I agree - I prefer dry facts and really dislike the trend of news written like narrative. I usually turn off after the first sentence (invariably an attempt to write like a 19th century novelist) because I know its going to be 10 minutes before i figure out if there's anything of value to me in its content (I acknowledge that sometimes there is and I'll miss out).
It is disconcerting for an upstart like the New Yorker of co opt a dickens style. You’d think after 90 years they would realize it is just a fad.
Well that's New Yorker, they're the kings of long reads.