This is an infuriating decision which undermines the idea that Substack is a platform and not a publisher. You do understand how this is going to look to the broader public and to many of our readers, right? Until now, it's been easy to argue that Substack is ultimately a neutral platform that many publishers use, but this has the optics…
This is an infuriating decision which undermines the idea that Substack is a platform and not a publisher. You do understand how this is going to look to the broader public and to many of our readers, right? Until now, it's been easy to argue that Substack is ultimately a neutral platform that many publishers use, but this has the optics of choosing to promote a certain kind of ideology that many find repulsive; especially since you went out of your way to laud The Free Press as this paragon of journalistic integrity, which makes me wonder exactly what your idea of journalism is.
In addition, this reads like complying in advance with the incoming and aggressively litigious presidential administration, by aligning yourselves with a publication that is largely sympathetic to the policies and ideas that the administration will pursue.
Of all the successful Substack publications you could have chosen for this partnership, the fact that you chose The Free Press says a lot, and none of it is good.
This is an infuriating decision which undermines the idea that Substack is a platform and not a publisher. You do understand how this is going to look to the broader public and to many of our readers, right? Until now, it's been easy to argue that Substack is ultimately a neutral platform that many publishers use, but this has the optics of choosing to promote a certain kind of ideology that many find repulsive; especially since you went out of your way to laud The Free Press as this paragon of journalistic integrity, which makes me wonder exactly what your idea of journalism is.
In addition, this reads like complying in advance with the incoming and aggressively litigious presidential administration, by aligning yourselves with a publication that is largely sympathetic to the policies and ideas that the administration will pursue.
Of all the successful Substack publications you could have chosen for this partnership, the fact that you chose The Free Press says a lot, and none of it is good.