This year had a lot of news. Not coincidently, it was also one in which people searched for relief from the news. They bought books, went on vacations and exercised. They read about tragic marriages. They speculated about the secrets of a royal family.
The Times tracks what stories readers click on. That data reveals what people find important — what they like, what they spend time with, what sparks their curiosity. It also presents a portrait of our year.
Below are the most popular news stories this year, as determined by what drew the most readers. We also have a collection of our most popular feature stories and videos; a list of stories that readers spent the most time with; and the ones that readers shared the most with one another.
The biggest stories
These were the news articles that readers clicked the most.
The presidential election
Times readers closely follow presidential elections, but this campaign had several moments that landed near the top of the list:
Donald Trump’s victory (our No. 1 most clicked story of the year).
President Biden’s decision to exit the presidential race.
The assassination attempt on Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania (many also watched a video of our photographer explaining how he captured an iconic image in the moment).
Trump’s conviction on 34 felony counts in a hush-money trial.
The UnitedHealthcare shooting
Readers were particularly interested in reading about the suspect, Luigi Mangione, after the police caught him at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pa.
The Baltimore bridge collapse
Readers closely followed the search for six construction workers who were on the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore when a massive cargo ship crashed into it in March. The men were later found dead.