Really Deep Depth Does anyone want that much information?

A typical “issue” story …

Slightly enhanced … 455 words total Links to a story from a reputable newspaperstory Also links directly to the study cited in that other story (good)study Is this “in depth”?

A big “issue story”

“Class Matters”: NY Times “A team of reporters spent more than a year exploring ways that class -- defined as a combination of income, education, wealth and occupation -- influences destiny in a society that likes to think of itself as a land of unbounded opportunity.”

“Class Matters”: NY Times Winner, top award for Outstanding Use of Multiple Media (Large Sites), from the Online News Association, 2005

An issue explored in depth

“What Is Torture?”: Slate Winner, top award for Enterprise Journalism (Large Sites), from the Online News Association, 2005

Consumer guides (1)

“Borrower Beware”: AJC Finalist for Service Journalism (Large Sites), from the Online News Association, 2005

Consumer guides (2)

“Unsafe Haven”: Winston- Salem (N.C.) Journal Winner, top award for Service Journalism (Large Sites), from the Online News Association, 2005

Discussion When do users want great depth in stories or packages? Can journalists make people want to be well informed? Is it part of the mission of journalism to encourage people to be well informed about the world?

Discussion If people do not have a reasonable understanding of the world they live in, is that okay? Or, in other words, are there any consequences to a lack of understanding about the world?

Further discussion