The Rebooting: Ben Smith & His Times

Ben Smith
Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty
Brian Morrissey
January 12, 2022

If the past two years have taught us anything, it’s to be wary of optimism. Time and again, taking the hopeful view has proven a bad bet, from the belief we could “flatten the curve” to the faith in vaccines ending the pandemic. By the same token, the same is true of digital publishing, which has consistently extinguished flickers of hope.