41 Comments
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EthicsMatters's avatar

I really appreciate your excellent work Maryanne. Please keep doing what you’re doing - I plan to remain subscribed. Happy holidays, and all the best to you for 2026.

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king4930's avatar

Maryanne, your work has been well worth the price of admission, and then some. I'm not leaving! Happy holidays and a prosperous New Year.

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Dr. Steve Zimmerman's avatar

Good for you ! You’re worth it !

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Max Dublin's avatar

Dear Maryanne I will never unsubscribe to your newsletter no matter what! I learn so much from you and really admire how you’ve increased your output over the last year or so. How do you do it?! The increased volume of your work would itself justify any rate increase! I consider you to be an invaluable resource and have quoted you from time to time in my own work. Wishing you health and happiness in the New Year and sending you a big love from Canada ❤️.

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Maryanne Demasi, PhD's avatar

Thanks, Max. Over the past couple of years, I had to take on other part-time work — including online TV and writing for others — just to pay the bills. With Brownstone’s support, I’ve been able to focus on this newsletter full time. Big hugs from down under!

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Max Dublin's avatar

Good for Brownstone—I didn’t know that they were supporting you, Maryanne but it doesn’t surprise me. From what you just wrote it sounds like you’re even more productive than I imagined! How do you do it? It sounds as if you’re doing the work of a whole battalion of journalists!

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Maryanne Demasi, PhD's avatar

Yes, the grant expires in June so I’m hoping to make the newsletter sustainable. 🙏

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ScarlettHamiltonAustralia's avatar

Beautifully and thoughtfully worded. I am an annual subscriber for life. In the spirit of championing viewpoint diversity every medical student and nurse in Australia should be a subscriber to your Substack.

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CMaryG's avatar

As you mention every med student and nurse, one needs to consider how important anonymity in commenting is when govt says they must only support the health ministers media releases as specified by Morrison in March 2021 - we have seen the sad career loss of registration by Dr My Le Trinh who was suspended for scripting ivermectin in Aug 2021 before TGA INFRINGEMENTS applied in Sept - where else but Substack in MD article and 𝕏 Twitter do we read the truth about this.

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Peter Flinn's avatar

I’ll be staying until I get asked for more data, then I’ll have to consider my options. Totally happy to pay the sub! And of course I value your hard work and everything you write. I hope you’re able to continue in the year ahead, got a feeling that it’s going to be bumpy.

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Jillian Stirling's avatar

I was so disappointed to see how Substack was going to comply with the online safety act and the new laws in Australia. I value your work and will stay. It will be a stretch but I understand. You do great work.

God bless you and give you a yours a blessed Christmas.

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Margaret Allison's avatar

Maryanne, I plan to stay with you here in the USA. Merry Christmas for He is the reason for the season. I had no clue I was subscribing outside the USA when I decided to do so.

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James Milson's avatar

I too will be staying. One of the best health substacks.

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Keith Dudleston's avatar

I hope you can keep posting your content in 2026. In my opinion, this is one of the best independent medical publications on the internet and worth every penny of my subscription. Many medical journalists seem to just accept the output of big companies public relations departments with very little scepticism or challenge. You are the exception. Thank you.

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Elizabeth Hart's avatar

People in so-called ‘free countries’ such as Australia and the UK are being discriminated against. Requirements are being imposed upon us that are not being imposed widely in the world.

Ostensibly for ‘online safety’, but actually to groom people to be identified on the internet and to consolidate personal data. This has sinister implications, e.g. for free speech, where people are hindered from participating in controversial conversations, eg medical workers who might want to question vaccination policy anonymously, due to the risk to their career if they question vaccine products.

Australia is a very sinister country where mandatory vaccination has been imposed under threat of penalties for non-compliance, with multi- political party support. And now ‘online safety’ dictates threaten free speech on this topic.

For more background, see my articles:

- From Medical Conscription to Digital Conscription: https://elizabethhart.substack.com/p/from-medical-conscription-to-digital

- Using the internet – are we being groomed to give up our privacy?

https://elizabethhart.substack.com/p/using-the-internet-are-we-being-groomed

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Paula Chandler's avatar

I didn’t realize you were in Australia.

Here it comes…Big sigh.

I’m so sorry these new laws have disrupted your subscribers. Hopefully they will be back as it sounds like perhaps few are going to be exempt from these new demands.

Your work is INVALUABLE

Also hoping you get many new subscribers here in the rest of the world.

Just sent a PayPal donation.

Wishing you and your family a Joyous Holiday and Prosperous New Year!✨✨

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Maryanne Demasi, PhD's avatar

Thanks Paula, blessing to you and the family. X

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Paula Chandler's avatar

You are one of the BEST!!

True Story.

Was just looking at this book I rebought after decades (!) and have not revisited yet. It waits me.

“The Chalice and The Blade”

by Riane Eisler

The chapter about Mary after Jesus is eye opening.

Blessings again and Always to you and All! ✨✨✨✨

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Michael Lardelli's avatar

Thanks for the heads up on the subscription change. I alter to yearly gladly. Definitely worth it. (And because I did it today I believe I snuck in for 2026 at the old yearly rate :)

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Maryanne Demasi, PhD's avatar

Yes, it's a bargain :-). Thank Michael.

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john shrapnel's avatar

Thanks Maryanne, your independent journalism is fantastic.

My (aussie) substack is still working,? but that of my wife demands admission or blocked. Strangely if I forward the "page" by email it opens for her, but not so if I send the "link"

Also, I can't see where you posted your "go around" to this problem . Have I missed something?

We have been admirers since your time at their ABC. Thank you,

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Maryanne Demasi, PhD's avatar

Thanks John, some of my former paid subscribers are now paying via other means (PayPal or direct bank transfer) and using a their "free" email which doesn't require verification details (I have to manually comp them).

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CMaryG's avatar

Thank you for your outstanding analytical health articles, and for the openness of the Substack community — including the fact that you read and respond to comments. That’s media at its best, and not shaped by the big-pharma, advertising-driven model.

I’ll switch to an annual subscription, although part of me thinks I should stay monthly — Maryanne needs that $300 a year!

That aside, I wanted to respond to your reference to ID collection in Australia. The darker extension of the under-16 social media ban is gradually emerging. Many of us remember the extent of data access telecom companies must provide to designated authorities in Australia — including many people who are contracted and not public servants. In practice, this can mean access to phone and location data extends well beyond what most voters assume.

Requiring social media platforms to store ID data risks eroding anonymity when people share opinions. With the speed and scale of AI analysis now, profiling could quickly become widespread — not only in someone’s country of origin, but also wherever the data is stored. International law in this area is still very hazy.

So, sadly, I can see why some people won’t want their honest opinions on Substack to be potentially accessible to authorities, agencies, or others. And I suspect many will become more constrained in what they feel comfortable saying.

The Bondi tragedy — and our government’s reaction — is also concerning from a free speech perspective. Most voters have little idea of the depth of profiling that can occur.

Although this isn’t a health topic (except for the mental health and psychological impacts), an analytical piece on who can see our profiles in detail, and under what circumstances, would be a fascinating read.

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Maryanne Demasi, PhD's avatar

Indeed, I think most of our movements are now under surveillance, often without us even realising it. Every time I travel overseas, I’m reminded how passports, photographs, fingerprints, visas — and now even a newly proposed rule to monitor social media posts for those entering the US — represent an unwelcome intrusion into our privacy.

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Henry Engelking's avatar

Maryanne, I enjoy your Substack content and writing style, particularly the interviews with Retsef. If the ID requirements come to Canada I am out. Maybe send an email with a copy of the Substack article and a direct deposit bank number. I typically have between 7 and 15 paid Substacks because I do appreciate the work that goes into the articles. I don't think any of my Substack subscriptions are more than $10 USD per month with a nearly equivalent annual amount. $25 per month is a hefty premium, the annual subscription of $75 per year is very reasonable, maybe too low. The difference between the monthly and annual seems odd, $300 per year (12 x 25) versus $75 per year.

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Maryanne Demasi, PhD's avatar

Yes, the high monthly fee is designed to encourage yearly subscriptions — and to deter other writers from using a one-month subscription to take my research and sources for their own work. It's much more economical for readers to subscribe for the year.

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krishna e bera's avatar

You can also use steganography to embed watermarks (variations in text, formatting, graphics, etc such as intelligence agencies use) in your articles to catch the creepy cretins. However from your description of them it sounds like they arent even trying to hide.

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Maryanne Demasi, PhD's avatar

Yes, some are brazen. I’ve blocked a few; others I’ve given polite warnings. Often it’s simple laziness, or a lack of understanding of how to properly attribute original work.

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