Better Offline Podcast Episode Summary: "Building A Newspaper Out of the Internet with Molly White"

Published on August 6, 2025, by Cool Zone Media and iHeartPodcasts

Introduction

In this engaging episode of Better Offline, host Ed Zitron delves into the evolving landscape of digital media with Molly White, a renowned critic and author of the Citation Needed newsletter. Together, they explore the resurgence of RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feeds, the challenges contemporary media faces, and the innovative approaches that offer hope for sustainable journalism in the digital age.

Understanding RSS and Its Importance

Molly White begins by demystifying RSS, highlighting its role as a protocol that allows websites to distribute their content directly to users through Feed Readers. She explains, “RSS is just a protocol. It's sort of a system by which websites make their content available to be ingested by programs called Feed Readers” (02:45).

Key Points:

• Direct Content Delivery: RSS enables users to aggregate content from various sources—newsletters, podcasts, YouTube videos, and social media feeds—into one accessible platform.
• Ad-Free Experience: Unlike social media platforms, RSS feeds typically offer content without intrusive advertisements, providing a cleaner and more focused reading experience.

Current State of RSS and Feed Readers

The conversation shifts to the benefits of using RSS readers over traditional social media platforms. Molly emphasizes the control users have over their content consumption, stating, “you don't have to rely on the sort of algorithmic feeds that we have become accustomed to” (04:43).

Key Points:

• Algorithm Independence: Users can bypass the algorithm-driven content curation of platforms like Twitter and Facebook, which often prioritize ads and sensational content over genuine news.
• Content Ownership: With RSS, users can access full-text articles or excerpts based on the publisher's preference, ensuring a direct relationship between creators and their audience.

Impact on Publishers and Readership

Ed Zitron raises concerns about how RSS affects publishers, particularly regarding traffic and revenue. Molly addresses these concerns by explaining the varying models publishers adopt to monetize their content through RSS.

Key Points:

• Subscription Models: Publishers can offer full-text RSS feeds to paying subscribers, ensuring revenue without relying solely on website traffic or ads.
• Ad-Supported Challenges: For ad-supported publishers, RSS feeds often include only excerpts to encourage users to visit the website, thereby generating ad impressions.

Molly notes, “for ad-supported publishers, they really rely on you visiting the website to get the ad traffic,” (06:22) highlighting the delicate balance between accessibility and monetization.

Critique of Popular RSS Readers (e.g., Feedly)

The discussion takes a critical turn towards mainstream RSS readers like Feedly. Molly shares her negative experience, explaining why she no longer recommends Feedly.

Key Points:

• Shift in Focus: Feedly began targeting cybersecurity researchers and corporate users, which alienated individual users like Molly who sought a more general-purpose RSS reader.
• Intrusive Promotions: The platform started promoting services related to monitoring threats, such as “tracking strikes,” which Molly found irrelevant and invasive (09:00).

She asserts, “they tried to sort of play it off as, like, bad messaging and that they were really just trying to help people protect” (09:29), leading to her decision to switch to a different RSS reader.

The Shift Back to Newsletters and Its Challenges

As publishers seek direct engagement with readers, there's a noticeable shift back to email newsletters. Molly and Ed discuss the resurgence of newsletters and the inherent challenges that come with this format.

Key Points:

• Direct Relationships: Newsletters allow publishers to build direct relationships with their audience without intermediary platforms’ interference.
• Overwhelming Volume: The proliferation of newsletters can lead to inbox fatigue, as subscribers receive numerous notifications that can be distracting and overwhelming (20:50).

Molly highlights, “if you subscribe to 10 newsletter writers, you're getting a notification throughout your day that needs your attention,” (21:13), pointing out the potential downsides of the newsletter boom.

Media Industry's Struggles and Future Outlook

The podcast delves into the broader struggles of the media industry in adapting to digital disruptions. Molly critiques how large media outlets handle direct subscriber relationships and their resistance to fostering personal connections between writers and readers.

Key Points:

• Loss of Personality: Large publications often stifle individual writers' personalities to maintain a uniform brand, which can alienate readers seeking authentic voices.
• Economic Pressures: The shift away from ad-revenue models to subscription-based models poses significant challenges for media sustainability.

Molly remarks, “publishers are trying to get more direct relationships with readers. And email newsletters are a way that they're doing that,” (25:00), emphasizing the importance of evolving business models to ensure longevity.

Optimism and Hope for Future Media Models

Despite the challenges, Molly expresses optimism about emerging media models that prioritize direct support and sustainable practices. She cites examples like 404 Media and worker-owned collectives as pioneering efforts in creating ad-free, subscription-based journalism.

Key Points:

• Pay-What-You-Want Models: Molly's own newsletter operates on a pay-what-you-want basis, demonstrating that users are willing to financially support quality content without strict paywalls (41:04).
• Innovative Collectives: New media collectives are experimenting with models that eschew traditional ads and paywalls, focusing instead on community support and direct subscriptions.

Molly concludes, “people actually strongly value the work that people are doing, even if they're not forced to pay for it,” (40:22), highlighting a shift in audience mentality towards valuing content creators directly.

Conclusion

In this thought-provoking episode, Ed Zitron and Molly White navigate the complexities of modern digital media, advocating for tools like RSS and direct subscriptions that empower both readers and publishers. They underscore the necessity of moving away from algorithm-driven platforms and towards more authentic, sustainable relationships between content creators and their audience. As the media landscape continues to evolve, innovations in content delivery and monetization offer promising avenues for the future of journalism.

Notable Quotes:

• Molly White on RSS: “RSS is just a protocol. It's sort of a system by which websites make their content available to be ingested by programs called Feed Readers” (02:45).
• Molly White on Feedly: “they sort of play it off as, like, bad messaging and that they were really just trying to help people protect” (09:29).
• Molly White on Newsletters: “if you subscribe to 10 newsletter writers, you're getting a notification throughout your day that needs your attention” (21:13).
• Molly White on Direct Support: “people actually strongly value the work that people are doing, even if they're not forced to pay for it” (40:22).

Where to Find More

• Molly White: Newsletter available at CitationNeeded.news, and social media at @mollywhite.net.
• Better Offline Podcast: Visit betteroffline.com for more episodes, and join the community on Discord at r/betteroffline or Reddit.

This summary captures the essence of the episode, focusing on the insightful discussion between Ed Zitron and Molly White about RSS, the challenges facing modern media, and the hopeful innovations that could reshape journalism.