There has been talk around the internet lately about long form journalism and its merits, particularly compared to short blog posts (like this one) which are largely a rehash of information. The lack of long form writing and therefore long form reading implies people are taking bits of information someone else has already read and analyzed without checking the sourcing. As a result we, the collective denizens of the Internet, have largely outsourced the burden of weighty reading and analysis to other people.

A new project on Kickstarter called MATTER is trying to change the status quo by focusing on publishing one weighty investigative piece every week. MATTER claimes to be reader, rather than advertiser focused, and so they will charge a nominal fee (99¢) per article.

I think the whole model is brilliant and I’m pleased to say I’ve backed the venture on Kickstarter and I think you should too.