- Substack is under fire for refusing to defund and block white supremacist and Nazi writers.
- Platformer, one of Substack’s largest email newsletters, announced to its nearly two hundred thousand subscribers that it was considering leaving the platform.
Substack, one of the most important independent writing platforms on the internet, announced last month that it would not block Nazis. For this reason, the platform faced reaction from writers and readers. The last of these reactions came from Platformer, one of Substack’s most important email newsletters that publishes technology news. The platformer announced to its more than 172,000 subscribers this week that it was considering leaving the platform.
Substack responded to criticism of its approach to content moderation last month, saying it would not ban Nazi symbols or extreme rhetoric as long as the authors did not encourage violence. With this decision, the platform allows Nazis and other extremist groups to build an online audience and sell subscriptions.
Substack was founded in San Francisco in 2017. The company, which started with the goal of streamlining the process of publishing email newsletters, quickly became a hub for news and other online articles. Another feature of the platform that plays a role in its popularity is its revenue sharing policy. The company allows authors to keep 90% of the proceeds from sales, but only gets a 10% share.
However, the Substack content sharing model is now under threat. Because some writers who use this platform to sell email newsletter subscriptions have left the platform in recent weeks due to Substack’s attitude. Some other writers said they were considering leaving if the company didn’t cut income from white supremacist writers. Substack argues that blocking writers who are subject to criticism would be tantamount to censorship.
Platformer editor Casey Newton wrote in his article on Thursday, “The Nazis were not the only atrocities in history. But a platform that refuses to remove their supporters is telling you something important about itself.” said.
Nazi issue In November 2023, The Atlantic magazine claimed that Substack had a Nazi problem. an article It was sparked by its publication. More than 240 writers who share newsletters on Substack sent a message asking the company to clarify its stance after this article. petition signed. Hamish McKenzie, one of the co-founders of Substack, said in a statement dated December 21. in the blog post He defended the company’s decision and stated that they did not like the Nazis either.
Compiled by: İsa Arslan