When ‘Long-Form’ Is Bad Form
When we fetishize “long-form,” we are fetishizing the form and losing sight of its function.
.. The trouble starts when the subject becomes secondary, and the writer becomes not just observer but participant, the hero of his story.
.. What, then, is the function — the purpose — of “long-form”? To allow a writer to delve into the true complexities of a story, and also to bring readers closer to the experience of other people. Whether a long-form story is published in a magazine or on the web, its goal should be to understand and illuminate its subject, and maybe even use that subject to (subtly) explore some larger, more universal truths. Above all, that requires empathy, the real hallmark of great immersive journalism.