AI, ethics, and journalism are at the forefront in 2025. In the German landscape, we see that a journalist’s competence lies in sensibly intertwining AI into their work without losing their human voice. www.poynter.org/ai-ethics-jo...

In the age of AI sludge, high-quality free content is the best marketing asset. @mimikama.org , an Austrian fact-checking NGO, spent a decade debunking internet fraud and made it totally accessible to everyone. That years-long investment in public service is why their community remains loyal.

We ask ourselves how the creator economy will change in 2026. Despite pessimistic prognosis, we would recommend to focus on independent works and weave community together around it.

Podcasts belong to real humans and give them the opportunity to produce genuine thoughts, use their own voices, and address real people and raise key issues. How is it possible to wrap up the whole podcast journalism into a delusional machine, driven only by algorithms?

That’s what we believe in: the work of independent journalism! We support autonomous journalists and create sustainable ecosystem for them. But all that would be impossible without institutions.

It is a paradox: Your community is willing to pay for your vulnerabilities. @krautreporter.bsky.social, a German media cooperative, has been transparent about their financial struggles since the very first day. That transparency strengthened their community rather than weakened it.

Waiting for the perfect moment kills momentum. Launch your membership before you think you’re ready. Your first 10 members are worth more than your next 100. By the way, @wasbishergeschah.bsky.social generated €5,000 on day one with a clear value proposition and a genuine community.

Rule of economy: Use a maximum of 3 bullet points per #membership tier if you want to keep your followers’ attention. In 5 seconds, your #audience can answer: What do I get? How much does it cost? Why is it important to me?

Follow the First-Person Rule: write in the first person on your #membership page. Switching to third person creates distance. Compare: “This #podcast explores…” vs. “I explore…” By the way, Teresa Bücker speaks directly to her readers in her #newsletter Zwischenzeiten.

Common misconception: as a media maker, you must produce extra content for your members. But followers already value your work. Rather than overwhelming them, create space for deeper engagement. By the way, Übermedien focuses on deepening existing content: independent media criticism.

Social media algorithms change, accounts get blocked, and reach can vanish overnight. Email flows remain stable. Through newsletters, media makers keep their independence and regularly update their community. By the way, Der siebte Tag by Nils Minkmar gained 10,000 subscribers this way.

Digital memberships are a way to bring real followers and creators together in one place. They allow creators to interact with their audience, share ideas, and receive feedback.

This is one of those days when we all drown in breaking news - but if you can stomach it: Here is an attempt to step back from the noise and provide a synthesis of where America stands, one year after Trump’s election, and what might be next. Escalation, “normalization,” or a democratic turnaround?

America As No-Longer-Democracy and Not-Yet-Dictatorship Where does the country stand after the largest day of protest in U.S. history? Putting “No Kings” in perspective. New piece:

Sunday reading: I wrote about the aggrieved extremist who is currently firing thousands of federal workers and ravaging state capacity based on conspiratorial nonsense - and about mainstream media’s infuriating tendency to sanitize Russell Vought and the regime he serves. This week’s piece:

Sie haben Post.

Is Trump Winning? Is He Losing? (And are those maybe the wrong questions to ask?) Kimmel uncanceled, Comey indicted, a terrifying “domestic terrorism” directive, and troops to Portland: Where does America stand in the struggle against encroaching authoritarianism? Some thoughts from my new piece:

Historian Thomas Zimmer has left academia, Substack, and the US; now he’s launching his new career as an indie writer with a newsletter about “the ongoing struggle over how much democracy, and for whom, there should be in America”. Recommended! [steady.page]

ICYMI yesterday: I need your help   I re-launched my newsletter at a new platform called “Steady” – and most importantly, I officially started my new life as a full-time independent writer.   I am extremely excited this moment has finally come. And I am utterly terrified.

Thomas saw what was happening here in 🇺🇸 earlier & more clearly than almost anyone. It is sad that 🇺🇸 & academia have lost him but great that his voice has found its new home 👇🧵

By the way, we are dealing with some technical glitches. Growing pains. If you subscribed on Substack, no worries: We are transferring you over to @steady.page, and if you haven’t yet received this launch post, you’ll be getting it very soon! No one gets left behind.

Re-launch day for Democracy Americana – and the official start of my new life as a full-time writer.   I know there is more important stuff going on than the latest personal news. But I want to be maximally transparent about why I left academia, left the U.S., left Substack - and need your support:

Dear @thomaszimmer.bsky.social we wish you a warm welcome to Steady. Your work is extremely important and we are more than happy to be on this journey together with you. Onwards and upwards!

Meet tollkühn Tolkienists on @steady.page & Patreon: Radio Rivendell The one web radio to rock'n'rule them all 😀

If you understand German and like podcasts that tell good stories, you should check out “Was bisher geschah” – a well-researched and wonderfully entertaining history podcast co-hosted by a friend of mine. They created something great and they deserve to get the support they need to keep going.

Congratulations on the amazingly successful Steady launch of "Was bisher Geschah" a German history podcast. Great job @drguidoknapp.bsky.social & team! The project has managed to gain a thousand members in just one day! Support them here: steady.page/en/wbg/about

Thinking about switching away from Substack? Check out Steady. Our newsletter tool is 100% free, you can import addresses from other services and dedicated account management (no matter the revenue). steady.page

#Substack, like many American media platforms, has a "free speech", hands-off policies problem, enabling extremist content creation and distribution. 🍇 Our #WeinLetter newsletter is hosted on @steadyhq.bsky.social, built in Berlin by @yoran.com and team. steady.page/de/weinlette...

Wer von Substack weg möchte: Ich kann @steadyhq.bsky.social aus Berlin empfehlen. Aber auch @ghost.org scheint eine gute Alternative zu sein, noch dazu OpenSource. steady.page/de/

Ich kann den Umzug zu Steady empfehlen (via @karolinschwarz.de) www.patreon.com/posts/substa...