Anthony,

I totally get what you are saying. I too follow people I enjoy (like you, like Roz, like many others), but I also like to be surprised by new people and things. This is where a good EDITED pub like PS comes in. I can browse their stories and always find something interesting, and that way find new people to follow.

I guess what has me really cheesed off is everyone's refusal to pay good editorial staff and for even a little gatekeeping.

I don't really use the tags because I know nothing here is fact-checked. I peruse some articles about health or tech info, but only for ideas about things I need to research more carefully at other sources.

Of course Medium can do whatever they want. Maybe what I should write instead is a love letter to good editors and proofreaders, very few of whom can even make any side hustle money anymore because their skills are clearly not valued.

Thank you for the thoughtful response!