Switch at Birth — But How? By Longreads Feature Two women gave birth on the same day in a place called Come By Chance. Half a century later, their children made a shocking discovery.
When Refugee Families are Separated, Women Carry the Burden By Longreads Feature The story of a Somali family uprooted by war and separated by America’s broken refugee resettlement system — and the siblings who brought them back together.
What Happened to Cruise Ship Workers Once the Passengers Were Gone? By Cheri Lucas Rowlands Highlight At the start of the COVID-19 outbreak, cruise companies “went to great lengths to repatriate vacationers.” But for crew members, it was a different story.
The Case of the Disappearing Bucatini By Cheri Lucas Rowlands Highlight Having trouble finding bucatini? You are not alone.
The Racist Healthcare System that Failed JaMarcus Crews By Krista Stevens Highlight “Donated kidneys are a precious, limited resource, and once again, Black Americans are at a disadvantage.”
Longreads Best of 2020: Investigative Reporting By Cheri Lucas Rowlands Feature Our top picks for investigative journalism this year.
A Box of Meat and $100 For Your Life By Krista Stevens Highlight “Workers who worked Monday through Saturday without missing a day were given a bonus of $50, later raised to $100, which was accompanied by a box of meat valued at $200 to $300.”
Motherhood on the Line By Alice Driver Feature Three asylum seekers navigate coronavirus and climate change at the U.S.-Mexico border.
The Secret Group Trying to Topple North Korea’s Regime By Seyward Darby Highlight Has the U.S. government already betrayed the activists seeking regime change in North Korea?
Inside the Chaos of Immigration Court By Gabriel Thompson Feature Gabriel Thompson takes us into San Francisco Immigration Court and the labyrinthine system that asylum seekers—and attorneys and judges—are up against.
She Said Her Husband Hit Her. She Lost Custody of Their Kids By Kathryn Joyce Feature How reporting domestic violence works against women in family court.
Chasing Spies From the Couch By Carolyn Wells Highlight Discover a website that solves crimes without its members ever leaving home.
The Strange and Dangerous World of America’s Big Cat People By Rachel Nuwer Feature A headline-grabbing murder-for-hire plot helped expose the dark side of exotic animal ownership in the U.S. Is there now enough momentum to reform the industry?
On Course for Certain Disaster By Krista Stevens Highlight “Ten Navy sailors were killed and scores more were injured. It was the Navy’s worst accident at sea in 40 years.” And it was all avoidable.
Longreads Best of 2019: Investigative Reporting By Longreads Reading List We asked writers and editors to choose some of their favorite stories of the year in various categories. Here is the best in investigative reporting.
Anyone’s Son By Wudan Yan Feature Cody Dalton Eyre, a 20-year-old Alaskan Native, was having a mental health crisis on Christmas Eve, 2017 when his mother called 911 for help. So why did police officers end up shooting and killing him?
The Alabama “Corrections” System: An American Horror Story By Krista Stevens Highlight “When you lay down to go to sleep, you better be prayed up, because there’s no guarantee you’re waking up.”
The Boeing 737 MAX: “Fatally Flawed” By Krista Stevens Highlight Boeing’s failings with the 737 MAX reveal a dangerous deviation from its engineering-first culture that used to put the safety of the flying public before profit.
Reporter Uncovers Airbnb Scam. Airbnb Shrugs, Pockets Money By Krista Stevens Highlight Oh by the way, Airbnb makes money on cancellations, too.
The Misidentification of Raheme Malik Perry By Krista Stevens Highlight When a hospice takes a man off life support in a case of mistaken identity, who is responsible?
Alaska’s Law Enforcement Crisis By Krista Stevens Highlight When troopers finally do arrive, violent offenders just hide until they leave.
Fire Sale: Finance and Fascism in the Amazon Rainforest By Will Meyer Commentary From global capital to YouTube, carbon credits to indigenous land defenders in their own words, Will Meyer has compiled a reading list on who lit the match and how the fire might be stopped.
Bundyville: The Remnant, Chapter Five: The Remnant By Leah Sottile Feature The Kingdom of Heaven, borne out of blood
Bundyville: The Remnant, Chapter Four: The Preacher and the Politician By Leah Sottile Feature If America collapses, some see that as an opportunity to reboot society. They say they have God on their side.
Bundyville: The Remnant, Chapter Two: The Hunter and the Bomb By Leah Sottile Feature The story was that a radical man set off a bomb in the desert. But what about everything else that happened?
Bundyville: The Remnant, Chapter One: A Quiet Man By Leah Sottile Feature When a bomb exploded in a tiny desert town, there was no doubt who did it. But no one could understand why.
A Manson Murder Investigation 20 Years In the Making: ‘There Are Still Secrets’ By Zan Romanoff Feature ‘Everything that Manson did with his women was exactly what the CIA was trying to do with people without their knowledge, in the exact same time, at the exact same place.’
The Fertility Doctor’s Secret Children By Krista Stevens Highlight Donald Cline justified his deception with choice bible verses, so that makes everything okay.
At Glen Mills Schools, the Beatings Will Continue Until Morale Improves By Michelle Weber Highlight “Nathan quickly learned that counselors preferred to bash boys’ heads into the door of the refrigerator at the back of Lincoln Hall, hearing the distinct thud and his classmates’ screams from the next room over.”
‘The Most Versatile Criminal In History’ By Jonny Auping Feature Journalist Evan Ratliff has uncovered the shocking reach of Paul Le Roux’s criminal enterprise — a global network of pawns, most of whom were unaware of the full extent of the empire.