While I respect and support your latest decisions, I take issue with the requirement to outright remove one's honestly submitted work to a competing publication. Encouraging story removals is akin to encouraging people to break contracts whenever they see fit. Truth be told, most writers aren't aware of other publications' issues. Many excellent writers submit to them.

As an editor, I understand the issues. I actually run a plagiarism check before even considering a story. It's a shame any editor has to waste this kind of time. Wearing the editing hat can be a long, daunting, and thankless job. I applaud anyone who does it well.

However, punishing writers for unknowingly being part of a publication doesn't best serve the readers. Before the digital age, there was no way to "pull" one's work. Once it was printed, that was it. It's also against Medium's rules to remove a story and republish it.

You can say I'm exactly NOT the type of writer you'd want, but that means you have no problem with someone breaking - albeit unsigned - agreements with others, as well as violating Medium's rules. Pulling stories should be a last resort for any writer.