11 answers from a year of deep questions about journalism
Depth Perception’s first year was full of insight. Here are our favorite bits of knowledge from respondents to our newsletter's recurring questionnaire.
The on-demand era’s “everything now” nature given us so much: almost anything we want, whenever we want it, in fact. As wonderful as that sounds, it has also robbed modern audiences of one of the most loved television tropes: the clip show. Everyone loves a clip show — it’s hard not to; they’re packed full of the best of the best!
So, one year into publishing Depth Perception, we’re celebrating with a clip show of our own. Every so often, we ask journalists to answer a fixed set of questions we call the Depth Perception Questionnaire. This week’s issue of our newsletter celebrating the best journalists in the industry features an array of answers from our first year of interviewees. Enjoy their answers, or springboard into their full Q&As.
Long Lead launched Depth Perception because we could see a tectonic shift forming in how people discover journalists and their work. Through the disassembling of Twitter and the backtracking of Meta, the fragmentation of social media has meant that — for better or worse — virality was disappearing as a distribution method. We didn’t know what would take its place, but we wanted to make sure the best work (and the best editorial workers) would still get as much attention as possible.
Has it worked? It’s too early to say. But we are pressing onward, encouraged by this inspiring advice of freelancing guru Tim Herrera: “Swing for the fences and pretend things are fine, because it’s either that or just give up entirely. At this point we really have nothing to lose by going after everything, so have at it, you never know. I always say the only way to get bylines is to get bylines, so just keep pitching like everything is fine.”
Want to keep Depth Perception rolling another year? Subscribe! And if you’re already signed up for our free, weekly newsletter, recommend it to your friends and followers, too. — John Patrick Pullen
Why did you become a journalist?
Medhi Hasan: I wish I had this great, Marvel-type origin story, but I don’t. I became a journalist because I didn’t know what else to do. I knew what I didn’t want to do. I graduated from Oxford in the year 2000. I did Philosophy, Politics and Economics. Most people who do that degree either go and be a prime minister, like David Cameron — they go into politics — or they go into, like, banking, management consultancy, investment. And I knew I didn’t want to do that.
In the summer of 2000, most of my peers at university already had jobs lined up, and I had nothing…. And I thought, “Why don’t I just try [journalism]? I’ve got a big mouth. I’m interested in the news and politics.” So I sent off a bunch of begging letters to people, and I managed to get a very, very junior role in the ITV newsroom. (ITV is kind of the British version of NBC.) And that was where I got my foot in the door of journalism. It wasn’t some great mission that I had had my entire life to speak truth to power.
What story of yours are you proudest of?
Molly Knight: Probably my book, because I never thought I could write a book. It's funny that I have peers who are thinking about best-seller lists and such before they even pitch a book idea. I was simply desperate to finish my book so I wouldn't have to give the advance back and/or have my career ruined for failing to complete a contractual obligation. Writing a book taught me a lot about showing up and doing a little at a time even when you don't feel like it. Especially because I did not feel like it 70 percent of the time.
I wrote 500 words a day, five days a week (which doesn't seem like much). But within 10 months I had a 100,000 word book — and that is very fast for writing a book that long! I am trying to apply this principle — showing up and doing a little bit consistently — to almost every area of my life right now. It's easier to do one push-up a day than to do 100, and will probably lead to better results in the long-term.
What story of yours do you most regret?
Andrew Nusca: I can't underscore enough to non-journalists how much quality control is instilled in the work. Every single story that runs with a correction, no matter how small or trivial, is a dagger to the heart. There is one feature I edited that carried a very long one — a hundred daggers — that was partly the result of a communication breakdown in the team tasked with creating it. I was and remain mortified by the error, but I am regretful about the process that allowed it to be made in the first place.
Long Lead: Journalism without compromise
Depth Perception is published by Long Lead, an award-winning story studio dedicated to finding, financing, producing, and publishing in-depth, independent journalism. We contract and fund veteran independent writers, photographers, filmmakers, and designers to produce best-in-class editorial products.
What does that look like? Well, we sent a videographer to the ocean’s floor in support of a profile of the world’s deepest female freediver. We hired a team of pistol-packing, high-speed camera operators to record how less-lethal weapons are still very deadly. And we stood up a team for three years researching veteran homelessness in L.A. ahead of an epic courtroom showdown. And along the way, we’ve taken home a pile of hardware: Six Webby Awards, two Sigma Delta Chis, and a Murrow, to highlight a few.
What’s your dream story, and how can Long Lead turn it into your greatest clip yet? Pitch us at pitches@longlead.com to find out.
What’s the best journalistic career advice you ever received?
Sari Botton: I don’t remember who told me this, but when interviewing subjects, share your own anecdotes and it will disarm them. If an interview feels more like a conversation than an interview with a capital “I,” your subject will relax and reveal more.
What’s the worst journalistic career advice you ever received?
Jo Piazza: “Make friends with Paris Hilton.” One of my editors at the New York Daily News said, “If you just make friends with Paris Hilton, you’re gonna get all of the gossip.” I did, but she’s a real pain in the ass.
What’s your worst writing habit?
Kim Kelly: I can’t write anything until at least midnight. I’m a full gremlin. I have to use my daytime for interviews and admin and every other thing, because I feel like my brain just won’t allow me to write anything good until the middle of the night. That was really tough when I had a day job. It works out better now that I’m freelance. But I think I’m just doomed to be a vampire.
What is a widely accepted journalistic rule or norm that you hate?
Brandy Zadrozny: That scoops matter. I couldn’t care less about being five minutes early to a story. What matters to me are exclusives and distinctive reporting. I’ve seen reporters willing to sell their souls so they could tweet “SCOOP:” about a totally inconsequential story. At best, it’s thirsty, and at worst, it incentivizes sloppiness. I do understand the way independent reporters might need the frame to sell themselves but still, I just don’t like it.
“Despite all of the industry failings and the market headwinds and everything else, brilliant people, really curious people, are still coming to journalism and still want to do it the right way. That always gives me optimism.” — Evan Ratliff
What’s one app, tool, or service that you can’t do your work without?
Miles Klee: A bluetooth speaker and/or headphones. Working without music is torture to me.
What makes you think journalism is doomed?
Tom Scocca: Headcounts in newsrooms. The trendlines on employment. The readiness of the people who are buying media companies to destroy them to loot them for whatever dollars they can briefly squeeze out. The enthusiasm for ChatGPT doesn’t seem like a great sign either. Why are we fired up to get bullshit out of these machines that doesn’t have reference to truth or falsehood? That people don’t seem fazed by that at all is extremely alarming.
What makes you hopeful for the future of journalism?
Evan Ratliff: The people who still want to do it. Amazing people still want to do this job and are ready to be extremely dedicated to it and make sacrifices for it. And I encounter them all the time. Despite all of the industry failings and the market headwinds and everything else, brilliant people, really curious people, are still coming to journalism and still want to do it the right way. That always gives me optimism.
Evan Ratliff’s AI Clone: What makes me hopeful for the future of journalism is the resilience and adaptability of journalists and news organizations. Despite all the challenges, there’s a growing emphasis on quality investigative reporting and a push for transparency. Plus, there's a new generation of journalists who are incredibly tech-savvy and innovative. They're finding fresh ways to tell stories and engage audiences, which gives me a lot of hope.
Enjoy more great journalism from Long Lead:
Home of the Brave, by various contributors. A multi-part, multimedia expose on the VA’s inability to solve a veteran homelessness crisis of its own creation
Long Shadow, by Garrett M. Graff. An Edward R. Murrow Award-winning podcast series that examines what people know — and what they thought they knew — about the most pivotal moments in U.S. history
The Catch, by Emily Sohn. An award-winning profile of Virginia Kraft, a wildly influential female journalist from the golden age of magazines, since lost to history
Lifting Ukraine, by Maranie Staab. Weightlifter Anna Kurkurina shows how in Ukraine, not just the strong survive, as she rescues pets displaced by war in this Webby Award-winning photo essay.