversation about the site’s Chevron sponsorship, he declined, and directed me to a Semafor spokesperson. I sent a detailed request to said Semafor spokesperson on Tuesday morning about the sponsorship, and received no response by this newsletter’s publication on Wednesday afternoon. So much for “something new.”

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“Semafor’s mission is to address the very real consumer frustrations of today, including trust in news, bias and polarization,” a Semafor spokesperson told the Observer. “Brands and clients are also looking for opportunities to solve these issues.” According to the Observer, Semafor has already raised more than $25 million, the majority of which is coming from eight corporate sponsors who want to help the news outlet address distrust in media. One of those sponsors appears to be Chevron, the second biggest climate-polluting company in the world.

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If I sound pissed today, it’s because I am. I am so tired of our nation’s most powerful and reputable media outlets refusing to engage with legitimate journalistic questions about the harmful impact of their fossil fuel advertising, both on their readers and on their own reputation. And make no mistake: they refuse to engage. This newsletter has called out numerous news outlets for running fossil fuel company ads that mislead readers about climate change. Each time we call out a news outlet, we ask them to explain: why don’t you consider these ads to be misleading? Why do you think these ads don’t constitute misinformation?

We never, ever, get an answer. All we get is silence or defensiveness. When we asked Axios and POLITICO to defend their misleading fossil fuel ads, for example, each responded by vehemently defending the quality and independence of their climate reporting. It’s an incredibly disingenuous response, and frankly an insult to the reason we ask the question.

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https://heated.world/p/semafors-infuriating-climate-misinformation