Podiant has affirmed its political and ethical stance with a new “compassionate liberal” manifesto. While most online businesses are trying to make their products appeal to wider audiences, a small company from Birmingham UK is bucking the trend by shunning right-wing rhetoric from its platform.
UK-based podcasting company Podiant launched its “manifesto” to the public on December 1st, positioning itself as outwardly supporting liberal causes like Black Lives Matter, trans rights, and combatting ingrained bias with compassion and patience.
The manifesto takes the form of a snappy video and a series of unequivocal statements, dotted with relevant quotes from thought leaders and fleshed out in plain English.
The opening statement reads:
We are compassionate liberals, and while our social views might not appear in our work, we won’t pass up an opportunity to defend them. We believe that Black lives matter, that anatomy does not determine gender, and that society only improves when we all contribute to help those who need it.
The company is backing these statements with an email inbox setup specifically to field complaints from listeners who feel that content hosted on the platform violates the company’s principles. Customers found to be in violation of those principles will be asked to find a new home.
Podiant founder Mark Steadman says “As hosting companies, it’s easy for us to hide behind free speech or “safe harbour” arguments when we’re confronted with content that conflicts with our ethics or politics. Saying “we welcome all viewpoints” is fine if you’re not interested in what your customers make or do with your product, but that’s not how I see Podiant’s place.”
This closes out a banner year for the company, in which it donated its ad time to indie podcasters on International Podcast Day, introduced a raft of educational resources, and launched a comedy news podcast to celebrate its commitment to UK podcasting.
Podcasters with a liberal leaning can visit podiant.co/us to read the manifesto, signed by the founder.