Battleground by Justin Brown - 💸 Support Battleground 💸

Battleground is hosted on a non-profit, open-source platform called Ghost that charges a yearly fee. Please help Battleground stay on Ghost by donating a couple dollars through Buy Me a Coffee.

Why Battleground Left Substack

When The Atlantic broke the news last year that Substack Has a Nazi Problem, I knew I needed to rethink Battleground's association with the platform. I joined a group of Substack writers to sign a petition, imploring leadership to strengthen their moderation policies to prevent hateful and violent speech. Since their response was woefully inadequate, I migrated Battleground off of Substack in January 2024.

In the year since, Substack has proven that they STILL have a Nazi problem and it's only getting worse. Notorious neo-Nazi Richard Spencer uses Substack to distribute a monetized newsletter with over 5K paying subscribers. "White Lives Matter" groups use Substack as an organizing tool to spread white supremacy. From Holocausts deniers to "race realists," Substack has continued to attract dangerous far-right voices explicitly due to leadership's lax approach to moderation. Every time these white supremacists receive money from their subscribers, Substack takes a cut.

I departed Substack in favor of Ghost and have never looked back. The only downside has been the cost. While Substack was completely free for me to use, hosting Battleground on Ghost costs me a couple hundred dollars every year. While I've proudly embraced spending more to keep Battleground in alignment with my ethics and morals, the choice wasn't cheap!

Please consider donating a couple dollars to keep Battleground on Ghost. Your dollars ensure that Nazis stay far away from our growing community while also supporting an alternative for other Substack writers who are looking for a less racist place to publish their work.