Chris Best’s Free Speech Fraud: Substack CEO Caught in Hypocrisy
Richard Luthmann is ready to go to war with Substack.
Note: this article was written by Richard Luthmann. He has been deplatformed- hopefully temporarily- and he’s not allowed to post on his own site. Interestingly, he’s allowed to cross post. This article is about the details surrounding his deplatforming, something that Substack claimed it would not do.
Substack CEO Chris Best loves to talk about free speech. He wants the world to believe that Substack is a platform where independent writers are safe from censorship.
But here’s the reality: Best is full of it.
For over two days, investigative journalist Richard Luthmann has been locked out of publishing on Substack with no clear reason. Substack has ignored repeated emails demanding an explanation. Luthmann, who was breaking multiple stories, was abruptly silenced.
Chris Best, meanwhile, has been busy posturing on X, claiming that Substack is a haven for writers facing censorship. In a recent tweet, he declared, “Free speech for writers and creators is threatened when the wealthy and powerful can use spurious legal threats to silence reporting and opinions that challenge their interests. We're expanding the Substack Defender program to help.”
Yet, when Luthmann asked where his “Substack Defender” was, he got nothing but silence.
Substack’s True Masters: Big Tech, Not Writers
Substack claims Luthmann was suspended for “email engagement issues.” According to emails from Substack Support, his publishing privileges were revoked because of “low engagement” and a “high-risk” email list.
Substack then demanded he “prune” thousands of email addresses from his subscriber list to comply with their vague policies. Luthmann complied, spending hours manually removing inactive subscribers. But then, Substack reinstated the very emails they ordered him to delete—and still refused to restore his publishing rights.
This isn’t about engagement. This is about control.
Buried in Substack’s own policies is the real reason: Substack cares more about its “sending reputation” with Big Tech than it does about protecting writers. One policy states: “If your publication’s email list has a high rate of inactive or undeliverable email addresses, we may ask you to remove those emails to protect Substack’s sending reputation.”
Translation: If Substack’s email provider—the same Big Tech gatekeepers Substack supposedly rebels against—doesn’t like a writer’s engagement metrics, Substack will pull the plug.
Substack’s own email to Luthmann confirms it: “Low engagement can damage deliverability for our entire writer community, which is why we take action when a publication has imported a list that's deemed as high-risk by our infrastructure.”
Chris Best: A Hypocrite Caught in the Act
Best has built his brand on the claim that Substack is different. He presents himself as the last defender of free speech, insisting that Substack will never cave to political pressure. In an interview, Best said, “One of Substack's core principles is its commitment to free speech and editorial freedom.”
But Luthmann’s case proves this is a lie.
When he demanded to know why he was deplatformed, Substack refused to answer.
When he asked why they reinstated the very emails they told him to remove, they ignored him. When he pressed them on whether this was politically motivated censorship, they stayed silent.
This isn’t just about one writer. It’s a pattern.
Greg Maresca, a conservative columnist, was also suddenly dropped by Substack without warning.
“Even conservative sites have their agendas,” Maresca said. “Agenda one: $$$.”
Substack’s Free Speech Double Standard
Substack claims to treat all writers equally, but the reality suggests otherwise. Heather Cox Richardson, a left-wing historian with one of the largest Substack followings, has never faced these issues. The same goes for other progressive writers.
Meanwhile, conservative and independent journalists face sudden suspensions, “engagement” purges, and vague policies designed to silence them.
Luthmann put it bluntly: “Does this shit happen to Heather Cox Richardson?”
Chris Best wants conservatives and libertarians to believe Substack is a free speech stronghold.
But when push comes to shove, he folds.
A Warning to Writers: Substack Is Not Safe
Substack is not the free speech haven it pretends to be. It is just another Big Tech-controlled platform that will silence journalists at a moment’s notice, under whatever pretext is most convenient.
First, it was “email engagement.” Tomorrow, it will be something else.
Luthmann’s warning is clear: “If Substack can do this to me, they can do it to anyone. Writers need to find a place that is safe.”
Free speech demands no pretexts. Chris Best and Substack have failed that test.
Update:
Richard Luthmann’s account was reactivated on the morning of January 17, 2025, but with this warning, "Please be advised that additional instances of required list pruning may result in limited publishing functionality or the termination of your Substack publication."
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