6 Nov 2015

Weekly Reading: Best longreads on the web

9:17 am on 6 November 2015

Our weekly recap highlighting the best feature stories from around the internet.

 

No caption

Photo: 123rf.com

Why Grantland mattered to journalism – by Chris Cillizza, The Washington Post

“Grantland, at least as imagined by Simmons, focused zero time on the "what" of journalism … Instead, Simmons focused Grantland on the "so what" and the "now what" of sports, movies, TV and pop culture more broadly. Instead of writing about the score of the Warriors-Trailblazers game, Zach Lowe, Grantland's main NBA writer, would produce a detailed breakdown of why Steph Curry's movement without the ball was so valuable to his team. It would have reporting, analysis and personality in it.  It told you why the game mattered.”

An Extensive Investigation Into Why Dan Carter Said 'Mince on Toast' After Winning Us the Rugby World Cup – by Hayden Donnell, Newsworthy

“Dan Carter, fresh off winning us the World Cup final, glassy-eyed and swimming in a delirium of happiness, was delivering his post-match interview to Ian 'Smithy' Smith. A riveted nation watched on as the greatest first-five in history, Player of the Year, Man of the Match, gave a closing statement. "Mince on toast," he said, and walked away. “

Who Is Pop Music’s "Good Girl" and How the Hell Do We Get Rid of Her? – by Kat George, Noisey

“The good girl is quiet and submissive, she doesn’t stay out too late and she only has sex when she’s in love. She doesn’t challenge antiquated machismo and she certainly doesn’t complain. And if you’re her, Drake will devote himself to you. But what about the mean girls or the moody girls? The sexy girls and the funny girls? The smart girls and the loud girls?”

Sex and drugs and rock'n'roll insurance – by Eamonn Forde, The Guardian

“Since record sales started to tumble 15 years ago, touring has become the way that most acts make a living these days. The numbers are staggering. Taylor Swift, for example, is grossing $2.93m per night on her 1989 tour, based on from figures published by Billboard. With stakes this high, touring insurance, on the surface an admittedly dry subject, has never been more important.”

True team man deserves much more credit for achievements – by Scott Stevenson, NZ Herald

“[Sonny Bill] Williams deserves kudos for a Rugby World Cup in which he was happy to play his part for the side, and the image of him handing over his medal to that young kid defines the generosity of a man who has received very little generosity in return.”

VOODOO Halloween TIKI Party – by Louisa Afoa, #500words

“I genuinely believed we were moving beyond the exoticism and fetishism attached to brown bodies in contemporary Auckland, but I guess not. There’s always someone wanting to sell $20 tickets to a party with a culturally offensive theme, allowing Pacific representation to become a party trick to make money.”

Did we miss something? Tell us about it in the comments section.