Ben Werdmuller (Page 3)

Latest

Media

To maintain their independence, publishers are fleeing Substack

"Substack faced talent drain in 2024 linked to its platforming of Nazi newsletters, but now it’s not just the platform’s stance on hate speech that’s driving away creators."

Media

Asking platforms to do better won't work. We need to force their hands

"If there were a dictator of the internet who intentionally set out to destroy your ability to get accurate information, the result would look a lot like what’s already on your screen. But why?"

Technology

WordPress powers 47% of the web. Now it's more social, too

WordPress is the most popular publishing platform in the world. It wants you to publish and be heard - and that means supporting conversation.

Technology

Canvas is open source, but its cloud services ransomware attack really hurts

It's "the biggest student data privacy disaster in history" - even though the core platform is open source.

Notable links

Notable links: May 8, 2026

Building a civic information economy, not cultures of extraction.

Media

Plugging the gaps won't save news. It's time to redesign

"Journalists, cultural workers, content creators, and other trusted messengers are enabling better civic insight for communities. How do we economically support the civic information future that society needs?"

Media

The way to save news is not to create monopolistic monocultures

"Why, a funder asked me recently, do two intermediaries this funder saw as offering duplicative services both still exist? Because you—and your funder colleagues—let them, I said." But consolidation is a dangerous road.

Technology

Open source maintainers need to go in with open eyes

"To labour out of love, and to choose to share their work freely in a market society, OSS developers find themselves in a position where they are vulnerable to exploitation and harm."