diff --git a/app/services/content_formatter_service.rb b/app/services/content_formatter_service.rb
index 32a79399..5c20cd97 100644
--- a/app/services/content_formatter_service.rb
+++ b/app/services/content_formatter_service.rb
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ class ContentFormatterService < Service
   def self.show(text:, viewing_user: User.new)
     # We want to evaluate markdown first, because the markdown engine also happens
     # to strip out HTML tags. So: markdown, _then_ insert content links.
-    formatted_text = markdown.render(text).html_safe
+    formatted_text = markdown.render(text || '').html_safe
     substitute_content_links(formatted_text, viewing_user).html_safe
   end
 
diff --git a/app/views/content/list/_cards.html.erb b/app/views/content/list/_cards.html.erb
index f63962b4..e419e584 100644
--- a/app/views/content/list/_cards.html.erb
+++ b/app/views/content/list/_cards.html.erb
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@
             <% if content.is_a?(Document) %>
               <%= content.reading_estimate %>
             <% else %>
-              <%= content.description %>
+              <%= ContentFormatterService.show(text: content.description, viewing_user: current_user) %>
             <% end %>
           </p>
         </div>
@@ -71,19 +71,22 @@
     </div>
   <% end %>
 
-  <div class="col s12 m4 l4">
-    <%= link_to new_polymorphic_path(content_type), class: 'white-text' do %>
-      <div class="card <%= content_type.color %> lighten-1" style="height: 440px;">
-        <div class="card-content fixed-card-content centered-card-content">
-          <strong class="card-title">
-            New<br />
-            <%= content_type.name %>
-          </strong>
-          <p>
-            <i class="material-icons large">add</i>
-          </p>
+  <% if current_user.can_create?(content_type) %>
+    <div class="col s12 m4 l4">
+      <%# TODO: We really need to fix up the new document path so we don't have weird overrides like this %>
+      <%= link_to content_type == Document ? edit_document_path(:new) : new_polymorphic_path(content_type), class: 'white-text' do %>
+        <div class="card <%= content_type.color %> lighten-1" style="height: 440px;">
+          <div class="card-content fixed-card-content centered-card-content">
+            <strong class="card-title">
+              New<br />
+              <%= content_type.name %>
+            </strong>
+            <p>
+              <i class="material-icons large">add</i>
+            </p>
+          </div>
         </div>
-      </div>
-    <% end %>
-  </div>
+      <% end %>
+    </div>
+  <% end %>
 </div>