The hottest News Substack posts right now

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An Important Webworm PSA

Webworm with David Farrier • 8726 implied HN points • 17 Oct 23
📰 News Media
  1. The author is sharing an important message in this post.
  2. The post reflects on feedback from a previous newsletter about various political topics.
  3. Readers are encouraged to subscribe for a 7-day free trial to access more content.

Note on "Timelines"

TK News by Matt Taibbi • 10237 implied HN points • 22 Feb 25
📰 News Journalism Media Information Current Events
  1. A new interactive library is being created to help people find important news documents much more easily. This project aims to gather primary sources that are often hard to locate.
  2. There is a problem with many news outlets not linking to original documents in their stories, making it tough for readers to find the truth. Having direct access to these sources can help people make better decisions.
  3. The project encourages readers to contribute by suggesting documents that deserve attention. It's a community effort to protect important information and combat the issue of disappearing online sources.

Jeff Bezos, Moral Cretin

The Future, Now and Then • 203 implied HN points • 05 Feb 26
📰 News Press freedom Local news Wealth Inequality
  1. Relying on billionaire owners to bankroll news is fragile because they can cut or reshape coverage to serve their own interests, so that model is not a stable way to preserve public-interest journalism.
  2. The market alone underprovides serious reporting — expensive beats like international, climate, and local sports get axed when outlets chase profitability, leaving less news than a healthy society needs.
  3. Fixing journalism requires structural solutions — such as public funding or addressing extreme wealth concentration — because charitable donations from the rich won’t reliably sustain the public good.

Does MP Chi Onwurah Defend the Center for Countering Digital Hate to Protect Keir Starmer and Morgan McSweeney?

The DisInformation Chronicle • 245 implied HN points • 21 Jan 26
📰 News Politics Media Investigations Technology Government International Censorship
  1. Chi Onwurah defended the Center for Countering Digital Hate and rejected claims it’s a Labour front, arguing the Online Safety Act was driven by Conservatives — a stance critics say is misleading.
  2. The Center for Countering Digital Hate was founded by Imran Ahmed and Morgan McSweeney, who has close Labour ties, and the group worked with Conservative MP Damian Collins to help shape and promote the Online Safety Act.
  3. There are broader concerns that government units and advocacy groups have influenced social-media policy and takedowns during the pandemic and beyond, raising free-speech and censorship questions that many say need further scrutiny and reporting.

WOAH: Bill Gates invested MILLIONS in BioNTech JUST BEFORE covid

The Freedom Corner with PeterSweden • 4304 implied HN points • 26 Jan 24
📰 News Conspiracy COVID-19 Investment Mainstream Media
  1. Bill Gates invested millions in BioNTech just before Covid, which turned out to be very profitable for him.
  2. Bill Gates donated $20 million to the BBC, which reportedly misrepresented the risk of Covid to increase public support for lockdown.
  3. Bill Gates' foundation committed $1.27 billion to advance Global Goals, including funding for global digital ID.
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Top Links 962 The Christian war on Santa. Girls overtaking. The making of America's techno-nationalist elite & The Wages of Fusion.

Chartbook • 557 implied HN points • 25 Dec 25
📰 News Politics Technology Religion Culture Energy Demographics
  1. A cultural fight is framing Santa Claus as a point of religious conflict, with some Christian groups pushing back against secular holiday traditions.
  2. Girls are beginning to overtake boys in key areas, pointing to major social and demographic shifts in education and opportunity.
  3. A rising techno-nationalist elite is shaping U.S. tech and industrial policy, while debates about fusion energy focus on its costs, who benefits, and the political stakes.

The signal and the noise

Comment is Freed • 94 implied HN points • 21 Feb 26
📰 News Politics Media Government Public Opinion Social media Communications Policy Journalism
  1. You can’t fix unclear strategy or a bad product just by improving communications; if leaders aren’t clear about what they want, better messaging won’t change outcomes.
  2. The media environment has fragmented so much that traditional channels no longer reliably deliver attention or credit for policies, and voters often don’t notice or associate actions with the government.
  3. Politicians need to rethink how they reach people instead of simply adding a few social posts to old tactics — new formats and strategies are required to cut through short attention spans and platform limits.

THB Insider #28 - Thanksgiving Reading

The Honest Broker Newsletter • 922 implied HN points • 27 Nov 25
📰 News Politics Policy Science Society International Economy Culture
  1. Thanksgiving is a time for family, food, football, and simple traditions like putting the turkey in at sunrise.
  2. The community prizes intellectual hospitality and genuine debate, valuing collegiality, diverse views, and mutual support.
  3. The newsletter curates recommended readings for the long weekend and some content is available only to paid subscribers.

Former CIA station chief requests imprisonment delay to prevent 'grave physical harm' from drug traffickers at FDC Miami

All-Source Intelligence Fusion • 447 implied HN points • 04 Jan 26
📰 News Intelligence Legal Crime Prisons National Security Corruption Law enforcement Foreign Policy
  1. A 69-year-old former CIA chief asked to delay his prison surrender, saying placement in FDC Miami would expose him to “grave physical harm” because many inmates are accused narcotics offenders from South America.
  2. He was convicted and sentenced to two concurrent 366-day terms for selling access to classified information through the lobbying firm BGR; the case drew sharp criticism from some former colleagues while his lawyer highlighted his prior covert service.
  3. After legal filings, the Bureau of Prisons corrected his facility designation on January 5 and his counsel withdrew the transfer motions, a development that occurred alongside other high-profile detention disputes such as the Robert Sensi matter.

Northwestern University urged to apologize for “unjust treatment” of Jane Ying Wu

Pekingnology • 105 implied HN points • 22 Feb 26
📰 News Higher education Academia Lawsuit Civil Rights Research Policy Mental health
  1. Northwestern is accused of punishing Jane Ying Wu by limiting her work, shutting her lab, reassigning her grants, cutting her pay, and having police remove and involuntarily commit her; her estate says these actions helped lead to her taking her life and is suing the university.
  2. More than 1,000 academics from over 300 institutions, including prominent scholars, signed a letter urging Northwestern to publicly acknowledge the harm and apologize for its treatment of Wu.
  3. The allegations stem from an NIH investigation tied to the broader "China Initiative" that produced no charges, and Northwestern vehemently denies wrongdoing and has moved to dismiss the lawsuit.

‘I Let the AI Run My Life.’ Plus. . .

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 282 implied HN points • 23 Jan 26
📰 News Politics Technology International Culture Law Health Immigration
  1. A person let an AI manage her bank, inbox, calendar, investments, and daily tasks, showing how easy it is to build an all‑seeing personal assistant and raising questions about convenience versus loss of autonomy.
  2. A new Friday newsletter edition now curates the week's top stories, arrives later in the morning, and includes features like an advice column to help readers catch up on longer pieces.
  3. The reporting spans big political fights and legal battles, human stories about deportation and censorship, and some hopeful news such as falling fentanyl deaths and activists using Starlink to get around internet blackouts.

Top Links 973 The risks of meat. “TPP Zalău in demolition”. EDF chic. Non-random intricacies.

Chartbook • 400 implied HN points • 05 Jan 26
📰 News Economy Geopolitics Art Food Energy Supply Chain
  1. The meat supply chain is seen as a ticking time bomb, with mounting risks that could threaten food security and stability.
  2. Photography of the TPP Zalău demolition highlights industrial transformation and the visible decline of old infrastructure.
  3. There is a focus on energy-sector aesthetics and on uncovering complex, non-random patterns that shape systems and outcomes.

Berlin hospitals struggle to treat hundreds of slip-and-falls after repeated snow and ice storms because environmental laws forbid the use of melting agents on stairs and sidewalks

eugyppius: a plague chronicle • 238 implied HN points • 30 Jan 26
📰 News Local news Public Safety Healthcare Environmental Policy Urban Policy
  1. Hospitals are overwhelmed with hundreds of slip-and-fall injuries from weeks of ice and snow, with many fractures and serious cases straining emergency services.
  2. Environmental rules banning salt on sidewalks and stairs to protect plants have kept pedestrian areas icy, even though roads and bike paths are still treated.
  3. Authorities only recently allowed salt in exceptional cases and suggested personal precautions like shoe spikes, but the move came after many injuries and left legal uncertainty.

BREAKING: I found the real "coverup" in the Epstein Files!

Michael Tracey • 170 implied HN points • 09 Feb 26
📰 News Crime Investigative Law enforcement Legal Media Scandal
  1. Federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York said they were unable to corroborate Virginia Roberts Giuffre’s central claims and noted numerous internal inconsistencies, admissions of lying, and unverified sensational statements.
  2. Her allegations became the linchpin of much of the Epstein trafficking and blackmail narrative and produced major media, political, and legal fallout, even as prosecutors documented serious doubts about her credibility.
  3. A DOJ memo outlining these doubts was uploaded and later removed, raising questions about how documents and evidence in the Epstein matter have been handled and what may have been concealed.

Top Links 972 The year of Ellison. The price of being a carnivore. Predicting civil unrest & reading Stalker.

Chartbook • 386 implied HN points • 04 Jan 26
📰 News Technology Business Politics Food Environment Culture
  1. Larry Ellison, not Elon Musk, emerged as the defining tech titan of 2025, showing a different model of power and influence in the industry.
  2. There’s growing attention to the true cost of being a carnivore, highlighting environmental damage, health risks, and economic trade-offs of meat-heavy diets.
  3. People are working to predict civil unrest, and cultural readings of works like Stalker are being used to explore social anxieties and possible futures.

NYC Mayor Posts Misleading Tweet, Echoing Media Bias in Gracie Mansion Protest Story

Silent Lunch, The David Zweig Newsletter • 26 implied HN points • 08 Mar 26
📰 News Media Journalism Local Politics Protests Public Safety Social media
  1. News outlets and the mayor used vague language that obscured who actually threw the explosive devices, so many readers could easily assume the anti-Islam protesters were responsible.
  2. Police and witnesses showed a counter-protester ignited and threw real IEDs at the rally, but that key fact was often buried or omitted in headlines and posts.
  3. How events are framed matters a lot: highlighting protesters' bigotry while downplaying who committed violence can mislead the public and wrongly conflate protected speech with criminal acts, so officials and journalists need to be precise.

The News Should Not Be Torture Porn

Webworm with David Farrier • 6977 implied HN points • 19 Jul 23
📰 News Media Ethics
  1. News coverage of crimes should avoid sensationalizing graphic details.
  2. There is a need for more respectful and thoughtful reporting on sensitive topics like crimes and tragedies.
  3. Media outlets should focus on informing the public responsibly instead of exploiting tragedies for clicks.

Li Wenliang, an Ordinary Man (2020)

Pekingnology • 173 implied HN points • 07 Feb 26
📰 News Human Interest Public Health China Pandemic Whistleblowing Healthcare Obituary
  1. He warned medical colleagues early about a new coronavirus, and those warnings helped some doctors protect themselves even after he was officially reprimanded.
  2. He was an ordinary, warm person who loved food, family, and small joys, reminding us he wasn’t just a symbol but a real human life.
  3. His infection, desperate rescue efforts, and death sparked wide grief and highlighted shortages and the need for openness and better preparedness in public health.

This Week in Canada: Extremism Is Extremely Normal

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 514 implied HN points • 23 Dec 25
📰 News Crime Public Safety Terrorism Law enforcement Justice Politics Society
  1. A foiled terror plot revealed a small group driven by hatred of women and Jewish people, with arrests and weapons linked to ISIS.
  2. Law enforcement made arrests but officials still don’t seem fully clear-eyed or prepared, so a single bust doesn’t mean the wider threat is gone.
  3. Everyday crimes and justice debates, like disputes over race-based sentencing and near-miss shoplifting incidents, show deeper social tensions and inconsistent responses from the system.

One last rage before Christmas (Odds and Ends #84)

Odds and Ends of History • 603 implied HN points • 19 Dec 25
📰 News Politics Infrastructure Energy Technology Media Transport Culture
  1. Britain can't even build a tram system where it's most needed, which shows big failures in local transport planning and delivery.
  2. The National Grid's connection queue is broken and is blocking new homebuilding; in London, data centres and households are now fighting for the same limited electricity supply.
  3. Keir Starmer seems caught between two big ideas, leaving his political direction unclear.

NEWS: COVID Intel Substack - ONE YEAR Anniversary! Thank you 36,000 subscribers for making this one of the top substacks in the world!

COVID Intel - by Dr.William Makis • 2967 implied HN points • 08 Feb 24
📰 News Events Subscribers
  1. Celebrating one year anniversary of COVID Intel Substack with 36,000 subscribers
  2. Encouraging paid memberships at $5US a month or $45US a year to support the content
  3. Upcoming events including speaking engagements in Montana, Washington, DC, Vancouver, and Calgary

Soon Will Come a Day That None of This Exists

Discourse Blog • 3400 implied HN points • 19 Jan 24
📰 News Media Journalism Digital Media Publishing Online Content
  1. Legacy media is being replaced by something worse, with media-wide layoffs being a visible sign.
  2. Publications are struggling and dying due to financial issues, particularly affecting traditional print media.
  3. The future of journalism looks bleak, with the rise of individual-driven media leading to misinformation and lack of accountability.

Bloodshed at Bondi and Brown. Plus. . .

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 565 implied HN points • 15 Dec 25
📰 News Breaking News Terrorism Gun Violence Antisemitism Free speech Politics Culture International
  1. Two mass shootings — at Brown University and Bondi Beach — killed and injured many people and show how vulnerable campuses and public gatherings have become.
  2. The Bondi attack underscored a sharp rise in antisemitic and anti‑Zionist violence, prompting urgent calls for honest public debate and stronger protections for Jewish communities.
  3. The newsletter ties these events to broader cultural and free‑speech shifts: worries about the decline of longform reading and concerns over censorship, exemplified by the UK’s age‑verification of The Free Press.

Media outlets outsourced all their audience engagement to the tech platforms

Simon Owens's Media Newsletter • 174 implied HN points • 23 Jan 26
📰 News Audience engagement Subscriptions Distribution Monetization Advertising
  1. Many news outlets gave up on their own comment sections and pushed engagement onto big tech, which cost them direct relationships and email addresses. Rebuilding on-site community with basic moderation can boost subscriptions and ad revenue.
  2. Substack launching a TV app shows platforms chasing the streaming space, but connected-TV is crowded and most creators’ video isn’t yet polished for that environment. Focusing on web and mobile growth first would likely pay off more.
  3. A large share of top news sites are blocking AI training crawlers, and there’s little downside to doing so aside from Google. Blocking bots helps prevent scraping and gives publishers leverage to negotiate licensing deals.

Breaking: Photo of Scientology's Obstructor-In-Chief Julian Swartz Published For The First Time

Yashar's Newsletter • 5719 implied HN points • 16 Sep 23
📰 News Crime Investigative Reporting
  1. Julian Swartz, a top Scientology official, has been covering up crimes, particularly those involving sexual violence, for years.
  2. Swartz's role in Scientology is to protect the organization at all costs, even if it means committing crimes like silencing victims and destroying lives.
  3. Swartz has been involved in covering up sex crimes by Scientologists, including cases of sexual assault, rape, and molestation of children.

Why legacy news outlets are embracing Substack

Simon Owens's Media Newsletter • 449 implied HN points • 17 Dec 25
📰 News Media Journalism Publishing Digital Media Advertising Monetization
  1. Traditional news outlets are increasingly using Substack as a distribution platform to reach broader audiences and collect email addresses they can own and monetize. It functions like a social network and a direct-marketing channel that publishers can use for sponsorships and subscriptions.
  2. The user experience — the container, interface, and product — matters as much as the journalism itself, and publishers lost attention when platforms offered easier, cleaner ways to consume content. Improving UX and distribution is now central to rebuilding audience and revenue.
  3. AI is severely disrupting the copywriting industry, with many companies replacing or downgrading writers in favor of AI-generated drafts that humans only edit. That shift is drying up freelance work and forcing the industry to rethink roles and monetization.

How do we fund slow journalism?

The Novelleist • 304 implied HN points • 29 Dec 25
📰 News Journalism Publishing Subscriptions Print media Monetization
  1. Publish fewer, much longer, deeply researched essays as digital and print pamphlets to reclaim attention and produce higher-quality, evergreen work.
  2. Cover costs with a blended funding model: annual subscribers and paid tiers, direct sales on platforms like Metalabel, plus patronage or organizational sponsors to fund design and print.
  3. Publishing less often is a financial risk, but it yields stronger, better-tested ideas and allows commissioning custom art and research, making niche, slow journalism sustainable for dedicated readers.

Attack and Defense

Glenn’s Substack • 2496 implied HN points • 11 Feb 24
📰 News Security Terrorism Intelligence Response Infrastructure
  1. A cautionary tale in an article discusses a fictional attack on America, highlighting the importance of border control, intelligence, and target hardening.
  2. The aftermath of past attacks in Israel showed that atrocities can fuel anger and determination rather than cowing a nation into submission.
  3. Having a strong deterrence strategy may be a crucial factor in preventing potential future attacks by instilling fear in those who support terrorists.

Facebook Has an Animal Torture Empire

Webworm with David Farrier • 2496 implied HN points • 11 Feb 24
📰 News Animal Welfare Social media Investigation
  1. Animals are being tortured on Facebook, with hundreds of thousands of accounts engaging with the content.
  2. Facebook's algorithm plays a significant role in serving disturbing content to users, leading to increased engagement.
  3. Despite efforts to report and remove the content, issues of animal abuse videos on Facebook are still prevalent and widely accessible.

A Short Break

Diane Francis • 859 implied HN points • 27 May 24
📰 News Current Events Political Commentary Media Analysis Editorial
  1. Taking regular breaks is important for recharging and staying creative. Taking some time off can help you come back with fresh ideas.
  2. Sharing interesting content from other sources can spark new conversations. It’s a good way to engage with your audience and keep things lively.
  3. Staying informed about global events is crucial, especially when discussing topics like the Ukraine conflict. It helps to understand different viewpoints and the bigger picture.

Why have Reform's poll numbers declined? How worried should we be about Palantir? How long does Starmer have left?

Comment is Freed • 83 implied HN points • 14 Feb 26
📰 News Politics Policy Elections Government Economy Public Opinion Security
  1. Since 2008 it’s become much harder for social democratic governments to boost living standards and public services because slower growth, ageing populations, and rising health costs have squeezed budgets.
  2. The big political shift is that the right has fractured, leaving centre-right parties often dependent on radical-right support, which lets extremist parties win power even where economic growth exists.
  3. That dynamic raises real risks for democracy and puts huge pressure on social democrats; the only clear solution is for centre-right parties to learn to win without the radical right, which is a very tough task.

Bari’s Picks of the Week: Charlie Kirk’s Final Message

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 463 implied HN points • 12 Dec 25
📰 News U.S. Politics International Health History Faith Culture
  1. Charlie Kirk says observing the Sabbath transformed him and inspired his final book, which argues that taking regular time offline can change a life. His wife will discuss the book and their experiences in a town hall about grief and forgiveness.
  2. A new America at 250 newsletter will explore American history and highlight lesser-known Founders like George Mason, arguing his work influenced the Declaration and the Bill of Rights. The project aims to celebrate and reexamine the ideas that shaped the country.
  3. Reporting focused on contentious social issues: a Canadian court ruling recognizing Indigenous "Aboriginal title" has left long-time homeowners in legal limbo, while debates over legalizing assisted suicide (MAID) continue across the West. These stories show how legal and moral questions are reshaping communities and medical practice.