Pro-democracy media
Top ten sources
Independent newsletters and blogs have become essential voices in defending democracy, explaining complex legal issues, and providing context for current events. From historians to legal analysts to political strategists, these platforms reach millions of readers and listeners, offering clarity in a noisy media environment.
Below is a comparative overview of ten leading newsletters and platforms, highlighting their focus, style, audience, key personnel, and reach.
Lincoln Square
Primary Focus: Politics, culture, media; countering disinformation
Style & Tone: Conversational, sharp, collaborative
Audience: Progressive readers, Lincoln Project supporters
Key Personnel: Rick Wilson, Evan Fields, Sam Osterhout, CJ Penneys, Stuart Stevens, Joe Trippi, Lisa Senecal, Jeff Timmer
URL: lincolnsquare.media
Reach / Subscribers: Hundreds of thousands
The Bulwark
Primary Focus: Center-right political commentary, democracy defense
Style & Tone: Analytical, witty, podcast-heavy
Audience: Moderates, conservatives critical of Trumpism
Key Personnel: Sarah Longwell, Jonathan V. Last, Bill Kristol, Charlie Sykes, Tim Miller, Mona Charen, Will Saletan
URL: thebulwark.com
Reach / Subscribers: ~76,000 paid; ~830,000 total; 1.26M YouTube
Civil Discourse
Primary Focus: Legal analysis, civic engagement
Style & Tone: Clear, optimistic, explanatory
Audience: Citizens seeking legal insight & civic literacy
Key Personnel: Joyce Vance
Reach / Subscribers: Hundreds of thousands
Letters from an American
Primary Focus: U.S. history contextualizing current events
Style & Tone: Narrative, accessible, daily updates
Audience: General public, history-minded readers
Key Personnel: Heather Cox Richardson
Reach / Subscribers: Millions (largest Substack newsletter)
Law Dork
Primary Focus: Supreme Court, law, LGBTQ rights
Style & Tone: Sharp, journalistic, legally precise
Audience: Legal professionals, activists, informed citizens
Key Personnel: Chris Geidner
URL: lawdork.com
Reach / Subscribers: Tens of thousands (~77K)
Democracy Docket
Primary Focus: Voting rights, election litigation
Style & Tone: Detailed, advocacy-driven, data-rich
Audience: Lawyers, activists, democracy defenders
Key Personnel: Marc Elias
URL: democracydocket.com
Reach / Subscribers: ~400,000 subscribers
Defiance.org
Primary Focus: Anti-authoritarian resistance, civic action, national security
Style & Tone: Urgent, investigative, strategic
Audience: Civic-minded readers, national security watchers, anti-authoritarian activists
Key Personnel: Miles Taylor
Reach / Subscribers: 25K+
The UnPopulist
Primary Focus: Defending liberal democracy against authoritarianism in the U.S. and globally
Style & Tone: Analytical, heterodox, philosophical
Audience: Readers concerned about authoritarianism, political philosophy, and comparative politics
Key Personnel: Shikha Dalmia (editor), Cathy Young, Andy Craig, Radley Balko, Robert Tracinski, Aaron Ross Powell, others
URL: theunpopulist.net
Reach / Subscribers: 31K+
The Dispatch
Primary Focus: Center-right reporting and analysis; rejecting populism and authoritarianism
Style & Tone: Analytical, fact-driven, occasionally humorous
Audience: Moderates, conservatives critical of Trumpism, policy-minded readers
Key Personnel: Jonah Goldberg, Steve Hayes, David French, Sarah Isgur, Kevin Williamson
URL: thedispatch.com
Reach / Subscribers: 400K+ (40K paid)
Scenes from a Slow Civil War
Primary Focus: Documenting authoritarianism, religious nationalism, and America’s “slow civil war” through narrative reporting
Style & Tone: Literary journalism — vivid, personal, cultural critique blended with reportage
Audience: Readers interested in politics, religion, culture, and the lived experience of authoritarian movements
Key Personnel: Jeff Sharlet (author of The Family, The Undertow, and This Brilliant Darkness)
Reach / Subscribers: 9K+
Key Insights
Letters from an American by Heather Cox Richardson remains the largest Substack newsletter, reaching millions.
The Bulwark and The Dispatch show how center-right voices are carving out space for principled, anti-populist commentary.
Civil Discourse, Democracy Docket, and Lincoln Square each command hundreds of thousands of engaged readers.
Law Dork, Defiance.org, The UnPopulist, and Scenes from a Slow Civil War serve specialized but influential niches in law, civic resistance, comparative democracy analysis, and cultural reportage.
Together, these ten platforms form a diverse ecosystem—legal, historical, political, philosophical, activist, and literary—that strengthens democratic discourse and provides readers with trusted, independent perspectives on how to resist authoritarian threats.
AI disclosure
This blog post was drafted with the assistance of Microsoft Copilot, an artificial intelligence resource that helps synthesize information and organize content. All of it work product has been reviewed and edited by H. Pike Oliver.
