I never really understand when journalists praise each other for being "excellent writers" when most of the best journalism, the necessary journalism, involves "boring" writing.
Writing with "flair" is an indulgence granted to special people, either granted extra room by their editors or because they are fortunate enough to get paid to do long magazine pieces. I roll my eyes whenever journalists get excited by an "excellent lede" in straight new stories because that always just means an editor let the journalist break the rules a bit. Which ones get to break the rules? You know, the special ones.
People of color rarely get to add color.
I'm not saying that there's no value in long profile pieces of presidential candidates, and similar, but even the best ones are more gossipy infotainment than vital journalism.
I definitely don't know what value there is in profile pieces written by people who are sleeping with those candidates (Mark Sanford AND RFk Jr!).
Journalism isn't beating the charges of its most unhinged critics (me) when Olivia Nuzzi is currently being promoted in every major outlet as somehow being the best of them.