Every week, I will shine the spotlight on some of the best storytelling in the business and offer my comments. “3 Great Stories of the Week” will post every Monday at 8 AM.

I probably would have ignored the following three stories had I not known who produced them.

I would have shrugged at the prospect of reading 3,000 words about the daily deals company Groupon.

I would have laughed at the notion of spending 25 minutes learning about the man behind the Heimlich maneuver.

And I would have yawned at the idea of celebrating the 100th anniversary of the first presidential press conference.

But I respected the authors behind the stories, so I gave each one a shot. And wow, was I rewarded.

As a reader and viewer of journalism, I truly appreciate when someone can expand my knowledge about a subject with a thorough, well-researched work of storytelling. I highly recommend each of the articles below. If their topics don’t tickle your fancy at first, just allow them a few paragraphs (or, in the case of the Heimlich story, a few minutes) to lure you in.

Greed is Groupon (3/13/13, The Verge): This is a long one, but it’s worth it. Writer Ben Popper mostly ignores the rise of the daily deals giant Groupon and heads straight to the behind-the-scenes details surrounding its fall. Surely you have checked out sites like Groupon and wondered, “How do these guys make any money?” As Popper’s piece shows, sometimes the company leaders don’t quite have the answer, either.

The Man Behind the Maneuver (3/5/13, NPR’s Radiolab): Speaking of behind-the-scenes drama, did you ever think you would find it in a story about the Heimlich maneuver? The folks at NPR’s Radiolab consistently produce masterful audio stories, and in this one they keep unfolding layers about Dr. Heimlich throughout its 25-minute length. The first surprise? Spoiler alert: he is actually still alive! It gets more interesting from there.

Meet the Press (3/14/13, Slate): I usually find “anniversary” stories to be a bit cliche, but sometimes they really work. John Dickerson of Slate takes us back to the first presidential press conference, held by Woodrow Wilson on March 14, 1913 — 100 years ago. Dickerson does a great job of applying Wilson’s views, about the roles of both the president and the press, to recent U.S. presidents. In the process, he submits a fascinating history lesson.

I wanted to give an honorable mention to the Big Picture blog on Boston.com. I listed them in “3 Great Stories” last week for their photo collection from Kenya’s election; this week they compiled photos from the Iditarod dog race in Alaska. My favorites are #1, 6, 9, and 12; what are yours?

Have a suggestion for “Stories of the Week”? E-mail me at matt@tellingthestoryblog.com.