Every’s “extendable articles” are worth paying attention to

By Jodie Hopperton

INMA

Los Angeles, California, United States

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We have seen a number of organisations introduce answer engines, some of which help readers go deeper on content. But I recently noticed a site going one step further: In addition to being able to interrogate the current and past articles, New York-based Every allows people to look at all the sourcing of the article through its “extendable articles.”

For readers, it means they can go down rabbit holes of information as they wish. And for writers, it means they can share their key findings and perspective, while also allowing the reader to see how or why they reached those conclusions. 

Here’s the idea: Extendable Articles let readers interact directly with the source materials behind a story. Think transcripts of interviews, original research, even the nitty-gritty details most journalists keep behind the scenes. But it’s not just citing the sources; it’s allowing people to interrogate the sources directly. Every is using AI-powered chatbots to let readers ask their own questions about the article and get tailored responses.

Why does this matter? Because it tackles a few issues head-on:

  1. Trust: In an age when audiences are more skeptical of media than ever, giving them a direct line to the sources fosters transparency. It says, “Here’s how we got here — go ahead, take a look for yourself.”

  2. Engagement: For topics people are curious or passionate amount, it allows them to truly engage in the content, likely creating more time on-site

  3. Design: This method keeps the interface clean. It’s easy and intuitive to navigate rather than having to show many different format options, making navigation overly complex and design clumsy.  

Every has already used this format for a piece called The Religion of Ramp, which breaks down the SaaS company’s rise. Alongside the narrative, readers can access all the interviews and research that informed it. It’s a little like pulling back the curtain on journalism, something which could be applied more broadly across the industry.

Every's Extendable Articles explained for their readers.
Every's Extendable Articles explained for their readers.

This will take some work and not every news organisation is going to have the resources to build something quite like this right now. But the concept itself is worth exploring. What if we thought of transparency as a product feature? What if we leaned into our audiences’ curiosity, allowing them to decide when and how deep they want to go, in which direction? 

It’s early days for Extendable Articles, but this is one example of how to rethink how we present information and how we engage readers. The tools to build trust and foster loyalty are out there — we just need to take the leap. Find out more about Extendable Articles here.

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About Jodie Hopperton

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