The New York Times highlighted alleged “frustrations” of the NYT’s only remaining competitor in the United States in the general interest press. The Washington Post is said to be facing stagnation in subscriptions “since former President Trump left office”.
Whatever the reason, WaPo has an eye on the international market, the same one prioritized for growth by the NYT. The Washington paper’s Strategic Review Team reportedly concluded that it “may be the definitive source of news for the English-speaking world.” Among the steps to do so, its executives reportedly discussed buying London-based The Guardian and The Economist.
The first has already denied, but it is a fact that the English press, like its football clubs and automakers, has been internationalized. The Guardian itself, which created a fund in the US for this, today gives part of the coverage to projects by American foundations.
In this “English-speaking world,” the NYT’s biggest competitor may not be WaPo. Ben and Justin Smith’s Semafor, also based in New York, should only be launched next month, but he didn’t hold back and announced his first news on Friday (2).
The focus is on China, confirming that, whatever the vehicle, American coverage will have the same adversary. In the title (reproduction above), “Semafor Exclusive: Biden will clamp down on Chinese technology with new executive order.”
By the end of the month, according to three sources, the move “could drastically limit US investment in China.” And two more would reduce TikTok’s access to user data and the type of technology that can be sold to Chinese companies.
Semafor notes that, depending on the details, “the executive orders may simply serve as harsh political statements against China ahead of the November elections.”
IN LATIN AMERICA
In an interview with the Economic Times, Justin Smith said he was “open to an Indian partner to launch a local edition” of Semador.
He added that, after the launch, “we will create regional and national products in sequence, in the Middle East, Asia, Europe, Latin America”. One of the biggest investors in the vehicle is Brazilian billionaire Jorge Paulo Lemann.
WINTER IS COMING
After Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei (above) leaked a warning to the Chinese giant’s employees predicting global recession, Beijing-based Caixin published the analysis “Winter is coming for China’s tech sector”.
