Semafor, a new media venture from Ben Smith and Justin Smith, will be launching with a live event featuring interviews with two figures on opposite ends of the media spectrum: Fox News host Tucker Carlson and Washington Post columnist Taylor Lorenz.

The July event will be held in Washington and also feature Politico founder John F. Harris. All three will be interviewed by Ben Smith, the New York Times reported on Wednesday.

The inclusion of Carlson and Lorenz at the same event signals the broad audience the company is shooting for, but is remarkable considering the history of conflict between the Fox News host and tech reporter. Carlson has repeatedly targeted Lorenz on his prime time show, criticism she says has led to intense harassment.

It’s unlikely, however, the two will be sharing a stage. Washington Post reporter Jeremy Barr wrote on Wednesday the interviews would not be part of a panel, in tweet that was shared by Ben Smith.

I’m told this is not a panel, don’t worry pic.twitter.com/03S36xHEYx

— Jeremy Barr (@jeremymbarr) June 22, 2022

Ben Smith, the former editor of BuzzFeed News and Times columnist, and Justin Smith, formerly of Bloomberg Media, announced the new media company earlier this year and have a reported $25 million in funding, raised through individual investors.

In an interview with the Times, the Smiths said they plan on competing directly with outlets like the Washington Post and CNN. The media company will be hosting live events, as well as separating its content in each article to distinguish between opinion and straight reporting.

According to the Times interview:

News articles, minimally designed with a pale yellow background and cobalt blue headlines, will be broken down into sections to distinguish between factual information, analysis from the reporter and a range of perspectives on the news.

The company is launching with 30 journalists at the ready in London, New York, and Washington D.C.

The post Ben Smith Will Interview Tucker Carlson and Taylor Lorenz at First Event Thrown By His New Media Company first appeared on Mediaite.

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