Fertile ground
Flagship’s lead writer Tom Chivers says goodbye after four years.
The story of Flagship is rooted in fertilizer. When the team wrote their pre-release trial editions in late 2022, the Russian invasion of Ukraine was fresh in everyone's minds. A lesser-known issue was the potential rise in fertilizer prices due to disruptions in fossil fuel supplies. Without fertilizer, the world's population would face severe food shortages, with around 50% of the nitrogen in our food coming from it.
As economist Howard T. Odum put it in 1971, "Industrial man no longer eats potatoes made from solar energy; now he eats potatoes partly made of oil." Fertilizer, though not the most compelling or obvious story, affected millions of lives, making it one of the most consequential topics for Flagship. The purpose of Flagship has always been to provide readers with what is most consequential in our interconnected world.
Sometimes it means the global impact of a story, and sometimes it means the story's relevance to readers' ability to make decisions. Despite the passing of four years, fertilizer remains relevant, with the team having written about it 14 times this summer alone. The world has changed dramatically since Flagship's launch, with AI becoming a pervasive force in various aspects of life.
Initially considered a niche technology, AI's release of ChatGPT and the emergence of image generators like DALL-E were once novelties. However, AI's rapid growth has been astonishing, with its potential to transform weapons systems, solve complex problems, and even pose existential risks. Unlike fertilizer, AI is a sexy topic, but like fertilizer, it is crucial.
For four years, Flagship has strived to uncover what will matter to readers, sometimes focusing on stories that others overlook while ignoring mundane topics. Throughout this journey, the team has trusted that readers want to understand what is tangible and relevant, not just what is trivial. As the lead writer's last day approaches, they are proud of what they've built and confident that the briefing will continue to concentrate on what truly matters.
Written by urgent.news from Semafor's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
