Longform

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Dying Political Ad Pioneer Has Some Parting Advice

Hal Malchow, who has set Thursday for his death, thinks modern ad campaigns are outdated

(Newser) - A profile of longtime political consultant Hal Machow in Politico Magazine is notable on two fronts. First, Malchow has written a book in which he advocates for a fundamental change in political advertising. But it's the second reason that may cause double-takes: Malchow, who is in his early 70s,...

When Influencers' Kids Grow Up, a Harsh Reality
When Influencers' Kids
Grow Up, a Harsh Reality
longform

When Influencers' Kids Grow Up, a Harsh Reality

Most are not entitled to any of the money they made for their parents

(Newser) - The phenomenon of "influencer parents" has been around long enough now that many of the once-young children featured in their videos and social media posts have grown into adults. And as Cosmopolitan explains, they are encountering a harsh truth upon turning 18: They're not entitled to a single...

Complaint Against Utah Pediatric Surgeons: They 'Overoperate' on Kids

Complaint is filed over surgeries for cleft lips and palates that differ from the national norm

(Newser) - "We have a bone grafting problem here in Utah." The quote is from an orthodontist in a ProPublica investigation into the treatment of cleft lips and palates in the state, which has a higher-than-usual number of such cases. The orthodontist is among critics who say that doctors at...

The Mansion Was Vacant, So Who Was Throwing the Parties?

'Curbed' unpacks the movie-like controversy that took place on a ritzy, Beverly Hills cul de sac

(Newser) - The realtor first knew something was hinky about the vacant mansion he had listed for $5 million near Beverly Hills when the pool guy called. It seems someone had pulled up in a U-Haul and moved in, and the pool guy wondered if he'd be kept on. Which was...

Big Player in American Pot: Chinese Mafias
Big Player in American Pot:
Chinese Mafias
longform

Big Player in American Pot: Chinese Mafias

ProPublica investigation looks at how they have begun dominating the illegal market

(Newser) - Even as legal marijuana becomes more common, the market for illegal pot thrives across the US. And as an investigation by ProPublica and the Frontier makes clear, that market is increasingly dominated by organized crime outfits from China. "The mobsters operate in a loose but disciplined confederation overseen from...

Toronto Is Running Out of Burial Space
Toronto Is Running Out
of Burial Space
longform

Toronto Is Running Out of Burial Space

The Local looks at the complex dynamics at play in the bereavement industry

(Newser) - Residents of Toronto who aim to be buried in their city better be planning ahead. Because as Inori Roy reports in the Local , the city is quickly running out of burial space. Advocates have been raising the alarm for years, and the issue is coming to a head. The city...

One Small Mistake During a 3-Point Turn Led to Her Death
She Didn't
Survive the
4-Minute
Drive Home
longform

She Didn't Survive the 4-Minute Drive Home

'Wall Street Journal' takes an extensive look at the final moments of Angela Chao's life

(Newser) - Not much information was released about the February death of Angela Chao , a shipping executive with ties to China (and Mitch McConnell's sister-in-law ), beyond the fact that she died in a car accident. Now, the Wall Street Journal takes an extensive look at her final moments, as well...

The New Luxury Perk in Fancy Homes: Clean Air
The Rich Breathe Better
Air Than Most—Literally
longform

The Rich Breathe Better Air Than Most—Literally

Souped up filtration is becoming the norm for those who can afford it, reports 'New Republic'

(Newser) - It's a general truth that air pollution from factories and highways affects the poor more than the rich because of where people are able to live. But wildfire smoke? You might think, as one journalist put it, that it's more "egalitarian" because it affects everyone. Not so...

Growing Killer of Infants in US: Syphilis
Syphilis
Is Killing
More Infants
in the US
longform

Syphilis Is Killing More Infants in the US

ProPublica reports how a drug shortage is making the 'entirely preventable' problem worse

(Newser) - Syphilis cases have been surging in the US over the last several years, and ProPublica zeroes in on the most vulnerable cohort of patients—infants. The crux of the story is how a drug shortage is costing lives:
  • The impact: The disease is easily spread from a pregnant woman to
...

'No Turning Back': The Tragic Story of Rebecca Vance

She perished in the Colorado wilderness with her teen son and her sister

(Newser) - There are more questions than answers when it comes to the story of Rebecca Vance, the Colorado mom who took her sister, Christine Vance, and 13-year-old son, Talon, into the Colorado wilderness to live off-grid— only to perish . She had been transfixed by conspiracy theories, fearing plots designed to "...

'At What Point Does Hawaii Not Become Hawaii Anymore?'

NPR investigates tech billionaire Marc Benioff's sizable land purchases in small town

(Newser) - In the three-stoplight, agricultural town of Waimea on Hawaii's Big Island, more than 600 acres of land have been scooped up by billionaire Marc Benioff. And while tech tycoons buying vast tracts in Hawaii isn't a new story (or if it is to you, please meet Mark Zuckerberg'...

Warthog He'd Raised From Birth Turned Murderous
Warthog He'd Raised From
Birth Turned Murderous
longform

Warthog He'd Raised From Birth Turned Murderous

Austin Riley tells his story to 'Texas Monthly'

(Newser) - Austin Riley has spent years on his family's ranch in the Texas Hill Country, caring for and spending time with the animals. In 2017, when a warthog piglet's mother died in childbirth, Riley immediately took over, bottle-feeding the newborn and letting it sleep inside the family home until...

One of Disney's Most Lucrative Characters: the 'Disney Adult'
A Look at What Makes
'Disney Adults' Tick
longform

A Look at What Makes 'Disney Adults' Tick

'New Statesman' notes many are unwitting creations of the company itself

(Newser) - If you want to start a surefire online debate, mention the idea of "Disney adults." You know, those who regularly visit the parks sans children or remain superfans of the movies, merchandise, and characters well past childhood. Critics will say they need to grow up and get a...

Are Customer Service Reps a Doomed Breed?
Are Customer
Service Reps
a Doomed
Breed?

longform

Are Customer Service Reps a Doomed Breed?

'Economist' explores how artificial intelligence is threatening the job

(Newser) - A few simple clicks online, no human needed on the other end. That was how Sophie Elmhirst's experience of buying contact lenses online was supposed to go. Instead, as she explains in the Economist , she made a mess of things with no fewer than four failed attempts. At that...

Lights, Action, Tears
Lights,
Action,
Tears
longform

Lights, Action, Tears

Rachael Handler at 'Vulture' investigates how actors manage to cry on cue

(Newser) - They're called tear sticks. In a pinch, an actor called upon to cry for a scene might grab one of these menthol wax sticks, apply it to their eyes, and voila, instant tears. Some acting purists frown upon them, while others view them as a perfectly acceptable tool of...

A Father's 26-Year Fight to Prove His Innocence
Father Fought for 26 Years
to Prove His Innocence
longform

Father Fought for 26 Years to Prove His Innocence

'Esquire' looks into the death of 3-year-old Christina McNeil in 1998

(Newser) - On the morning of June 16, 1998, 3-year-old Christina McNeil was found dead in her bed in Bloomington, Illinois. Today, her now 65-year-old father, Barton McNeil, is serving a life sentence after being convicted of her murder. Beyond those two facts, the story of Christina's death is anything but...

Trump Jr. Has a Glossy Side Hustle
Trump Jr.
Has a Glossy
Side Hustle
LONGFORM

Trump Jr. Has a Glossy Side Hustle

'Field Ethos' is a magazine dedicated to outdoor living, but with a decidedly 'anti-woke' slant

(Newser) - Field Ethos bills itself as the "premier lifestyle publication for the unapologetic man," and there are few men less apologetic than its founder, Donald Trump Jr. Writing for Politico , Rosie Gray takes a deep dive into the hunting and outdoors magazine launched in 2021 by former President...

'Mini Constitution of the Internet' May Be Crumbling

The Verge explores the surprisingly vital robots.txt file

(Newser) - Unless you're a technophile, you may never have heard of something called robots.txt. As David Pierce explains at the Verge , this simple plain-text file has for the last 30 years performed a not-so-simple mission: It has "kept the internet from chaos." He describes it as a...

'Danger and Desperation' Grow on This Arizona Ranch

The 'NYT' looks at how the border crisis is impacting Jim Chilton's Arizona cattle ranch

(Newser) - "Nobody should be out here," says Jim Chilton, 84, after spying a campfire in the distance on his remote Arivaca, Arizona, ranch. His cattle-grazing land is three times bigger than Manhattan, and 5.5 miles of his property run along the US-Mexico border. As Eli Saslow writes in...

When Planes Crash, We Don't Place Blame. Here's Why

How the 'blameless postmortem' has made air travel safer in the US

(Newser) - Robin Lee Wascher was working as an air traffic controller at LAX in February 1991 when she made a simple mistake—one anyone could have made—and USAir flight 1493 collided with a commuter plane on the runway when it landed, killing all 12 people on the smaller plane and...

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