Substack emerges as solidly progressive platform with ‘liberal thought leaders' flocking, researcher says
Tharp, who pens the "Chaotic Era" newsletter, explained that Twitter used to be "the go-to arena for Democratic strategists, elected officials, and a new class of liberal take-makers," but Elon Musk's takeover of the platform has pushed "liberal thought leaders" away.
Lefty influencers have searched for a new home and some have migrated to Bluesky or Threads, but Tharp believes "a winner appears to have emerged" in recent months.
"Newsletter platform Substack is having a moment, fueled largely by an influx of liberal-leaning political and media figures eager to share their takes. Online pundits and anti-Trump resistance leaders like Heather Cox Richardson, Dan Pfeiffer, Simon Rosenberg, Norm Eisen, Steve Schmidt, and Mary Trump have built sizable audiences by weighing in on the news of the day," Tharp wrote.
"Democratic elected officials—including Gavin Newsom, Pete Buttigieg, and Chris Murphy—have launched their own publications on the platform, aiming to grow dedicated followings ahead of potential presidential bids," he continued.
"Perhaps most notably for the media industry, mainstream journalists who have left legacy outlets are finding new freedom to share their political opinions more openly on Substack. Among them: Taylor Lorenz, Mehdi Hasan, Tara Palmeri, Jennifer Rubin, Don Lemon, Jim Acosta, Terry Moran, and Dan Rather," Tharp added.
Moran, who was axed from ABC News this month after posting an anti-Trump rant on X, quickly joined Substack and used the platform to double down on his social media post that called Trump and White House aide Stephen Miller "world-class haters."
"This, while very hot, is an observation, a description that is accurate and true," Moran said.
He added later, "It was something that was in my heart and mind. And I would say I used very strong language, deliberately, because he, I felt [was]… spitting venom and lies into our debate, degrading our public discourse, debasing it and using the power of the White House and what he's been given to grind us down in that bile. And, that's very disturbing to me."
Tharp noted that "They're building a new echo chamber of left-leaning or anti-Trump commentary" one newsletter at a time. He included a graphic of the Top 50 "bestsellers" in the U.S. Politics category, which reveals the overwhelming majority of political content being consumed on Substack is of the liberal variety.
The company appears to be embracing the liberal audience, as Tharp noted that anti-Trump figures Michael Cohen, Joe Walsh and Don Lemon are being used in the company's latest advertising campaign. He's unsure if the platform will continue the momentum "or if it's simply the latest stopover for Twitter refugees in search of an audience."
"For now, Substack stands as a key town square for a certain segment of the left, reshaping how political narratives are distributed, debated, and consumed," Tharp wrote.
While Substack does feature a handful of prominent non-liberals, such as Bari Weiss, it bills itself as "a new media app that connects you with the creators, ideas, and communities you care about most."
"Here, you can discover world-class video, podcasts, and writing from a diverse set of creators who cover politics, pop culture, food, philosophy, tech, travel, and so much more," Substack's website states.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
10 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Fox News' Jessica Tarlov Calls Out Co-Host Jesse Watters' Hypocrisy Over Texas Flood On-Air
Jessica Tarlov is not letting Jesse Watters' hypocrisy surrounding the Texas floods and 2024's Hurricane Helene go unnoticed. Tarlov went after her 'The Five' co-host for not holding President Trump to the same standard regarding the Texas flood that he did when Hurricane Helene made landfall under the Biden administration. Particularly when it came to the lies Trump was peddling about FEMA in the aftermath of the September 2024 storm. More from TheWrap Bill O'Reilly: Trump Wouldn't Approve Paramount Sale 'Unless CBS Capitulated,' Thinks Network Would Win in Court | Video Fox News' Jessica Tarlov Calls Out Co-Host Jesse Watters' Hypocrisy Over Texas Flood On-Air | Video Oops! 'And Just Like That' Accidentally Killed Off Lisa's Father Twice Megyn Kelly Understands Why People Feel 'Extremely Doubtful' of Trump Administration's Epstein List Denial | Video 'I don't think that talking about preparedness or what might have helped qualifies as impugning the memory of those that have been lost or detracting from the thoughtful conversation that needs to take place because this river has been flooding for a very long time,' Tarlov said. 'We were here around the table when hurricane Helene struck. I did not hear Jesse Watters saying that Donald Trump should stop spreading lies about the Biden administration and the FEMA funds.' She continued: 'Trump came out and he said 'they're giving your FEMA dollars to illegals, they're housing them with your FEMA dollars.' Then he said you're only going to get $750 from FEMA – which was a complete lie and there are Republican officials who have testified to the fact that people did not get their FEMA assistance because of what Trump and other Republicans were saying.' Tarlov concluded that GOP legislature rejected 'over $54 billion in identified needs in terms of disaster resistance' that could have helped mitigate the damage from the Texas floods. 'That is something that they can work on to move forward and hopefully avoid a tragedy like this again,' she finished. The flash flood disaster struck Texas over the Fourth of July weekend with a current death toll of more than 100, according to the Associated Press, including 27 campers and counselors from Camp Mystic. That number is expected to climb as officials continue to search for survivors amongst the devastation. 'We have been in communication with local and state authorities who are tirelessly deploying extensive resources to search for our missing girls,' Camp Mystic shared in a Monday statement. 'We are deeply grateful for the outpouring of support from community, first responders and officials at every level.' You can watch Tarlov's segment in the video above. The post Fox News' Jessica Tarlov Calls Out Co-Host Jesse Watters' Hypocrisy Over Texas Flood On-Air | Video appeared first on TheWrap.
New York Times
11 minutes ago
- New York Times
Trump Pledges to Send More Weapons to Ukraine
President Trump said on Monday that the United States would send more weapons to Ukraine to help it fend off Russia's invasion, arguing that Moscow's recent assault on Ukrainian cities left him with little choice. Mr. Trump's comments appeared to signal a reversal from the president after his administration paused some arms transfers to the country just last week, raising fears that the United States was retrenching its support. Instead, Mr. Trump said on Monday that he had grown unhappy with President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, who has frustrated Mr. Trump's hopes to broker a cease-fire. 'We're going to send some more weapons,' Mr. Trump told reporters at the White House. 'We have to. They have to be able to defend themselves. They're getting hit very hard. Now they're getting hit very hard. We're going to have to send more weapons, defensive weapons, primarily, but they're getting hit very, very hard. So many people are dying in that mess.' Those statements were a remarkable turnaround for Mr. Trump, who has often expressed skepticism of U.S. aid to Ukraine and just months ago dressed down President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine in the Oval Office, claiming he had been insufficiently grateful for America's support. The White House acknowledged last week that the administration had paused the delivery of some air defense interceptors and precision-guided bombs and missiles to Ukraine, citing Pentagon concerns that U.S. weapons stockpiles were dwindling. The decision was described at the time by a White House spokeswoman as an assessment of munitions provided around the globe. Two people briefed on the pause, who were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly, said that Mr. Trump had directed the Pentagon to review available munitions stockpiles around the time the United States conducted surgical bombing attacks on three Iranian nuclear weapons sites. From there, someone at the Pentagon — classifying the munitions in different categories — halted at least some of what was scheduled to be sent to Ukraine, one of the people briefed on the matter said. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
CNN
15 minutes ago
- CNN
More Than 100 Dead In Texas Floods - CNN NewsNight with Abby Phillip - Podcast on CNN Podcasts
More Than 100 Dead In Texas Floods CNN NewsNight with Abby Phillip 47 mins With devastation and despair in Texas, the search for answers begins. Plus, in the latest Trump-Musk clash, Elon takes his money and starts his own political party. Also, Google has a choice to either win in court or make a donation to Trump's presidential library.
