While Substack is already important, it could and should become even more important as millions of citizens continue to lose trust in the cadre of narrative-controlling media organizations that make up the Trusted News Initiative.
Bill I appreciate the point you make but gotta' tell ya'. I live in a rural area and no one, repeat NO ONE in my neighborhood, in church group have even HEARD of substack. The reach is already so small as to be possibly miniscule by comparison to MSM and Fox reach.
It would really be interesting to somehow put out a poll of substack users and have them ask neighbors and figure out what percent have heard of it.
Anyway, my point is that substack is not likely worth the time of the big boys to "cancel".
However, can I propose a plan B? If Substack starts cancelling conservatives, what would be the chance of resurrecting those conservative voices on any one or all of the following:
GAB,
Parler,
Trump Social,
X
Odyssey
??
I would be willing to bet ONE of these platforms would be glad to modify their site to replicate Substack's!
It's a great point, one that's actually germane to my research - namely, why don't more people know about Substack?
Part of the answer is Substack is being suppressed ... or at least the articles of the most-important Substack authors. You might put it this way: Far more people would be aware of Substack if its important articles had gone viral or semi-viral - which hasn't happened ... by design IMO.
I'm going to address this observation ("nobody knows about Substack") in a note in my upcoming metrics article.
See if you can get press credentials for the Whitehouse and then send a note to the charming new press secretary (who repeats more often than needed but is rarely at a loss for precise words) to see if you or someone can come in and ask her questions about how SubStack can be protected OR DUPLICATED in an open source, USER OWNED platform. She had the Rumble creator on just recently and no doubt that should have caused a spike in new members. If SubStack comes under notice/favour of the Whitehouse and wider scrutiny it may he harder to derail the/us authors.
Interesting. Great suggestion. I think one reason I keep writing these "something has changed" articles is to, per chance, influence the executives at Substack to NOT "go wobbly."
If something nefarious is happening ... stop it now.
If this is happening, it must be illegal ... or a civil tort.
I agree, Bill. It's a unnerving because this type of suppression is also happening on X, the supposed free speech platform. It's insidious. I had a chat with the Substack AI a few days ago, because my Stats weren't updating. AI asked if "anything else unusual is happening with your account." I said, "Well, the algorithm is not picking up my writing to connect it with interested individuals,' and AI quickly said, "We don't use algorithms at Substack." I reminded AI that Substack informed everyone via email in September 2024 that it was going to start promoting different accounts, based on number of readers. Substack's AI assured me again that they don't use algorithms. "Anything else I can help you with?" I said I would like to talk to a real person, and not AI, "No offense," which ended the conversation quickly. Wish I had taken a screenshot, because it disappeared shortly thereafter.
I went almost a year in 2023 without posting on Substack, while I was writing my book, and even then I had more views and new subscribers than I have now. Something is definitely up, and it's not organic, in my opinion.
You have been saying this for awhile now about Substack. Whether it is a subscriber level thing or writers on Substack having issues with Substack’s “payment provider” system. And cancelling people’s subscriptions or keep charging people when they cancel a subscription. I hope it doesn’t get totally ‘hijacked’ by the peeps in SF that started and are running The Stack.
I have very, VERY limited income, but I tried 3 times to subscribe to a substack writer and each time several of my FREE subscriptions also started being charged. All three times required me getting my bank involved, such that the third time they questioned why i would keep giving these guys my card info. 🤨
More cutting-room-floor text: (This, originally, was going to be the final 4 paragraphs of this essay):
Absent a whistleblower coming forward, the best clue Substack authors might have that another sinister conspiracy has been launched to thwart the reach of dissident voices is a close study of our own Substack metrics.
The above paragraph begs a question: if a whistleblower did come forward, would it matter if this claim reached only a small number of citizens?
My answer: It might matter if the reporting of Substack’s dissident authors reached a significant portion of the world population.
For those seeking to further expand the Censorship Industrial Complex, one suspects the key to their operation is making sure such “bombshell” claims continue to reach on only a few insignificant ears.
I'm with you Bill. There are few people who will speak out. It's safer to toe the party line. And the mainstream media sucks. What is the prospect for progress in human affairs if dissent is silenced? The consequence is a form of enslavement.
Bill, I wonder what would happen if you created a post that followed in the tradition of JP Sears? With his use of sarcasm and doublespeak, he had been able to fly under the radar of the algorithm during tye start of the pandemic. I guess I don't know if that's still the case, though.
It might prove to be an interesting experiment, at the least!
I've done a bit of fishing around in a few of the left-leaning Substackers, and see nothing of value in their posts...certainly nothing that would be leading many thousands each month to subscribe! It will be interesting as funding from USAID is revealed, to see if Substack is a publication that was funded, along with Politico, NYT, etc.
As I see it around me, most liberals I know are not interested enough to feel they need any more info than what they find in the msm. All I hear is hate Trump or hate Trump more. They have confirmation. Forget trying to get any truth past this.
I think that the Substack search function needs major work. I can only find you and your newsletter if I look from my inbox or Substack Home. If I'm visiting a different author's post/newsletter, if I put "Bill Rice" into the search box on Substack, your name and newsletter do NOT come up.
The search box says to "Search for people or posts." It doesn't say "Search for people or posts within this author's newsletter" or give indication that its search there is so limited. It seems that if the Substack search doesn't pull up your name if I'm anywhere on Substack except Inbox or Home, how can anyone find you? And what is the purpose of the search?
The USAID revelations of millions or more going to pay for subscriptions to publications like Politico and others got me to question if a similarly preferred set of Substack writers has also been a recipient of funding from USAID? I searched the USAID grants for "Substack" and their payment processor "Stripe" and "Bulwark" with no hits returned. Maybe a search of other authors will show some USAID subscriptions? But seeing as how only USAID's grants are available to scrutinize there very well could be other agencies supporting the preferred set of Substack writers that skews the numbers you've identified?
Just spit-balling, but seems like it could be possible that type of government involvement is at play. I mean, really, what's the difference between reading Politico and reading The Bulwark, or any number of the biggest Substack revenue-generating publications?
If the new subscribers for the liberal juggernauts are real people, what are the chances that mega corporations and NGOs are buying those subscriptions on their behalf? Propping up "good and faithful" progressive servants by purchasing Substack subscriptions could be the new "payoff" mechanism to replace the old method of buying 10,000 books and throwing them into the dumpster. Seriously, did anyone read Hilary Clinton's book? I am surprised that Hunter Biden didn't become a Substack author. That grift would have been much less attention grabbing than selling his finger paintings for millions of dollars. I would look for a lot more DC "secret keepers" to start Substack accounts real soon. I expect Mr. Rice to update us on this trend.
You say: "In my opinion, the most important conspiracy has been the program to thwart and suppress content produced by people who are not “disinformation super spreaders” but brave heroes trying to save the world."
Bill, brave heroes have always had their message suppressed since printing was first invented!
We have a very long, painful history of owners controlling the narrative. It is nothing new, is it?
We have to be realistic. Substack runs a ghetto for dissidents and the walls are getting thicker.
We are walled off in this echo chamber. If our newsletters get shared on other social media platforms they are automatically shadow banned into obscurity, unless the writer is pre-approved by the CIA, Xitter, Farcebook et al.
If we get any growth in our statistics it is a blooming miracle!
The entire internet is AI censored now and Substack management depends on the big 'narrative-obedient' accounts for the bulk of their income, so they don't give a brass razzoo if we give up and quietly cease to bother them.
It may be that they? not substack that is using AI to generate new users. In other words they are trying to marginalize the truth tellers. Any one confirm?
Cutting-Room-Floor Text ...
While Substack is already important, it could and should become even more important as millions of citizens continue to lose trust in the cadre of narrative-controlling media organizations that make up the Trusted News Initiative.
Bill I appreciate the point you make but gotta' tell ya'. I live in a rural area and no one, repeat NO ONE in my neighborhood, in church group have even HEARD of substack. The reach is already so small as to be possibly miniscule by comparison to MSM and Fox reach.
It would really be interesting to somehow put out a poll of substack users and have them ask neighbors and figure out what percent have heard of it.
Anyway, my point is that substack is not likely worth the time of the big boys to "cancel".
However, can I propose a plan B? If Substack starts cancelling conservatives, what would be the chance of resurrecting those conservative voices on any one or all of the following:
GAB,
Parler,
Trump Social,
X
Odyssey
??
I would be willing to bet ONE of these platforms would be glad to modify their site to replicate Substack's!
Bill, I know you are passionate about this topic. But I agree most peeps have no idea about substack.
It's a great point, one that's actually germane to my research - namely, why don't more people know about Substack?
Part of the answer is Substack is being suppressed ... or at least the articles of the most-important Substack authors. You might put it this way: Far more people would be aware of Substack if its important articles had gone viral or semi-viral - which hasn't happened ... by design IMO.
I'm going to address this observation ("nobody knows about Substack") in a note in my upcoming metrics article.
We all should be advocates of Substack to our spheres of influence. Each one reach one (as many as possible).
I share article links on FB, Truth Social, & Twitter.
That's a good point. When I tell most local friends I write for Substack they say, "Who? What?"
Still, the informed population knows all about it. The "influencers" know all about it.
Dear Bill,
See if you can get press credentials for the Whitehouse and then send a note to the charming new press secretary (who repeats more often than needed but is rarely at a loss for precise words) to see if you or someone can come in and ask her questions about how SubStack can be protected OR DUPLICATED in an open source, USER OWNED platform. She had the Rumble creator on just recently and no doubt that should have caused a spike in new members. If SubStack comes under notice/favour of the Whitehouse and wider scrutiny it may he harder to derail the/us authors.
Interesting. Great suggestion. I think one reason I keep writing these "something has changed" articles is to, per chance, influence the executives at Substack to NOT "go wobbly."
If something nefarious is happening ... stop it now.
If this is happening, it must be illegal ... or a civil tort.
Tulsi has been confirmed:
https://www.rt.com/news/612593-tulsi-gabbard-confirmed-senate/
I agree, Bill. It's a unnerving because this type of suppression is also happening on X, the supposed free speech platform. It's insidious. I had a chat with the Substack AI a few days ago, because my Stats weren't updating. AI asked if "anything else unusual is happening with your account." I said, "Well, the algorithm is not picking up my writing to connect it with interested individuals,' and AI quickly said, "We don't use algorithms at Substack." I reminded AI that Substack informed everyone via email in September 2024 that it was going to start promoting different accounts, based on number of readers. Substack's AI assured me again that they don't use algorithms. "Anything else I can help you with?" I said I would like to talk to a real person, and not AI, "No offense," which ended the conversation quickly. Wish I had taken a screenshot, because it disappeared shortly thereafter.
I went almost a year in 2023 without posting on Substack, while I was writing my book, and even then I had more views and new subscribers than I have now. Something is definitely up, and it's not organic, in my opinion.
Thanks, Lori. We need you on this case!
You have been saying this for awhile now about Substack. Whether it is a subscriber level thing or writers on Substack having issues with Substack’s “payment provider” system. And cancelling people’s subscriptions or keep charging people when they cancel a subscription. I hope it doesn’t get totally ‘hijacked’ by the peeps in SF that started and are running The Stack.
I have very, VERY limited income, but I tried 3 times to subscribe to a substack writer and each time several of my FREE subscriptions also started being charged. All three times required me getting my bank involved, such that the third time they questioned why i would keep giving these guys my card info. 🤨
Moral: I would love to subscribe but I cant afford the overdraft fees!
That doesn’t sound good.
More cutting-room-floor text: (This, originally, was going to be the final 4 paragraphs of this essay):
Absent a whistleblower coming forward, the best clue Substack authors might have that another sinister conspiracy has been launched to thwart the reach of dissident voices is a close study of our own Substack metrics.
The above paragraph begs a question: if a whistleblower did come forward, would it matter if this claim reached only a small number of citizens?
My answer: It might matter if the reporting of Substack’s dissident authors reached a significant portion of the world population.
For those seeking to further expand the Censorship Industrial Complex, one suspects the key to their operation is making sure such “bombshell” claims continue to reach on only a few insignificant ears.
I'm with you Bill. There are few people who will speak out. It's safer to toe the party line. And the mainstream media sucks. What is the prospect for progress in human affairs if dissent is silenced? The consequence is a form of enslavement.
Bill, I wonder what would happen if you created a post that followed in the tradition of JP Sears? With his use of sarcasm and doublespeak, he had been able to fly under the radar of the algorithm during tye start of the pandemic. I guess I don't know if that's still the case, though.
It might prove to be an interesting experiment, at the least!
I've done a bit of fishing around in a few of the left-leaning Substackers, and see nothing of value in their posts...certainly nothing that would be leading many thousands each month to subscribe! It will be interesting as funding from USAID is revealed, to see if Substack is a publication that was funded, along with Politico, NYT, etc.
As I see it around me, most liberals I know are not interested enough to feel they need any more info than what they find in the msm. All I hear is hate Trump or hate Trump more. They have confirmation. Forget trying to get any truth past this.
The left loves to create and then reside in their own echo chamber.
Great minds think alike! I was typing up the same thought as you were, you just beat me to hitting the "Reply" button!
I think that the Substack search function needs major work. I can only find you and your newsletter if I look from my inbox or Substack Home. If I'm visiting a different author's post/newsletter, if I put "Bill Rice" into the search box on Substack, your name and newsletter do NOT come up.
The search box says to "Search for people or posts." It doesn't say "Search for people or posts within this author's newsletter" or give indication that its search there is so limited. It seems that if the Substack search doesn't pull up your name if I'm anywhere on Substack except Inbox or Home, how can anyone find you? And what is the purpose of the search?
I agree that the search facilities are in dire need of improvement.
I have searched for certain newsletters of mine by accurate titles and they never appear.
The USAID revelations of millions or more going to pay for subscriptions to publications like Politico and others got me to question if a similarly preferred set of Substack writers has also been a recipient of funding from USAID? I searched the USAID grants for "Substack" and their payment processor "Stripe" and "Bulwark" with no hits returned. Maybe a search of other authors will show some USAID subscriptions? But seeing as how only USAID's grants are available to scrutinize there very well could be other agencies supporting the preferred set of Substack writers that skews the numbers you've identified?
Just spit-balling, but seems like it could be possible that type of government involvement is at play. I mean, really, what's the difference between reading Politico and reading The Bulwark, or any number of the biggest Substack revenue-generating publications?
I don't know about Substack, but I will say that Reddit seems completely compromised and is becoming a wasteland.
If the new subscribers for the liberal juggernauts are real people, what are the chances that mega corporations and NGOs are buying those subscriptions on their behalf? Propping up "good and faithful" progressive servants by purchasing Substack subscriptions could be the new "payoff" mechanism to replace the old method of buying 10,000 books and throwing them into the dumpster. Seriously, did anyone read Hilary Clinton's book? I am surprised that Hunter Biden didn't become a Substack author. That grift would have been much less attention grabbing than selling his finger paintings for millions of dollars. I would look for a lot more DC "secret keepers" to start Substack accounts real soon. I expect Mr. Rice to update us on this trend.
What can we readers do?
So we need a new place. And we'll probably have to do it ourselves (with some help from friends, of course).
That could get dicey. And pricey, but we could probably do it fairly cheaply with a few volunteers.
Of course, it might flop. Or it might not.
Are the writings of people's stacks substack-exclusive or could they be republished elsewhere online?
Each writer owns the copyright of his or her own writing on Substack.
You say: "In my opinion, the most important conspiracy has been the program to thwart and suppress content produced by people who are not “disinformation super spreaders” but brave heroes trying to save the world."
Bill, brave heroes have always had their message suppressed since printing was first invented!
We have a very long, painful history of owners controlling the narrative. It is nothing new, is it?
We have to be realistic. Substack runs a ghetto for dissidents and the walls are getting thicker.
We are walled off in this echo chamber. If our newsletters get shared on other social media platforms they are automatically shadow banned into obscurity, unless the writer is pre-approved by the CIA, Xitter, Farcebook et al.
If we get any growth in our statistics it is a blooming miracle!
The entire internet is AI censored now and Substack management depends on the big 'narrative-obedient' accounts for the bulk of their income, so they don't give a brass razzoo if we give up and quietly cease to bother them.
Perhaps what's changed ..Is that you herded the flock you deserved, and the rest have gone looking elsewhere?
And how is your promised dissertation on virus existence going?
Do that and you might get a dead cat bounce.
It may be that they? not substack that is using AI to generate new users. In other words they are trying to marginalize the truth tellers. Any one confirm?