The best longform journalism we consumed this week

Welcome to The Long Story, the weekly newsletter where we curate the best longform journalism on the internet. If you want this newsletter landing in your inbox every Friday, click on this handy little button:

Let’s jump into it…

The Opinion That Ate the Paper

In 2020, NYT opinion editor James Bennet was forced out because of his role in publishing a terrible opinion column from Senator Tom Cotton. Many at the paper assumed the company would then downsize its opinion section under the justification that it generates more headaches than actual value. Instead, Bennet's successor has expanded both the size and scope of NYT Opinion, operating it almost as a separate newsroom that publishes longform reporting and even breaks news. Some (anonymous) veterans wonder if it's eroding the NYT’s reporting standards by allowing sources to bypass the newsroom in search of more favorable coverage. [New York]

‘It’s Like a War Zone’: What Happened When Portland Decriminalized Fentanyl

In late 2020, Portland embarked on a radical experiment by legalizing most hard drug use and redirecting funds toward prevention and treatment. The policy was an unmitigated disaster, with downtown Portland becoming a magnet for drug tourism, which then drove away customers from local businesses. Now, the city is trying to crack down on drug use while simultaneously displaying compassion for those suffering from addiction. [Rolling Stone]

The Unraveling of the King of Davos

Over the span of 50+ years, the World Economic Forum turned its annual Davos conference into the epicenter of geopolitical and corporate deal-making. Its founder Klaus Schwab managed to befriend the world's most powerful leaders while running the organization, but that still didn't shield him from the accusations of fiscal impropriety that recently dethroned him. [WSJ]

Mouth Tape, Beauty Salt and Meat Bowls: Inside the Skinny Confidential’s Wellness Empire

One of the reasons the Creator Economy is becoming so huge is because so many creators aren't tied to traditional media business models. The Skinny Confidential, for instance, started as a beauty blog then expanded into podcasting, and now it generates tens of millions of dollars a year selling products like mouth tape and pink facial ice rollers. [WSJ]

Is Mubi Really Worth $1 Billion? Inside Efe Cakarel’s Plan to Make the Global Streamer Cooler Than A24

Mubi started out merely as a streaming app that licensed obscure indie films and catered to cinephiles, but it's now financing its own films and recently reached a $1 billion valuation. It's basically testing out whether the Netflix model of mixing licensed IP with original content can succeed with indie, low budget films. [Variety]

Is the Next Great American Novel Being Published on Substack?

Substack is becoming an alternative platform for publishing both short and serialized fiction, with even some big name authors setting up camp there. They view it as a great way to form a direct connection with their fandom, especially since they can splice in nonfiction essays and promotional announcements. Some of this fiction goes on to be reprinted in traditional book form. [New Yorker]

Cartoon Network’s Last Gasp

Cartoon Network used to be a mecca for aspiring animators and a reliable profit driver within the company now known as Warner Bro Discovery, but CEO David Zaslav gutted the division, seemingly giving up any chance at attracting younger viewers into the Max streaming app. It's a bizarre move considering animated content remains enormously popular with consumers. [Bloomberg]

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The Tom Cruise Reclamation Project: The Untold Story

There was a time in the mid 2000s when Tom Cruise's personal brand became incredibly toxic due to a series of bizarre media appearances, most notably his infamous jump on Oprah's couch. Now, he's a bona fide movie star again, and that's thanks to a decades-long PR campaign that involved limited interactions with the press and a deemphasis of his Scientology involvement. The box office success of Maverick cemented his comeback. [Puck]

A Decade-Long Search for a Battery That Can End the Gasoline Era

Several startups are racing to develop solid state batteries, which, if successfully implemented, would make electric vehicles so efficient that they could easily outcompete internal combustion engine cars in both price and functionality. While no one has figured out yet how to keep these batteries stable while traveling at high speeds, many in the industry are hopeful that their introduction will trigger a great leap forward in reducing carbon emissions. [NYT]

Did Nature Write This Song? Ecuador Deliberates Pivotal Case.

Ecuador has some of the most ecologically diverse forests in the world, and in 2021 its courts delivered a landmark ruling that non-human nature ecosystems can have their own inalienable rights. Now, a group of scientists are testing the limits of that ruling by trying to ascribe copyright protects to the sounds emitted from those forests. The outcome could upend our notion as to whether “creativity that’s worthy of recognition is solely in the domain of the human.” [Atmos]

Liberal Oregon and Washington Vowed to Pioneer Green Energy. Almost Every Other State Is Beating Them.

As blue states, Oregon and Washington hoped to be on the forefront of the green energy transition, but they've fallen behind nearly every other state in the US in adding new solar and wind capacity. The problem is almost entirely due to a federally-run utility agency that's failed to upgrade its electrical grid so that new energy sources can hook up to it. Some energy providers have waited upwards of 16 years just to get approved. [ProPublica]

Silicon Valley Is Coming for the Pentagon’s $1 Trillion Budget

For decades, a handful of firms have won the majority of US defense contracts, but a rising number of tech startups are trying to prove they can provide more innovative solutions. The Pentagon is trying to simplify its procurement requirements to make way for these entrants, and even the biggest defense contractors are partnering with them on projects. [Bloomberg]

How student finance clubs seized control of the path to Wall Street

It's notoriously difficult to get an entry level position at a top Wall Street firm, and even graduating from an Ivy League university with good grades is not enough. These firms increasingly rely on exclusive finance clubs that recruit members during their freshman years, long before they begin ramping up to enter the job market. Many students start prepping to apply for the clubs as early as high school. [Business Insider]

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