ABSTRACT
This chapter details the cultural and industrial logic informing the recent upsurge of online longform journalism that surrounded "Snow Fall's" emergence and took inspiration from it. It considers how the "Snow Fall" template has migrated into the television industry through the award-winning "Blood and Water," a digital longform project designed to promote the cable TV channel Animal Planet's documentary program Whale Wars. "Snow Fall" emerged among the first wave of born-digital works of longform narrative journalism. Many of the Guardian's spreadable multimedia add-ons for "NSA Files" consist of video interviews. Deep linking the story with social media enhances the Guardian's reputation for empowering readers with leaked or previously classified data, reinforced in 2012 by its Cannes Lion Award winning promotional video "The Three Little Pigs." In its branded association with hard news, the Guardian has designed its marquee digital feature with an eye toward spreadability.
