What is the ‘Deeply read’ list?

What is the ‘Deeply read’ list?

The Guardian has long tracked how readers engage with our journalism by measuring the time they spend on each article. While click counts offer insight into an article’s reach, they don’t always reflect its depth or reader engagement. Time spent on content is equally vital for assessing both quality and audience interest.

Traditional lists, like “Most viewed,” often highlight popular content but may overlook thoughtful pieces on less mainstream subjects. To address this, we’ve developed a new metric that evaluates how much time readers dedicate to an article relative to its length, allowing for a more comprehensive view of engagement.

This list is featured on regional home pages, offering a tailored reflection of local readers’ interests. Not all of these pieces are long. The result is a varied selection of articles, spanning different topics, lengths, and formats, ensuring a richer reading experience.