In this series we’re listing the previous day’s top articles by reading time. You can read a little more about how and why we’re doing it here. Today’s list is for Tuesday 24 March.
Gold Coast woman finds five-metre python on her doorstep
Unlike the python itself, this story is short and fun. These pieces are often popular and read in depth; the appeal is rooted in the relief that it didn’t happen to you. “This was the largest snake I have come across in 27 years. The poor old lady who opened the front door to see it there got the fright of her life.”
Alex Salmond’s trial has deepened the faultlines in Scottish politics
Scottish columnist and broadcaster Ruth Wishart is right to say that “the coronavirus pandemic has wiped most other news off the front pages. Nevertheless it is not a small political earthquake.” Our coverage of the trial of the former SNP leader has been consistently read at scale and in depth across the UK over the last few months. As a helpful illustration of this point, this list features a second article on the same subject.
Drag Race’s Michelle Visage: ‘Once you stop caring what people think, you’ll be free’
Emine Saner’s lovely interview with Michelle Visage ranges from breast implant removal to the Aids epidemic to whether or not Madonna stole her look. But the most moving element is on acceptance. “What I see is a lot of tolerance. I have a gay daughter, so the most rewarding thing is to see a parent stand by their queer child, whereas maybe even five years ago, they wouldn’t have understood. I try to tell parents who are struggling that they don’t have to approve, they just need to accept.”
Salmond’s acquittal could make him the SNP’s biggest challenge
Our Scotland correspondent, Libby Brooks, lays out a forensic analysis of the fallout of Alex Salmond’s acquittal for the SNP. What happens when an “unstoppable partnership” at the top of a tight-knit party lies fractured beyond repair?
‘I was completely unprepared’: confronting my sister’s death
It’s a common mistake to think that the longer an article is the longer the attention time will be. But while it’s true that an individual can spend longer with more words, equally many people click on an article and discover it’s too long for them at that point in their day. So our Long Reads are not guaranteed to appear in this list. But yesterday’s entry is notable even for a series so packed with quality. John Troyer, the director of the Centre for Death and Society at the University of Bath and son of a funeral director, explains in moving detail how all his expertise in the field of death was rendered irrelevant in the face of a crushing personal loss.
