One of the big advantages often presented for decentralized media using blockchain technology such as Steemit is the fact that it is resistant to censorship. We are told that Steemit will bring improvements over more traditional media because everything is permanently recorded via the blockchain and cannot be removed.
But what difference does is make if something is permanently recorded somewhere, if nobody will be able to see it?
The economics of Steemit mean that there is a strong disincentive to post anything controversial. People creating posts will be encouraged post things which most people agree with - and to keep uncomfortable truths to themselves. But worse than that, the process of surfacing quality content from the fast flowing 'new' section to places where it will get more views is based on people trying to pick popular content in order to make money from correct picks: this means that even people who agree with a controversial opinion have an incentive to refrain from upvoting it so they don't waste their voting power and hence earning potential on stories which will attract downvotes.
Controversial content may not only attract downvotes, but it may even cause people who strongly disagree to go on a downvoting spree to reduce the visibility and earnings of all an author's content. There is nothing to stop this kind of 'downvote war' breaking out.
As a result, whilst any content may be published, the practical reality of the Steemit platform is that it will have dramatically higher levels of censorship and self-censorship than any other type of media platform.