Perhaps taking a stance is not a bad thing

Greg Poirier

— 2 min read

Substack's blatantly terrible content moderation policies have made me move my newsletter to Ghost. This decision wasn't about features or pricing - it's fundamentally about values and platforms' responsibility in moderating harmful content.

I know I'm behind the curve, but hey... I got there, right?

My ethical concerns

While Substack has provided a simple and effective publishing platform, I can't fathom using a service that:

  • Allows openly Nazi, white supremacist, and other extremist content to remain on their platform
  • Profits from this content
  • Has chosen a particular interpretation of "free speech" over the safety and dignity of marginalized communities

When a platform monetizes and distributes harmful content, it isn't neutral—it's complicit. I feel that continuing to use Substack means I am supporting its business decisions and content policies.

Platform responsibility

Tech platforms are not merely neutral spaces - they make active decisions about:

  • What content they allow
  • What content they amplify
  • How content is monetized
  • Who feels safe and welcome in their ecosystem

In 2025, we should expect more from the platforms we use. Content moderation isn't censorship - it's a necessary component of responsible platform governance. Even alternative platforms emphasizing free expression, like Bluesky and others, have recognized that some baseline content standards are required.

Why Ghost

I was considering moving back to Medium, but I prefer Ghost's content ownership model. With Medium, you hand over free use of your content to them to use as they see fit, while with Ghost, you retain 100% control over your content.

Additionally, Ghost is open source, and self-hosting is an option. I appreciate that they develop in the open and are supported by subscription services instead of revenue sharing. I don't intend to ever charge for "Why would anyone do that?" unless I become wildly successful, in which case I might charge $1 a year just to cover the cost of Ghost.

Ghost's subscription cost is also cheaper than what AWS infrastructure would cost me to run a simple blog service on a t2.micro. And I'm pretty sure Ghost may require more than just a t2.micro—RDS, SES, etc.

I've migrated your subscription

I've transferred all subscriptions to the new platform to ensure you don't miss any future content. I value your readership and wanted to make this transition as seamless as possible.

Of course, you remain in complete control of your subscription. If you prefer not to continue receiving my newsletter on Ghost, you can easily unsubscribe using the link at the bottom of any email. But I hope you'll stay with me for what's coming next!

I'm looking forward to continuing to provide the content you subscribed for, just on a platform that better aligns with my principles.

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