Paragraph five from this article: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/oct/13/howard-jacobson-gaza-israel-cruelty-louise-adler

"*You suspect the western media of propaganda when, in reality, there has been a remarkable lack of representation of life in Gaza since 7 October. I’m not sure where you were last weekend but the **epic column inches** devoted to the Israeli victims of 7 October does not suggest a failure to give due regard to their suffering.* "

I don't understand what "epic column inches" mean. I do have two gueses though.

1) "epic column" refers to a specific column written last weekend, and its content was "inches", or very much, devoted to the Israeli victims. 

2) "epic column inches" mean many columns were written and "inches" in this instance is referring to the voluminous columns. 

I have never seen the word "inches" placed and used this way, so a explanation would be nice. Thanks!