The Substackerati

The Substack company offers freelance writers a new forum for generating income even as traditional media companies are cutting newsroom jobs. Some freelancers find they can produce newsletters on Substack that generate a meaningful income. However, this new journalistic pathway has limits. Substack itself states that it is only a “platform,” not a “publisher,” however, it intends to provide an infrastructure for writers who publish on its site. Anyone can start a newsletter, though the successful writers Clio Chang cites in her article in the Columbia Journalism Review are primarily white and male, with large, active Twitter followings – thus exemplifying current trends.