Gotta wonder about a new model for these substacks.
I read Common Sense, Matt Taibbi, and Glen Greenwald.
Although I would not necessarily suggest that you form a single "magazine" type thing with them, I would like to suggest that some version of a bundle be available from substack, perhaps with shared revenue.
So for example, I could purchase a bundle of 4 or 5 substacks under one heading at a discount and then each additional one might be some minimal cost.
I might also suggest that the University of Austin produce a substack that could be associated to some set of other substacks. The authors could be the various professors and perhaps students. The profits could be used to support the school.
BTW.....The University of Austin still needs swag to sell. Just my opinion.
I look forward to this blog every day. Days when it doesn't update are a little sadder for me. But I must say that many of us would like to hear more from YOU, Bari. Not all of us are podcast listeners. Can we get more essays from you, or at least transcripts from Honestly?
Thank you, Bari and team. I am a paid subscriber and this newsletter is worth every penny and more. When I feel the world has gone haywire, I know there will always be sane voices here. Congratulations on your success!
Common Sense is the glimmer of hope I need when the rest of the journalistic world seems to have packed their bags and gone on an LSD trip.
Thank you, thank you Bari Weiss and all the staff for illumination, rational inquiry and fearless journalism. I would give up coffee before I give up my subscription.
Substack, and writers like you, Glenn and Matt are the only hope I have for a 'Free Press' returning. I believe it is historically important.
For any of you who didn't hear it, Chris Best, co-founder and CEO of Substack, was recently interviewed by Joe Rogan on his podcast. It was a five star podcast.
Another thing I wanted to write - and one of the main reasons I am a paid subscriber - is that your & Nellie's KINDNESS come through in your writing. That is painfully rare these days in journalism.
Snark is fun when it comes from a comedian, but when it comes from a journalist it comes across as childish and cruel.
Thank You for the maturity and kindness in your writing.
You guys are great and I admire what you do. I do think you have a major blind spot where Trump supporters are concerned. Very few journalists are able to cross that line but some have managed it, like Matt Taibbi and Glenn Greenwald. For me it is a litmus test to see whether a writer is truly able to assess this moment, or whether they are still a part of the mass panic that has gripped our country. Why not find a writer to rep that world just a little bit and cover things like the 2020 election, not from the POV of "widespread fraud" but how the media and big money (one billion) tilted an elected in the favor of the democrats and why that is a genuine threat to Democracy Itself.
I would suggest David Mamet or Ben Shapiro for a reasonable take on Trump, etc.
If only we could figure out how to do this at the local level. Cities and counties would really benefit from deep digging into local policy stories (especially fiscal) that young reporters just don't have the experience or wisdom to understand. Our Sacramento Bee is a skeleton of itself. It reprints the talking points from the City Council, Mayor and Governor's office. Very little in-depth or pushback on the "official" report. Kudos to you Bari for showing so many independent thinkers and writers the way and giving hope to those of us still seeking truth (wherever that may lead).
Common Sense publishes opinions that I heartily agree with and opinions that I vehemently disagree with - is that not the essence of freedom of speech? Kudos for doing that, you might stand alone in that regard - and further kudos for paying extra attention to voices crying in the wilderness, as uncomfortable truths are often hidden there.
That said, the question remains as to "what's next". How to organically grow a better alternative to legacy media - well, I'm at a loss as to how to do so. As is Common Sense, apparently... thanks for past efforts, and thanks for asking the question.
I look forward to Common Sense in my inbox. After reading just one piece last year, I knew this was something I needed to see regularly, and more importantly, something I need to support.
Yes…sometimes I disagree with a piece (rare), or find it wanting (the Kansas abortion story the other week was short on some essential information, like, ‘what did the law actually say?’), but I think (as opposed to ‘feel’…start thinking about how you use those words) I found a home here.
I don’t quite share the enthusiasm of the rest of the commenters. I’d give a mixed review:
- excellent coverage of the woke malaise that has infected our country
- excellent coverage of the over the top GLBTQIA+ and Anti-Racist excesses
- good coverage of leftist excesses where they intersect the above
- some coverage of the danger our federal and some state bureaucracies are posing. More coverage here would be helpful
- definite anti-Trump bias. Not that I think there should be overly positive coverage, just neutral. This seems to be a blind spot for Bari
- too many writers who paint conservatives with a very broad negative brush. I don’t see much of this negative assumption against liberals outside of the hot button issues mentioned above. Needs more balance.
It’s fair to say that I don’t see anything out there that’s been able to truly break out of the broken journalistic hegemony today, but this one comes close.
Keep up the great work, but constantly evaluate your blind spots. It’s the only way you’ll remain unique. New competitors will emerge when they see your success. The only way you’ll stay ahead of them is by being better. And by better I mean fanatically better.
If I didn’t care about the success of this publication I wouldn’t have taken the time to write this!
Thanks, Bari. Enjoy your work and congratulations for having the courage to turn your back on the establishment media and beat them at their game.
If this humble subscriber could offer a suggestion for a topic—China.
China has numerous challanges facing it future—-population decline, an exploded real estate situation worse than 2008, ghost cities, runs on banks, drought, trillions in debt… yet all we hear is Xi is the next Mao and China is going to take over the world. Can both be true?
An Update on Our Newsroom From Bari
Gotta wonder about a new model for these substacks.
I read Common Sense, Matt Taibbi, and Glen Greenwald.
Although I would not necessarily suggest that you form a single "magazine" type thing with them, I would like to suggest that some version of a bundle be available from substack, perhaps with shared revenue.
So for example, I could purchase a bundle of 4 or 5 substacks under one heading at a discount and then each additional one might be some minimal cost.
I might also suggest that the University of Austin produce a substack that could be associated to some set of other substacks. The authors could be the various professors and perhaps students. The profits could be used to support the school.
BTW.....The University of Austin still needs swag to sell. Just my opinion.
I look forward to this blog every day. Days when it doesn't update are a little sadder for me. But I must say that many of us would like to hear more from YOU, Bari. Not all of us are podcast listeners. Can we get more essays from you, or at least transcripts from Honestly?
I value this comment section as much as I do the stories themselves. Bari’s “newsroom” is much more expansive than she realizes.
Thank you, Bari and team. I am a paid subscriber and this newsletter is worth every penny and more. When I feel the world has gone haywire, I know there will always be sane voices here. Congratulations on your success!
Common Sense is the glimmer of hope I need when the rest of the journalistic world seems to have packed their bags and gone on an LSD trip.
Thank you, thank you Bari Weiss and all the staff for illumination, rational inquiry and fearless journalism. I would give up coffee before I give up my subscription.
BW gets my vote for entrepreneur of the year
Substack, and writers like you, Glenn and Matt are the only hope I have for a 'Free Press' returning. I believe it is historically important.
For any of you who didn't hear it, Chris Best, co-founder and CEO of Substack, was recently interviewed by Joe Rogan on his podcast. It was a five star podcast.
I’m a paid subscriber. I read everything you print. Every piece is relevant, thoroughly explored, accurate and engaging. Thank you. Don’t change.
Another thing I wanted to write - and one of the main reasons I am a paid subscriber - is that your & Nellie's KINDNESS come through in your writing. That is painfully rare these days in journalism.
Snark is fun when it comes from a comedian, but when it comes from a journalist it comes across as childish and cruel.
Thank You for the maturity and kindness in your writing.
You guys are great and I admire what you do. I do think you have a major blind spot where Trump supporters are concerned. Very few journalists are able to cross that line but some have managed it, like Matt Taibbi and Glenn Greenwald. For me it is a litmus test to see whether a writer is truly able to assess this moment, or whether they are still a part of the mass panic that has gripped our country. Why not find a writer to rep that world just a little bit and cover things like the 2020 election, not from the POV of "widespread fraud" but how the media and big money (one billion) tilted an elected in the favor of the democrats and why that is a genuine threat to Democracy Itself.
I would suggest David Mamet or Ben Shapiro for a reasonable take on Trump, etc.
Anyway, just my two cents.
If only we could figure out how to do this at the local level. Cities and counties would really benefit from deep digging into local policy stories (especially fiscal) that young reporters just don't have the experience or wisdom to understand. Our Sacramento Bee is a skeleton of itself. It reprints the talking points from the City Council, Mayor and Governor's office. Very little in-depth or pushback on the "official" report. Kudos to you Bari for showing so many independent thinkers and writers the way and giving hope to those of us still seeking truth (wherever that may lead).
Thank you Bari, Nellie, and the whole team at Common Sense for giving us hope. I am so grateful.
Common Sense publishes opinions that I heartily agree with and opinions that I vehemently disagree with - is that not the essence of freedom of speech? Kudos for doing that, you might stand alone in that regard - and further kudos for paying extra attention to voices crying in the wilderness, as uncomfortable truths are often hidden there.
That said, the question remains as to "what's next". How to organically grow a better alternative to legacy media - well, I'm at a loss as to how to do so. As is Common Sense, apparently... thanks for past efforts, and thanks for asking the question.
I look forward to Common Sense in my inbox. After reading just one piece last year, I knew this was something I needed to see regularly, and more importantly, something I need to support.
Yes…sometimes I disagree with a piece (rare), or find it wanting (the Kansas abortion story the other week was short on some essential information, like, ‘what did the law actually say?’), but I think (as opposed to ‘feel’…start thinking about how you use those words) I found a home here.
I don’t quite share the enthusiasm of the rest of the commenters. I’d give a mixed review:
- excellent coverage of the woke malaise that has infected our country
- excellent coverage of the over the top GLBTQIA+ and Anti-Racist excesses
- good coverage of leftist excesses where they intersect the above
- some coverage of the danger our federal and some state bureaucracies are posing. More coverage here would be helpful
- definite anti-Trump bias. Not that I think there should be overly positive coverage, just neutral. This seems to be a blind spot for Bari
- too many writers who paint conservatives with a very broad negative brush. I don’t see much of this negative assumption against liberals outside of the hot button issues mentioned above. Needs more balance.
It’s fair to say that I don’t see anything out there that’s been able to truly break out of the broken journalistic hegemony today, but this one comes close.
Keep up the great work, but constantly evaluate your blind spots. It’s the only way you’ll remain unique. New competitors will emerge when they see your success. The only way you’ll stay ahead of them is by being better. And by better I mean fanatically better.
If I didn’t care about the success of this publication I wouldn’t have taken the time to write this!
Thanks, Bari. Enjoy your work and congratulations for having the courage to turn your back on the establishment media and beat them at their game.
If this humble subscriber could offer a suggestion for a topic—China.
China has numerous challanges facing it future—-population decline, an exploded real estate situation worse than 2008, ghost cities, runs on banks, drought, trillions in debt… yet all we hear is Xi is the next Mao and China is going to take over the world. Can both be true?
Thanks and will stay tuned.