This is part of the "The Long Read" series, The Guardian publishes one every weekday: http://www.theguardian.com/news/series/the-long-read

It's certainly much easier to publish long, detailed reads online than in newspapers, but I haven't seen any real increase in the numbers.

certainly is a way to set yourself apart from non-professional blogs. I would have no difficulty reading this story in a print newspaper but on my laptop screen I find it hard on the eyes for some reason.

I'm wondering if print media will find a niche and continue to exist as a medium for long form journalism since I know I'm not the only one who suffers from this type of eye fatigue.