Congrats, you're a literal child! In turns out in-depth information takes time to properly explain and discuss. If you want a 10 minute summary that teaches you nothing, watch a TEDtalk. If you want to actually learn and understand an issue, read long form journalism.

Long form journalism is not some new trend.

I'm not deeply interested in the water situation in California, so I probably won't read this, but I don't see a problem with someone bothering to do a detailed story on it.

Personally, I was quite interested in it, I spent 10 minutes reading it before I realised how long the article was. Clearly others are interested too, as it's on HN. But who actually read it all the way through? Did you?

I read the whole thing. It was interesting, but not linear, and definitely not dense. But it's The Atlantic, not a daily paper.

It was more of a leisurely interesting-but-not-actionable, flavor-of-the-story, Sunday-paper-with-a-bagel read. I wouldn't even call it long-form journalism. It's just bits of history and human interest tied to a current issue with a sprinkling of character and anecdote. Gratifying, not edifying.

That sort of thing has a place, but generally not what I'm looking for on a Wednesday morning.

Did you know that Central Valley almond crop irrigation consumes water equal to 1/2 of a Los Angeles?

I didn't read it. Like I said, I'm not that interested in the situation (I'm not near the U.S. West coast...).

But I think you are wrong about the length being a matter of ego stroking. There are legitimate reasons to dive into the details, and given that the Atlantic is relatively internet savvy, there are probably people interested in the content.

And why would anybody spend an hour reading? Ugh.

I don't know about you, but here on Planet Earth I only have 24 hours in my day. I'm happy to spend 10-15 mins reading an original article on something I currently know nothing about, but not an hour dedicated to it. FYI, I am a heavy reader, hence why I'd sooner spend my time reading something I enjoy (like a book!).

If you live in California, this issue is incredibly important to you and your children. Every resident should be familiar with it, and this article is a great introduction.