The hottest Media Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top Culture Topics

Why You Should Still Build Your Raft of Art in the Sea of Slop

Counter Craft • 1494 implied HN points • 11 Aug 25
🎭️ Culture Media
  1. Making art is still important, even when it feels hard because of all the noise around us. Your work can be unique and valuable, so focus on creating instead of getting distracted by trends.
  2. Don't worry about what others are doing or how popular their work becomes. Your audience will be different, and what you create is special to you, not a competition with mainstream stuff.
  3. Art enriches your life in many ways, and you should make it because you love it. Enjoy the creative process, regardless of whether anyone else sees or appreciates it.

Waiting to be thrilled

Austin Kleon • 3437 implied HN points • 27 Oct 23
🎭️ Culture Media
  1. It's interesting to define yourself by what you won't do. This can help clarify your values and beliefs.
  2. While technology can be helpful, it's okay to be cautious about it. Asking questions and being skeptical can lead to better understanding.
  3. Taking time to enjoy great books can be fun, and sometimes you just need a little trick to get started.

After Trump Was Shot, He Called Me

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 1993 implied HN points • 07 Jul 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Media
  1. Salena Zito was very close to Donald Trump when he was shot, raising her personal stakes in the situation.
  2. After the shooting, Trump called Zito to check on her and her family's well-being, showing his concern despite his own serious situation.
  3. Zito found it surprising that neither she nor her family felt shaken immediately after the incident, suggesting they may process their feelings later.

Hearing What You See

Animation Obsessive • 2421 implied HN points • 30 May 25
🎭️ Culture Media
  1. Mickey Mousing is when music matches the exact movements in animation. This technique started in early cartoons and was popularized by Mickey Mouse.
  2. Some famous artists and directors criticized Mickey Mousing as being too mechanical and limiting. They believed it took away from the original creativity of the film.
  3. Despite the criticism, syncing music closely with animation can still be powerful and effective when done well. Some animations have shown that this technique can enhance the experience.
Get a weekly roundup of the best Substack posts, by hacker news affinity:

Twitter Files Extra: How the Files Could Help Incoming Investigators

TK News by Matt Taibbi • 5607 implied HN points • 18 Dec 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Media
  1. The documents from Twitter provide insight into how the government interacted with the platform. This includes details about the FBI's communications and its role in moderating content.
  2. There are ongoing discussions about government censorship and how agencies like the DOJ and CDC influenced Twitter's policies. Understanding this could help navigate future investigations.
  3. Numerous government agencies were involved in shaping Twitter's content moderation efforts. Investigators could find useful leads in the Twitter Files to explore these relationships further.

No, I Don't Want To Come To Your Pity Party

Richard Lewis • 1906 implied HN points • 31 Jan 24
🎭️ Culture Media
  1. The games and esports industry has experienced a significant number of layoffs due to unsustainable practices and behavior.
  2. Many individuals in the industry exhibit toxic behavior, including forming secret blacklists and engaging in power plays for personal gain.
  3. Esports industry executives have mismanaged funds and made poor decisions, leading to financial instability and a negative impact on the industry as a whole.

The Monday Media Diet with Emma Apple Chozick

Why is this interesting? • 482 implied HN points • 17 Nov 25
🎭️ Culture Media
  1. A diverse media diet is important; it's beneficial to read and listen to content from various sources and topics. Exploring different perspectives helps you grow creatively and personally.
  2. Reading for fun is just as valuable as reading for work. Enjoying literature can lead to relaxation and new ideas, breaking away from the grind of constant productivity.
  3. Getting lost in rabbit holes of interest can lead to amazing discoveries. Following your curiosity might connect you with inspiring people and new opportunities.

The Talented Mr. Newsom

Unreported Truths • 42 implied HN points • 25 Feb 26
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Media
  1. He lacks a consistent ideology and deep policy understanding. Because of dyslexia he relies on memorized bullet points and constantly adapts his image to win approval.
  2. His record in California includes major failures on issues like COVID policy, housing, homelessness, and public safety, yet elite backing and a strong personal network have kept him politically resilient.
  3. His charisma, town-hall campaigning style, and ability to connect one-on-one make him electorally powerful and a real contender for higher office, even if he is seen as lacking competence or firm principles.

Tony Soprano and the Jungian Death Mother

Rob Henderson's Newsletter • 2462 implied HN points • 08 Jun 25
🎭️ Culture Media
  1. Tony Soprano is a complex character who shows both deep flaws and a desire for change, but his life as a mafia boss makes real transformation difficult.
  2. The show portrays struggles with familial relationships, particularly the damaging influence of Tony's mother, which shapes his behavior and emotions significantly.
  3. Unlike other antiheroes in TV shows, Tony's actions often reveal a deeper horror, as he inflicts pain on loved ones not just for survival, but from a deep-seated need to manage his feelings of inadequacy.

EXCLUSIVE: Obama’s “Pathological” CIA Director Put Analysts “Under Duress” To Cook Russiagate Report, Says New Whistleblower

Michael Shellenberger • 1474 implied HN points • 05 Aug 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Media
  1. A former CIA analyst claims that John Brennan, who was the CIA director, pressured his team to manipulate the intelligence report on Russia's influence in the 2016 election. This means the report may not be reliable.
  2. The whistleblower suggests that there was a concerted effort by higher-ups in the intelligence community to mislead the public about Donald Trump's connections to Russia.
  3. Mainstream media has largely ignored or dismissed these allegations, despite the new evidence coming to light from whistleblowers.

Cameras, Cars, and Culture: Notes From a Brief China Visit

Big Technology • 4878 implied HN points • 10 Jan 25
🎭️ Culture Media
  1. In Beijing, there are cameras everywhere. It's a bit unsettling to feel constantly watched by so many surveillance cameras on the streets.
  2. Electric cars are super common in China. Many cars have green license plates, showing that they are electric, and you can see a lot of brands on the road.
  3. People mainly use mobile payments for everything. It's hard to find places that accept cash or credit cards, making it seem like future payments could all happen through phones.

Jen Gerson: Okay, but I don't trust you

The Line • 3655 implied HN points • 25 May 23
📰 News Media
  1. Trust in authority needs to be earned, not demanded.
  2. Government's handling of reports can impact trust in public institutions.
  3. Communication and decision-making in Canadian government need improvement for better state capacity.

Atlas of Links #3

Atlas of Wonders and Monsters • 508 implied HN points • 23 Nov 25
🎭️ Culture Media
  1. It's common to feel overwhelmed when trying to create organized content from a messy list of ideas and links. Finding a balance between low-effort archiving and the necessary effort for publishing can be hard.
  2. When discussing complex topics like technology and resource management, it can be insightful to explore how our society rarely loses technology or resources completely, which provides a unique perspective on historical and current challenges.
  3. Quitting can have unexpected benefits, like leaving behind situations that might limit personal growth. It's important to reflect on when letting go can lead to improvement, just as much as persistence does.

The familiar loneliness of the Kinetoscope

Res Obscura • 4510 implied HN points • 05 Feb 25
🎭️ Culture Media
  1. The 2020s and the 1890s share many similarities, like protectionism and social division. People from both eras worry about advancing technology taking away jobs.
  2. The Kinetoscope, a one-person movie viewing device, represents a kind of loneliness in technology. It mirrors how today's technology often isolates us despite being connected.
  3. Edison's decision to focus on the Kinetoscope instead of larger audience devices highlights a trend toward personal, individual experiences in media. This shift continues with modern technology, where we consume content alone.

🎬 Hollywood’s doomer economy

Faster, Please! • 639 implied HN points • 07 Nov 25
🎭️ Culture Media
  1. Hollywood is focusing more on dystopian futures instead of shiny, optimistic ones. This shows a general lack of faith in a better future.
  2. The types of films being made reflect a cultural shift from hope and exploration to fear and despair.
  3. There used to be a strong sense of belief in progress, but now entertainment often leans toward themes of apocalypse and societal collapse.

TGIF: ICE Raid on Aisle 4

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 2253 implied HN points • 13 Jun 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Media
  1. Protests in Los Angeles have become chaotic as people express anger over immigration policies. Some are protesting while others are looting, which complicates the message they want to send.
  2. Despite the dramatic actions, many feel that burning cars and vandalizing shops isn't an effective way to communicate their frustration. It's causing harm to the very community they're trying to support.
  3. There are plans for meetups and events around the country for those interested in independent journalism. This could be a great chance to connect with others who share similar interests.

Bari’s Picks Of The Week: High Art, Tough Love, Good News

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 394 implied HN points • 05 Dec 25
🎭️ Culture Media
  1. A new tough-love advice column is launching that promises blunt, practical guidance and is being pitched as a must-read for people seeking direct counsel.
  2. Internal discussions among gender-care professionals show many feel they are "winging it" with treatments for minors, which raises serious concerns about standards and oversight for vulnerable young patients.
  3. Michael Dell is donating $6.25 billion to boost Invest America starter accounts for children, aiming to give every kid a financial head start and improve long-term opportunities through early savings and literacy.

Why the founder of a popular cycling blog sold it and then left to launch a competitor

Simon Owens's Media Newsletter • 349 implied HN points • 05 Dec 25
💼 Business Media
  1. Wade Wallace started CyclingTips as a hobby while he was in Australia, and it grew into a successful news website. He focused on sharing stories and insights that people loved, even without formal journalism training.
  2. After selling CyclingTips and struggling with the changes from the new owners, Wallace launched Escape Collective, which relies on paid subscriptions instead of ads. This model aims to offer independent, quality journalism in cycling.
  3. Escape Collective focuses on building a community around cycling, encouraging members to contribute ideas and insights, and Wallace prefers a smaller, tightly-knit team over a large staff. He believes in the power of direct support from readers to create valuable content.

Have They Gone Mad?

TK News by Matt Taibbi • 17926 implied HN points • 06 Oct 23
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Media
  1. Hillary Clinton suggests "formal deprogramming" for seventy million Trump supporters
  2. Federal government and FBI are tracking and countering Donald Trump's MAGA followers
  3. Some political comments seem out of touch with reality and have long-lasting implications

Things Worth Remembering: What You’re Really Hungry For

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 1711 implied HN points • 20 Jul 25
🎭️ Culture Media
  1. Supernormal stimuli are everywhere online, making us crave more extreme experiences than usual. This can lead to unrealistic expectations about beauty and lifestyle.
  2. Social media boosts these supernormal stimuli, creating a cycle where people feel pressure to look or act in exaggerated ways.
  3. AI and technology make the problem worse, reflecting and amplifying our desires in ways that can seem like a confusing and unrealistic mirror.

How Netflix Turned Alex Honnold's “Life-or-Death” Climb Into a Calculated Business Bet

Huddle Up • 110 implied HN points • 27 Jan 26
💼 Business Media
  1. Alex Honnold free-soloed Taipei 101 in front of thousands and tens of millions more on Netflix, turning an extreme solo climb into a global, televised spectacle.
  2. He was paid roughly $500,000, which after fees and donations left him with far less than top athletes earn for much lower risk, raising ethical questions about compensation and incentives.
  3. Netflix treated the event as a calculated business bet, exploiting a gap between perceived on-screen danger and the climber’s actual assessment of risk to create a favorable risk/reward arbitrage.

2024: The year we bury the culture war

Striking 13 • 2136 implied HN points • 05 Jan 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Media
  1. In politics, we need to move towards a quieter, less divisive approach that focuses on policies rather than group conflicts.
  2. The media dynamics have favored sensationalism and polarization, but a shift towards a more transactional government might change that.
  3. Journalists and commentators could face challenges as the political landscape shifts away from identity wars towards policy-driven governance.

How Medium finally pivoted its way to profitability

Simon Owens's Media Newsletter • 1546 implied HN points • 25 Jul 25
💼 Business Media
  1. Medium has turned around its business by focusing on quality writing and rewarding writers better. The new management cut unnecessary costs and introduced systems that encourage good content.
  2. A big part of Medium's success is its commitment to human curation. Instead of relying only on algorithms, real people help highlight the best articles, making the platform more reliable for readers.
  3. Medium aims to attract not just professional writers, but everyday people who want to share their knowledge. This broader approach could help it grow even bigger, potentially reaching millions of subscribers.

Pet concrete, not propaganda

The Rubesletter by Matt Ruby (of Vooza) | Sent every Tuesday • 285 implied HN points • 17 Dec 25
🎭️ Culture Media
  1. If you live in a city, the advice to “touch grass” misses the point — sometimes you have to pet concrete and adapt common platitudes to your environment.
  2. If your news never makes you uncomfortable, you’re probably consuming propaganda; good media should challenge your views so you can actually learn.
  3. Don’t confuse fame, pedigree, or wealth with virtue or happiness — nepotism, celebrity branding, and money don’t guarantee character, and lashing out at uninvolved people is unfair.

TGIF: Hard Pivot

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 4595 implied HN points • 17 Jan 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Media
  1. Biden warned about the growing influence of wealthy individuals in American politics. He believes this could threaten democracy and everyone's chance to succeed.
  2. He talked about the need for accountability on social media platforms to stop the spread of false information. Biden thinks this is important to protect families and democracy.
  3. The idea of oligarchs controlling politics can be complex, especially when they support causes on different sides. It raises questions about the balance of power in a democracy.

The Chaotic Glory of Growing Up

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 1303 implied HN points • 20 Aug 25
🎭️ Culture Media
  1. Growing up can be scary, but it's also filled with amazing and magical experiences. It's important for teens to embrace these moments, even when they feel challenging.
  2. Teenagers today often avoid taking risks and growing up, leading to a more sheltered experience. Society should encourage them to explore and enjoy their youth more fully.
  3. Shows like 'The Summer I Turned Pretty' remind us that becoming a teenager can be beautiful and exhilarating. They highlight the fun and excitement of this significant life stage.

Democrats' Matt Taibbi Meltdown

Useful Idiots • 3380 implied HN points • 16 Mar 23
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Media
  1. Matt Taibbi faced Congressional Democrats in Washington and it didn't go well for them.
  2. The politicians came off as corrupt and wealthy, hypocritically lecturing Taibbi about the capitalist system.
  3. Taibbi remained polite and calm while the politicians got increasingly hysterical.

Vol. 2, Issue 29 - Interview with Serebii.net

Johto Times • 239 implied HN points • 18 Jul 24
🎭️ Culture Media
  1. Serebii.net has been a key source of Pokémon news for 25 years and is trusted by the community. Joe Merrick, the founder, has dedicated his life to keeping it updated and relevant.
  2. Joe started the site out of boredom and a love for Pokémon, growing it through word of mouth and focusing on content that other sites missed about the Japanese side of Pokémon.
  3. He believes that while fans have strong opinions, developers know best about what works for the game. Joe actively engages with the community but maintains his independence to share his honest views.

Savage's 'Lost Generation', or: Thoughts on the DEI scam and what happened after 2015

eugyppius: a plague chronicle • 283 implied HN points • 23 Dec 25
🎭️ Culture Media
  1. Starting around 2014–2015, aggressive DEI hiring in journalism, academia, and entertainment prioritized racial and gender targets over merit, and many white male millennials say they were shut out of the careers they trained for.
  2. Senior administrators protected themselves by enforcing these policies, which often led to hires chosen for demographic reasons rather than qualifications and made institutions more female‑skewed, worse to work in, and more politically radicalized.
  3. Those antiracist measures frequently backfired by amplifying racial optics and grievances, generating hypocrisy among progressives, and appearing likely to persist because meritocracy is weak and demographic preferences can be self‑perpetuating.

EXCLUSIVE: PBS Disappears DEI Department in Wake of Free Press Investigation

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 4029 implied HN points • 11 Feb 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Media
  1. PBS has decided to close its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) department. This happened after an investigation by The Free Press raised questions about the department's role in relation to an executive order.
  2. The CEO of PBS informed staff about the departure of two DEI executives. She mentioned that this move was to ensure compliance with the president's order.
  3. This change at PBS reflects broader tensions and changes in how organizations handle diversity initiatives, especially under political scrutiny.

How to De-Addict Gen Z from Porn

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 1521 implied HN points • 29 Jul 25
🎭️ Culture Media
  1. Many young men today struggle with porn addiction, which affects their relationships and self-esteem. It's common for boys to encounter porn at a very young age, leading to harmful effects on their views about intimacy and real-life connections.
  2. An app called Quittr was created to help Gen Z men quit porn and improve their lives. The app encourages users to focus on personal growth, like hitting the gym and building character.
  3. The widespread access to porn can make facing real-life relationships feel daunting. This can turn seeking love or connection into a scary experience, while porn provides a quick, risk-free outlet.