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Hi 👋 

Another Monday, another Lazy Reader reading list of some of the best longform journalism across the internet ✨

How would you guys feel about a daily (or thrice-weekly) email? It’d be shorter, of course, maybe three picks per send. Something like a "What should I read today?” type of list. I’ve been exploring new content types for The Lazy Reader and have been running into quite a brick wall.

As always, if you missed last week’s email, do consider giving that a read. Here are a few choice picks:

• A tsunami and the scores of tortured spirits it left behind.

• The secret army of outsourced coders.

• An overdose and an opioid empire.

As always, please let me know what you think of the list this week by voting in the poll below.

Happy reading and see you again next Monday!

PS - Thanks to 1440 Media for supporting this week’s edition! Clicking their ad link after the jump below (or in the banner above) really means a lot to me. It’s free, easy, and helps keep TLR running.

Story in Spotlight

It’s interesting when Vox, known for what they brand as “explanatory journalism,” does something that borders on the investigative.

At its core, this story exposes the unethical practices not just of Fairlife, but also of the broader dairy industry in the U.S. (And I’m sure to some degree this applies to the agriculture industry, and to other highly capitalized sectors in the U.S.) But it’s done in Vox's signature, informative style, which makes it very accessible and easy to dig through. Vox shows here too that this simple, pared-down style of writing serves the investigative format well, because it makes the facts so evident. There’s no flair to hide behind.

This is the point in this write-up that I want to give you fair warning: This story get very graphic. To the point, I’d argue, that even if you’re not typically squeamish about animal abuse, this one might still get under your skin. I just want to make it abundantly clear here so you know what you’re getting into.

But if you decide to brave this piece regardless, I’d say you’re in for a really eye-opening experience. And I think its graphic-ness is warranted, too. It really forces you (us) to stare at the gruesome reality that powers our lifestyle. I’m fairly certain that this story wasn’t written to make its readers question and reconsider their milk consumption—really, the piece is explicitly about the corporate forces behind these animal abuses—but it has that effect. Or at least, it had that effect on me.

And if you’re the pondering type, this might also make you rethink all the other things you see on your grocery trip.

Long but I found it compelling enough that I finished in 40 ish minutes. 

The Longform List

The Air Conditioning Trap: How Cold Air is Heating the World | The Guardian, Free

These are the types of climate stories that I think we need more of. It takes something that is extremely relatable on a personal level and then progressively zooms outward to reveal the bigger systemic and corporate driving forces behind the current crisis (though I wish it was braver in pinning some culpability).

Plus points here for also seamlessly tying the culture conversation in the current climate conversations around air conditioning. I do a lot of reading in this area but this piece still opened up some new lines of logic for me.

O Sister, Where Art Thou? | TexasMonthly, $

Ahh, Mr. Hollandsworth. Always a pleasure reading his prose.

This one is a nice change of pace from his usual writing, too, because instead of something grisly or bleak, this story puts a nice light-hearted twist on the Crime genre. Misdeeds are still somewhat at the core of the article: It follows a group of incarcerated women who formed a band while in jail and shot to fame, before quietly fading from the limelight. Heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time.

Nightmare on Elm Drive | Vanity Fair, $

Here’s something more bread-and-butter when it comes to True Crime stories. There is a very violent and gruesome double-murder at the heart of this story, which then follows the fallout. There are some of twists and turns here that I personally didn’t see (maybe I just wasn’t paying enough attention), and I don’t want to spoil them for you. But suffice it to say that I was hooked.

Gulfport Police Killed a Black Veteran. His Family Waits for Answers Over 1 Year Later. | Sun Herald, Free

I think it’s worth pointing out upfront that the events in this story happened in early 2020, right about the same time that the Black Lives Matter protests started sweeping across the U.S.

This particular case got buried in all the other cases of police brutality, but I’d say it not only tracks with larger patterns but is even emblematic of how law enforcement deals with Black people. It also shows how local governments and other authorities refuse to take complaints from this community seriously and to hold their own accountable. Very infuriating.

The Victim Who Became the Accused | The New Yorker, $

Speaking of infuriating, here’s another one. Saw this on Reddit last week, and while I try to refrain from sending you stories I got from there (just so I’m sure that I’m giving you some fresh picks), I just couldn’t leave this one out.

There will never be a perfect victim. Digging up dirt on a victim to discredit their testimony has, to some degree, become a legitimate legal tactic. That’s in full display in this story, which also delves into the questions of power and consent when it comes to sexual violence—that it’s not just a black-and-white thing; that there is a vast gray area that we should all start understanding.

Huge questions to tackle, but I’d say the piece delivers.

My Scammer | Slate, Free

I don’t live in the U.S., but this one resonated deeply with me because I also receive many of these scammy messages from sketchy, AI-generated recruiters.

This, I think, is a genius and fun way to chip away at what is apparently and unfortunately a universal experience. I wish it leaned a bit more into its investigative slant, but I get that that’s not the point of the piece; it delivered an overall entertaining experience while still peeling back some layers about a curious modern phenomenon, which I guess is its true goal. I also appreciated the understated humor here. I didn’t find the writing particularly funny, but I liked how the author didn’t try too hard to get a laugh out of me.

Why Won’t U.S. Politicians Say “Genocide”? | Current Affairs, Free

Something short, and could possibly ruffle some feathers. But I feel like this is the conflict that will define our era, and I’ve been consumed by it for the last what… 20 or so months? We as a species are failing every single moral barometer.

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ALSO: I know some of the stories I recommend might be behind paywalls, and maybe I can help you with access to those. Send me a message and let’s see what we can do 😊

Until next Monday! 👋