The ongoing content moderation issues behind Substack's meltdown

Substack, the popular newsletter publishing platform toting millions of subscribers, is at the center of a user quagmire in 2024: Should we stay or should we go?In a recent article by The Atlantic, the platform was called a “ticking time bomb” of content moderation issues, which have prompted several prominent blogs and writers to publish scathing indictments of the site before ceremoniously leaving the platform. The company has faced other battles in the last year as well, including a brief feud with Elon Musk-owned X/Twitter. So why are users ushering in the new year by exiting the site now? SEE ALSO: Artifact, the AI news app created by Instagram’s founders, is shutting down Users demand content moderation and accountabilityIn Nov. 2023, the Atlantic published an investigation into growing networks of white nationalists hosting alt-right and neo-Nazi blogs on Substack. Seemingly against terms of service that ban hate on the platform, the frequently antisemitic blogs were generating consistent revenue for both the publishers and Substack itself, which takes a portion of subscription revenue. In response, hundreds of writers issued an open letter to Substack asking for an explanation. Later, another group of writers and fans published a letter in support of subscriber freedom and opposing increased content moderation. On Dec. 21, Substack co-founder Hamish McKenzie uploaded a blog post responding to outcries over “fringe accounts,” saying: “I just want to make it clear that we don’t like Nazis either — we wish no-one held those views. But some people do hold…The ongoing content moderation issues behind Substack's meltdown