Really, that is the way papers are going. And it's because that's what a lot of readers want, or at least it's what they tell us they want. Most readers nowadays prefer a pretty good amount of quick reads with a few long pieces thrown in. It's the way of the future.
Does it mean you can't tell a good story unless you can do it in 15" or less? No. It just means we have to find ways to package things that shows readers this story, which might seem long, is worth their time. Sometimes a byline or columnist's sig is enough to do that. Sometimes it has to be something else.
But the days that we could write a 40" story and think people will read it just because it's there are gone. Sure, it happens for some sports in some places, but for the most part it's over. Think about it; Some of the most popular sections of magazines are the little shorts in the front. People can read them and go. They save the longer stories for when they have time. The same is true of newspapers. Like it or not, people have shorter attention spans, and this isn't about just vying with other media for people's attention; it's about vying with everything else for people's time.
That doesn't mean what the DMN is doing is right. In the end, it's about money, not about finding a way to make a more reader-friendly product. But those who ridicule papers that package more breakouts and quick hits need to think about what it is the reader wants. And time and again, they've told us that's what they want.
