Anne Kennedy: A haven for free speech

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LINDSAY MAST, HOST: Today is Wednesday, September 10th. Good morning! This is The World and Everything in It from listener-supported WORLD Radio. I’m Lindsay Mast.

NICK EICHER, HOST: And I’m Nick Eicher. Up next, WORLD Opinions contributor Anne Kennedy invites Christian writers to—excuse the George Grant malaphor—jump on the Substack bandwagon: the water is fine.

ANNE KENNEDY: I’m not sure if this crossed your newsfeeds this summer, but Gavin Newsom made this announcement on X back in June:

GAVIN NEWSOM: There’s so much mis- and disinformation out there. There’s so much noise. I don’t need to tell you that. So, the question is, how do we break through all of that noise and engage in real conversations? And that’s why I’m launching on Substack.

It’s a bit ironic that one of the most powerful governors in the Western world doesn’t think his position affords him sufficient influence over culture and politics. He’s got a podcast, what does he need Substack for?

NEWSOM: I hope you’ll follow me so we can continue to engage in a two-way conversation at this critical moment in our history.

In internet terms, Substack is now old. Perhaps Newsom’s joining makes that obvious.

Founded in 2017 it was supposed to be the answer to the stranglehold of social media and legacy media on public discourse. A few years later, cofounder Hamish McKenzie wrote that he believed the changing media landscape was “the most significant media disruption since the printing press.” He bragged that Substack had played an enormous part in that disruption.

Substack is an arms wide open sort of platform. Everyone wants in on the fun—New York Magazine, BBC History, Nike, McDonalds, Pepsi, Tulsi Gabbard, the U.S. State Department, Margaret Atwood, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Don Lemon, Chuck Todd. There are an enormous number of Christians as well—Peter Leithart, N.T. Wright, Karen Swallow Prior, Rod Dreher…the list is long. In fact, my own Notes Feed is replete with thoughtful Christians posting long-form content on culture, faith, and life.

To go from being viewed with suspicion to the only place to be in under a decade, makes small-time Substackers like me nervous. Substack has been a haven for thinkers. From holding the line on free speech through times of immense pressure, to the continual rejections of the algorithmic model, the platform has certainly changed my life. With almost two decades of writing at my back, I am suddenly earning a living wage doing something I enjoy. Many nights I wake up anxious, wondering if Substack will really be able to carry forward its mission.

Four years ago, Forbes pointed out that trust in the media was at an all time low after a long and steady decline. The article asserted that Substack offers a practical and immediate way for writers to communicate with readers, unhindered by the vagaries of algorithms that can be manipulated and altered by moguls…who don’t feel the financial consequence of a loss of income. This connection, in real terms, means financial freedom to writers of every kind. And, Forbes rightly points out, this freedom “fosters trust.” Trust, in turn, “leads to loyalty.” 

Well, at least as long as dubious actors aren’t permitted to squander this trust. Music critic and historian Ted Gioia maintains that: “If they want to play in this new sandbox, they will need to fight for readers like the rest of us.” Some early adopters are concerned about the companies like McDonald’s and Pepsi and Nike on Substack…but Gioia is confident that they won’t last long on the platform. In his words: “They know how to pay for advertising and buy endorsements, but in the free-flowing world of Substack, they will struggle for influence. And that’s how it should be.”

For Christians, the call is to make hay while the sun shines. As long as there is room to speak and write about what really matters, we should keep our laptops updated and the iPhone camera free of fingerprints. It won’t last because no platform under the sun ever does. Much reading, after all, is a weariness to the flesh.

And when it comes to Gov. Newsom, let’s just hope he reads a lot more than he writes.

I’m Anne Kennedy. 

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