Behind the Headlines

How a doggedly obsessed 71-year-old investigative reporter exposed the FIFA scandal that toppled Sepp Blatter.

Source: Washington Post
Published: Jun 3, 2015
Length: 11 minutes (2,800 words)

Werner Herzog Walks to Paris

In 1974 Werner Herzog walked from Munich to Paris, an act of faith to prevent the death of his friend Lotte Eisner. This is his account of the journey.

Published: Apr 1, 2015
Length: 12 minutes (3,048 words)

Larry Ellison Is Spending a Fortune to Save American Tennis

The Oracle billionaire takes over Indian Wells.

Published: Jun 4, 2015
Length: 10 minutes (2,660 words)

In Europe, Fake Jobs Can Have Real Benefits

Unemployed Europeans can work fake jobs at thousands of fake companies, all of which make up an elaborate training network that effectively operates as a parallel economic universe.

Published: May 29, 2015
Length: 11 minutes (2,790 words)

The Spy Who Billed Me

“Like every other business, clandestine operations have a budget and like every federal agency, that budget is examined by scores of government workers. But how do expenses work if you’re a spy, doing secret work?”

Source: Atlas Obscura
Published: May 28, 2015
Length: 6 minutes (1,690 words)

17 Shots in Pasco

A police shooting of a Mexican field worker in Pasco, Washington leaves a community wondering whether it’s a “‘Ferguson’ moment for Hispanics.”

Source: Seattle Met
Published: May 26, 2015
Length: 20 minutes (5,201 words)

How the Red Cross Raised Half a Billion Dollars for Haiti ­and Built Six Homes

Mismanagement, a lack of expertise, and “a cycle of overhead” leads to a massive failure in Haiti.

Source: ProPublica
Published: Jun 3, 2015
Length: 14 minutes (3,658 words)

What It’s Like To Be a Teenager in the NBA

We often hear about the rise and fall of child stars, but Hollywood isn’t the only industry investing time and money into teenagers. League rules prohibit players from joining the NBA directly after high school, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty of young prospects who enter the high-stakes world of professional basketball at 18 or 19 after a single collegiate season. This is a look at what life is like for them.

Published: Jan 17, 2015
Length: 22 minutes (5,560 words)

Governors Ball’s Gambit

New York’s Governors Ball Music Festival has only been around for five years, but it has already established itself as a formidable player in the festival scene. Can the trio behind its success bring a country music festival to the Big Apple?

Source: Spin
Published: May 21, 2015
Length: 14 minutes (3,550 words)

After Water

Family, politics, rural identity—and water: A new Longreads Exclusive by illustrator-journalist Susie Cagle on the plight of East Porterville, California, and what happens to agriculture when the last drop is gone.

Source: Longreads
Published: Jun 2, 2015
Length: 20 minutes (5,160 words)