I agree with you, Alan! All mainstream media caters to their audience--even if some are more reliable than others. I did subscribe to The Free Press through Substack for a while, but I discontinued my paid subscription because they didn't convince me they are completely "fair and balanced". I think Bari Weiss has a conserative agenda. But I will say that I am often pulled in by their headlines that require a paywall to get to.

The best thing about Substack is the volume of independent thought represented. You can pick through the smorgasbord of thought to find the authors you like best across the spectrum.