Substack under fire for refusing to ban pro-Nazi content
Substack, an email newsletter platform, is dealing with backlash from users after CEO Hamish McKenzie defended hosting and processing payments for neo-Nazi content. In a December note, McKenzie said that while the company "doesn't like Nazis," demonetizing sites with extreme views isn't the answer and could make the problem worse. This stance has led to several well-known newsletters threatening to leave Substack if it doesn't change its policy on hosting such content.
Prominent newsletters threaten to leave Substack
One of these newsletters is Platformer, a popular tech publication with thousands of subscribers. Technology journalist Casey Newton said, "Rolling out a welcome mat for Nazis is, to put it mildly, inconsistent with our values here at Platformer." Newton plans to meet with Substack to push for change and hopes the company will remove pro-Nazi content under its existing anti-hate policies. Substack takes a 10% cut from paid subscriptions, so losing Platformer could cost the company a hefty amount.
Loss of major newsletters could impact Substack's revenue
Other newsletters have already left Substack. Journalist Talia Lavin moved her newsletter The Sword and the Sandwich, which has thousands of paid subscribers, to competitor Buttondown on Tuesday. Lavin explained her decision, saying, "We've left Substack behind, after its founders stated, in no uncertain terms, that they're not just OK with, but in principle supportive of, having loads of out-and-out Nazis on their platform."
Substack's consistent opposition to content moderation
In 2022, Substack told the Guardian that silencing vaccine skeptics wouldn't be effective. Substack's leadership team said, "As we face growing pressure to censor content published on Substack that to some seem dubious or objectionable, our answer remains the same: we make decisions based on principles, not PR, we will defend free expression, and we will stick to our hands-off approach to content moderation."
Substack Pro service has also been a target of criticism
The platform has also faced criticism for its Substack Pro service for its lack of transparency. Substack Pro recruits new writers to the platform by paying them a guaranteed advance on their first year of subscriptions, all while keeping the authors' identities confidential. Substack defends this approach, stating it's a commercial, not editorial, agreement.