The Good Fight Hamish McKenzie on How Substack is Transforming Public Discourse
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Mar 22, 2025 
Hamish McKenzie, co-founder of Substack and former journalist, discusses the platform's revolutionary role in transforming public discourse. He shares insights on how Substack prioritizes free speech amidst polarization and contrasts its user-controlled content model with traditional social media. Their conversation touches on the challenges of fostering meaningful dialogue and the evolving landscape of digital subscriptions. McKenzie emphasizes the importance of a diverse range of voices and the impact of business models on user engagement.
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Balancing Free Speech and Politics
- Substack champions free speech, a value now often perceived as politicized.
- They balance this commitment while attracting writers across the political spectrum.
Maintaining Free Speech Culture
- Substack actively cultivates a free-speech culture by interviewing potential employees on their stance.
- Candidates uncomfortable with defending free speech values might not fit Substack's environment.
Content Moderation Approach
- Substack's content moderation differs from other platforms due to its core model.
- Users opt into specific content, reducing the need for extensive moderation.