The founders of Substack rejected efforts that seek to punish egregious content that is otherwise protected by the First Amendment, delivering a rebuke against widespread censorship plots to thwart free speech.
Substack co-founder Hamish McKenzie authored a Dec. 21 article announcing that the newsletter and article-hosting platform would not demonetize nor de-platform “fringe voices.” The move came in response to over 200 Substack authors pressing the platform on why “Nazis” are allowed to publish content. However, McKenzie wrote that he — along with Substack co-founders Chris Best and Jairaj Sethi — “have been listening to all the views being expressed” concerning “fringe voices on the platform (and particularly, in this case, Nazi views).” McKenzie further wrote that censorship will not make the “problem go away—in fact, it makes…
