At Substack, Chief Writing Officer Hamish McKenzie talks about what that new media order looks like. Naturally, he sees his do-it-yourself column medium. Substack, as a solution to legacy media decay:

Many of the publishers who are thriving on Substack today cut their teeth in legacy media, and they are carrying forward those values and journalistic standards into this new space. Others come from outside that system, bringing fresh perspectives and insight to the political discourse, challenging authority and speaking truth to power. It is a sometimes cantankerous lot—argumentative and skeptical; prickly and proud. They’ll probably have fun in one another’s company on Saturday night and then be at each other’s throats the next day. And that’s as it should be. The strength of this place is in its free people. This contest of ideas—the dialogue and disagreement, the dissent and dispute—is what makes America great, and it’s what makes Substack great too.

“A new media order is emerging,” April 25, 2025

The fact that once-legacy journalists are departing for columns on Substack is one indicator of a fundamental shift. Another is the battle we’ve been covering between declining legacy media and the new influencers both at the Democratic Party Convention in August and in the White House Briefing Room today.

There is no turning back. The historically Democrat-leaning legacy media are losing audience even among young Democrats. How big a role Substack will play will be interesting to see. If it succeeds, it will likely face competitors.

But here’s a key number we’ve mentioned before: The New York Times has 6.5 million paid subscribers to its digital news product. But Joe Rogan has over 11 million listeners per episode. Legacy media nostalgia cannot just wish that attention gap away.