3 April 2020 🔗
Joshua Benton:
Topolsky and The Outline attracted a very talented staff that did some truly excellent work. At its best, it brought an intelligence and sophistication to the exigencies of contemporary digital life in a way that did feel unique, or at least legitimately distinctive. It also did some work that felt thin and attitude-driven, like an angry tweet mistakenly blown up to 600 words. But it was never quite clear what an “Outline story” was, the way it’s clear what a New Yorker story, a Wired story, or a Politico story is.
I was a huge fan when The Outline launched, but probably haven’t read anything in over a year. The above quote, bold my own, gets right to it. While they did great stuff, there was an inconsistency. I love The New Yorker, because I know what I’m getting into, and David Remnick, the editor as long as I’ve been reading, and team do a great job at establishing the tone and feel of the publication.