Is long-form journalism dead? That’s a question our leadership team has asked frequently as we have debated if we should add this type of content to MND. The media landscape is a tough one these days. On one hand, you have content responding to people’s decreased attention spans. Many news articles are getting increasingly shorter, with summary bullet points to aid those not willing to read the entire article.
On the other hand, there are forms of longer form content that are thriving. The Atlantic magazine is a great example, and The New York Times and Wall Street Journal both often have longer-form, deep-dive articles that make for a fascinating read. Many long-form podcasts also are doing well. So what makes long-form content successful in a world increasingly built for speed? The answer: content that doesn’t just add words, but also depth, perspective, and a compelling experience.
People clearly have shorter attention spans than ever, but the right content can still command one’s attention for a long time. What to do? Understanding that each day a reader’s content attention span might be different, the team at MND is focused on developing the following:
Option 1: If you want to read only the headlines, you can get that from our daily newsletter.
Option 2: If you want a clear, concise news story, you get that in our regular content in our daily articles. Our editorial team works hard to have the best “readability” of each article, with subtitles and check-in points to make each article easier to understand more quickly.
Option 3 (NEW): We are just starting to publish longer-form, deep-dive journalism articles.
Why do we want to do this? I’m sure most of you would agree that long-form journalism can be deeply rewarding, informative and enlightening. Think about how much more information and context you get out of a long-form podcast, or a 20-minute video on a topic versus a very quick summary. Not only do you learn more, but through a deeper dive into a topic and increased understanding on an issue, I would contend that you can improve your empathy, emotional intelligence and critical thinking skills. Finally, reading a longer-form article can help rebuild focus and concentration — important skills which I’m sure you would agree are under a contant threat due to social media.
The MND team has worked hard to improve our shorter form local, regional, and national content, but it’s become clear that some topics just need more depth to fully understand and appreciate them.
Take the Mexico City subway for example. The metro is an absolutely fascinating microcosm of Mexico City and the country as a whole. You can better understand the history, culture, food, commerce, and the people by spending time underground. MND chief staff writer Peter Davies, who has visited every one of Mexico City’s 163 subway stations, spent many hours on the lines talking to people to give him the depth and perspective to write about the metro system. Here’s the first installment of his three-part series:
Another topic that requires a deeper dive is the aspect of Mexico culture regarding street protests — especially by school teachers. To help understand the reasons behind the protests, an MND reporter actually went into the protests, spending time in the CDMX Zócalo talking to the protestors to understand their motivations and logic behind the demonstrations. Whether you support the protestors or not, they ultimately end up impacting us through their actions. See that article here:
Street protests in the capital: A timeless feature of life in Mexico
Most of us know that a large asteroid hit the earth and ended the dinosaur age. But did you know that the asteroid hit in what is present day Mexico? And did you know that up until recently, most people didn’t even know that it had hit in Mexico? MND writer Bob Pateman dug deep into the history and research to bring you the fascinating story.
Mexico has had a number of wars throughout its history. Did you know that Mexico once fought Texas and the Yucatan? Pateman once again brings us the intriguing tale.
And at one point in 1847, the U.S. military made it all the way into Mexico City. A group of “Heroic Boy” soldiers wrapped themselves in the Mexican flag rather than surrounder to the Americans. It’s a story that has inspired countless statues across the country — but is it true? MND did a deep dive to learn more.
The idea of migration and reverse migration issue is a complex one. What are the motivations? What is inspiring (or forcing) some Mexicans living in the U.S. and Mexican Americans to move to Mexico? Rocio Lucero brings us their stories in the “My American Dream is in Mexico” series. Here is the latest one:
We have a lot more coming soon. For example, beyond the headlines, what should we make of the current issues facing CIBanco and Intercam? How will it affect account holders? How should we analyze and understand what is going on? Stay tuned for more on this rapidly evolving story soon.
Another example of deep dive content coming soon is regarding salaries in Mexico. Many expats have little knowledge or understanding of the pay that Mexicans receive in most professions. We will look at examples in the lower, middle, and upper classes to help you understand the economic realities — both the challenges and the opportunities — that different people across the country face.
Every day the amount of time each of us can dedidicate to news reading is different. We get that. That’s why the team at MND is working to bring you different options based on the time and the level of interest you have. Please share your feedback with us on how you think we are doing on striking this balance.
Thank you for reading MND. Our team is working hard to get better each and every day!
Travis Bembenek is the CEO of Mexico News Daily and has been living, working or playing in Mexico for nearly 30 years.
