Housekeeping 14, JUN 2023 - Update on Linnea and Malcontent News' Future (Patreon)

That is not the message I wanted to write today.

Linnea has abruptly left Malcontent News and is no longer working on the Russia-Ukraine War Report Podcast. This is an unfortunate situation.

On June 6, 2023, Linnea Hubbard disagreed with the analyst team's preliminary assessment in the June 5, 2023, Situation Report that the Kakhovka Dam had likely experienced an engineering failure. When the report was created, that was the best available information, supported by multiple news outlets. Linnea expressed she was uncomfortable sharing some of the content in the podcast for June 6, and I agreed with her request to leave it out. That was, apparently, inadequate.

Linnea accused the analyst team and me of spreading "misinformation" in a June 7 e-mail and brought up other issues, and felt the Situation Report damaged her reputation. I asked her if she was resigning, which she denied.

I repeatedly requested Linnea to meet with me 1:1, which she refused, and I asked her to forward additional information she had received about the dam, which was never sent. As a team, this created an internal struggle on how to position the situation at the Kakhovka Dam. In the June 6 Situation Report, there was an extensive clarification based on new information, which Linnea deemed inadequate.

There was a heated meeting on June 9 with the leadership team, where we landed on an official position, which was released in the June 9 - 10 combined Situation Report, and was included in the June 12 podcast covered by Yewleea.

On Monday, I explained our position again to Linnea via e-mail, shared the available information on June 6, and pointed out that even on the evening of June 6 in Ukraine, the Ukrainian National Security Council did not have an official position that the dam was blown up. I offered to pay her closing invoice, in full, with a couple of caveats on timing for unrealized revenue yet to be reported by Spotify, and added that the door was open to move forward.

On June 13, Linnea replied to me, "I appreciate your response. I’ll get back to you in 24 hours or so about how we can move forward."

I woke up this morning to find I was blocked by her on social media, and she had launched her own podcast. She did not respond to the e-mail. Linnea never sent a resignation letter or explanation.

The truth matters.

Transparency matters.

When I have taken the microphone, I appealed for more subscribers for the Patreon so we could better pay Linnea what she's worth. That's why there was a goal of 2,000. It is my fault, and I take responsibility for not being clear enough to our community why that was a goal. This is not to say this is your fault - it's not - it's mine.

As for the future, because this was unexpected and I was operating on the basis that Linnea was negotiating in good faith, the podcast's future is unsure. If Linnea were to demand the existing catalog to be removed, we have no grounds to block that claim - she started as a volunteer. So far, there has been no request or action required to take down previous episodes. I hope things have not deteriorated to that point, as it will hurt the Ukrainian people far more than the team or the small amount of revenue on the back catalog. 

There will be an episode today, and the Situation Reports and Flash Reports will continue, as will the map and some of our other planned work. It is unfortunate as we have listeners in the occupied territories, according to our data, which goes down to the settlement level.

If you're thinking to yourself, well, I could do the podcast if someone does the script and the rest, I will first advise you that it is a tremendous amount of work, so think carefully before sending a message offering to provide a stop-gap.

My personal view. The destruction of the Kakhovka Dam is a disaster that, long-term, will have a greater economic impact on Ukraine than the meltdown disaster at the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant in 1986. If you are newer to the Situation Reports or the podcasts, we try to be right over first and operate with the best available information, and don't shy away from errors and omissions. Long-term readers and listeners know that we have previously taken up positions that did not follow the broader narrative, including,

• The sinking of the Moskva
• The non-sinking of the Ivan Khurs
• The Kharkiv counteroffensive
• How political infighting that started in November 2022 between Prigozhin and Shoigu was on a path that would cause political instability within Russia
• Why Ukraine should not withdraw from Bakhmut in February 2023

Among others.

Based on the best available information and the lack of other information, the analyst team made the preliminary assessment. In hindsight, which is always perfect, the better response may have been, "We have no idea," but it appears there were other deeper issues under the surface. However, on the morning of June 6, 2023, the position of "Russia blew up the dam" would not be rooted in fact based on the available information. That's not who we are. The analyst team and I started in a place of, "The bastards committed the worst war crime of the war," but as painful as that is, that wasn't an objective viewpoint in the early morning hours of June 6, Ukraine time. It was our position in the June 5 Situation Report that Russia was responsible for the collapse because Russia controlled the power plant, regardless of the cause. As more information came to light and an additional body of evidence pointed to intent, we updated you with that information.

I understand if you were here for Linnea, and because of this situation, you are going to end your financial support.

The truth matters, and we'll find a collective way to move forward.

I wish Linnea all the best in her future endeavor, and it was a pleasure to work with her and to see her find her voice over the last ten months.

You can find Linnea's new home here.