New post on my Media Gifts blog: ‘The Rest Is Substack: Mehdi Hasan, Zeteo and the Parallel Establishment’

http://garyhall.squarespace.com/journal/2025/3/26/the-rest-is-substack-mehdi-hasan-zeteo-and-the-parallel-esta.html

‘I recently watched an interview with Mehdi Hasan, the journalist behind Zeteo. He’s using Substack to build a left-leaning media company as an alternative to legacy outlets such as the BBC. Naomi Klein, Owen Jones and Cynthia Nixon are already involved in delivering content.

I'm not uncritical of Substack, nor unaware of how it works. Still, at first glance, I could see the appeal. …

But before even more of us rush out to join Substack, let me say that lasted all of about five minutes.

Then I came across this piece ... which delves into the politics of Substack. It highlights how the platform isn’t just a neutral tool for independent journalism - it’s a key pillar of what Marc Andressen, Balaji Srinivasan and other advocates of the 'Network State' call the 'parallel establishment...'

#Substack #zeteo #journalism #media #bbc #podcast