The Slatest

What 20,000 Pages of Inappropriate Emails Look Like

U.S. Gen. John Allen reportedly sent 20,000 to 30,000 pages of “potentially inappropriate” emails to Tampa socialite Jill Kelley. We got to wondering, what would 20,000 pages of inappropriate emails look like?

We stacked up 40 reams of office paper each containing 500 sheets. To provide a point of comparison, we stood them beside Slate’s tallest staffer—Executive Editor Josh Levin, who is 6 feet 5 inches tall—as well as one of Slate’s shorter editors, Katy Waldman, who is 5 feet 3 inches tall. The tower reached just to the level of Levin’s hairline, a height of 6 feet and 4 inches.

Two people standing by paper.
Slate Executive Editor Josh Levin, Assistant Editor Katy Waldman, and 20,000 sheets of paper Slate