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FEBRUARY 6-12, 2020 listicles. Smith rode the BuzzFeed-hip wave and his operation quickly became one of the dream jobs for ambitious millennial journalists. (Trust me on this – I teach college students who would gladly surrender their Yik Yak accounts for an opportunity like working at BuzzFeed.)

Commendably, BuzzFeed grew up under Smith’s leadership and wanted to be better known for its political coverage and investigative excursions than its tabby video treats. Only a fool would not put BuzzFeed in the same conversation with the respected “Old Media” watchdogs.

So, Smith would seem to have the chops for the big job at the Times. But can he establish himself as a Timesman, and not a BuzzFeed master in exile in the Establishment? That will be a key question as he tries to gain a following with the online subscribers (who are more important to the Times than the newspaper’s older-demographic print readers) and a new reputation among the prickly, finicky media establishment, particularly in New York and Washington.

Experts and Matinee Idols

What’s in it for The New York Times and its parent company? Smith is a star, which makes all the difference. He can be a new piece in the Times Co.’s shiny marketing machine to young readers and prospective subscribers to its crucial online business. Today, it seems, prestigious outlets like the Times and The Washington Post are almost as eager for its big bylines to be able to translate to cable television news shows and are a lasting impression as experts and matinee idols. As the Trump presidency continues to be all-important on cable, the networks are clamoring to find respected journalists who can become full-time contributors and keep viewers from reaching

Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com for the remote control.

Smith will no doubt be opinionated and carry a sense of moral and journalistic authority – perfect for the panting executives at MSNBC (and, yes, CNN). The Times would presumably like nothing more than to see Smith’s mug appearing regularly on one of those channels. All he’d have to do is recite one of his columns or speak with the appropriate sense of outrage about one of the anti-media proclamations of President Trump or his cohorts (see the recent dustup between Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and NPR).

Ben Smith won’t have the luxury of a learning curve in NYT 101, or a trial period in which he can grow on readers before making his presence felt fully. He’ll have to make his mark on day one and not look back.

I suspect that he will. This is not his first rodeo. And, I’m pretty sure, he knows how to find Ukraine on a map. Everything you like about Our Town Downtown is now available to be delivered to your mailbox every week in the Downtowner From the very local news of your neighborhood to information about upcoming events and activities, the new home delivered edition of the Downtowner will keep you in-the-know.

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