Letting readers go deeper

A person is surrounded by newspapers while reading one. Photo courtesy of Unsplash.

Not everyone has time to read a 10-page article, whether it’s in print or online. That’s just reality. But what about those who do?

Journalism has long relied on the inverted pyramid to structure stories with the most important information first, followed by less essential details. It ensures information is delivered quickly and efficiently. It also makes practical sense for editors. When space is tight, especially in print, the inverted pyramid allows them to trim from the bottom without losing the core of the story.

But what happens to that bottom part of the pyramid? What about the readers who want to keep going, the ones who have the time and curiosity to read that extra context or perspective that did not make the final cut? It is a shame that this information is often discarded. It is not always that it lacks value. Sometimes there is just not enough room.

This raises a bigger question: who gets to decide what matters?

In the age of digital news, readers have more information available than ever. A “read more” button is not just a design feature to tidy websites. It is an opportunity to go deeper. Some news organizations already use variations of this, whether through expandable sections, links to research, or additional coverage.

Even so, information that is left out is often gone for good. It’s not wrong to cut additional details to keep a story clear and prevent it from being verbose. In a story about a local firefighter rescuing a family from a burning home, maybe we don’t need to know what led the firefighter to choosing their career path. But maybe some people out there want to know exactly that.

So, what if we approached stories differently? Not every detail needs to be front and center, but that does not mean it should be discarded. We should treat extra information as optional depth. The inverted pyramid can still guide the story and the most important facts should come first. But maybe the bottom of the pyramid does not have to disappear.

This is especially important in community journalism. Local readers are not just skimming headlines. They are looking for stories to immerse themselves in. They want to see the full picture, and sometimes even read what did not make the top of the story.

Let readers choose how far they want to go. Give them the main story, but also the option to explore what is underneath. For some readers, the “extra” information isn’t extra at all — it’s the story.