Between the pandemic, the socially distanced presidential election, and an ongoing reckoning over racial injustice, the word “unprecedented” got a good workout in 2020. Throughout the year, New York readers sought out stories that offered a guide through all this new territory, from an explanation of a miraculous COVID vaccine to the pandemic’s effect on higher education to what happens when an ex-president faces trial. Other entries on our list of the most popular stories of 2020 — as measured by total collective minutes of audience engagement — addressed a problem that predates the coronavirus and will certainly survive it: the hurdles faced by powerful women, particularly women of color.
This is just a small sample of the work New York produces every day, both in print and across its six digital sites: Intelligencer, the Cut, Vulture, Grub Street, the Strategist, and Curbed. For more of New York’s indispensable coverage, be sure to sign up for One Great Story, our daily recommendation newsletter, and to subscribe.
Medical Mysteries
20. We Still Don’t Know How the Coronavirus Is Killing Us
Six months in, doctors and researchers are continuing to discover dangerous new ways COVID-19 affects the body. Read the story ➽
Election Week Inside the White House
19. The Final Gasp of Donald Trump’s Presidency
By Election Day, Trump understood that losing was inevitable. Nevertheless, he was furious. Read the story ➽
Garbage Language
18. Why Do Corporations Speak the Way They Do?
Corporatespeak permeates the ways we think of our jobs and shapes our identities as workers. Read the story ➽
A Dose of Optimism
17. Anthony Fauci’s Boss on Why Things Could Be Much Better Soon
NIH Director Francis Collins on the pandemic, vaccines, and faith. Read the story ➽
The Next Crash?
16. Why Our Economy May Be Headed for a Depression
Nouriel Roubini predicted the 2008 crash. Now, he’s warning that the America is hurtling toward a decade-long depression. Read the story ➽
Laughter Is the Best Medicine
15. Escape Our Current Hell With These (Good) Coronavirus Jokes
The funniest jokes about the coronavirus from from comedians such as Patti Harrison, Patton Oswalt, and Norm Macdonald. Read the story ➽
The Poison of Male Incivility
14. What’s So ‘Disruptive’ About AOC Standing Up for Herself?
When Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez dared to respond to a colleague who had verbally attacked her, she was called opportunistic. Read the story ➽
Housing Nightmare
13. The Eco–Yogi Slumlords of Brooklyn
How did a couple who built an empire of yoga studios, vegan restaurants, and homes with “living walls” end up as pandemic villains? Read the story ➽
The Trump Reboot
12. The Most Tremendous Reelection Campaign in American History Ever
Inside the most disorganized, self-sabotaging presidential campaign since the last one. Read the story ➽
First Family Feud
11. Melania Trump’s Ex-BFF Tells (Almost) All
Stephanie Winston Wolkoff thought Trumpworld conspired to destroy her reputation. The First Lady told her, “Don’t be so dramatic.” Read the story ➽
Michaela the Destroyer
10. Michaela Coel’s ‘I May Destroy You’ Will Tear You Apart
How a young talent from East London went from open-mic nights to making the year’s most sublimely unsettling show. Read the story ➽
‘Tenet,’ Explained
9. A Beat-by-Beat Explanation of What Happens in ‘Tenet’
It turns out the plot of Christopher Nolan’s new movie Tenet is also a mystery to people who have seen it. Read the story ➽
A Hollywood Ending
8. Bong Joon Ho on Why He Wanted ‘Parasite’ to End With a ‘Surefire Kill’
The director explains his coda: “I thought it was being real and honest with the audience.” Read the story ➽
The Coming Disruption
7. How Coronavirus Will Disrupt Future Colleges & Universities
NYU Stern School of Business professor Scott Galloway predicts a handful of elite cyborg universities will soon monopolize higher education. Read the story ➽
In Conversation: Thandie Newton
6. Thandie Newton Is Finally Ready to Speak Her Mind
After decades onscreen, nothing surprises the Westworld actress, though what she’s ready to share will surprise you. Read the story ➽
Surprising Facts
5. We Had the Vaccine the Whole Time
The silver bullet we’ve been waiting for took all of one weekend to design. Read the story ➽
The People v. Donald J. Trump
4. Donald Trump Could Be on Trial Sooner Than You Think
The criminal case against President Trump is already in the works. Read the story ➽
Un-Adopted
3. Why Did These YouTubers Give Away Their Son?
Myka and James Stauffer adopted a toddler from China and shared every step of the process with their online audience. Except the last. Read the story ➽
Science Fiction
2. The Story of a Coronavirus Infection
How the novel coronavirus could take over your body before you ever felt it. Read the story ➽
Emily Ratajkowski Reclaims Her Image
1. Myself Back
When does a model own her own image? Read the story ➽
