People hated 2016 so much, the year itself became a punchline. Indeed, we saw plenty of signs that something was amiss. Uber began taking over public transportation, we found out Kava could be poisonous, beaches even ran out of sand. But for every grim omen, we saw people fighting for a better future. People like the First Lady, who mastered social media to promote hope and social justice. We met a prisoner who proved the government secretly spied on him – from his jail cell. We even profiled a DIY scientist who tried to cure himself by bathing in bleach and eating feces pills. Now that’s courage. It was a long and memorable year, so we’re taking a moment to look back at our favorite stories.
By Russell Brandom
By Colin Lecher
By Adi Robertson
By Andrew J. Hawkins
By Casey Newton
By Sam Byford
By Loren Grush
By Kwame Opam
By Bryan Bishop
By Catherine Buni & Soraya Chemaly
By Arielle Duhaime-Ross
By Colin Lecher
By Michael Zelenko
By Lauren Goode
By Alessandra Potenza
By Tamara Warren
By Russell Brandom
By Colin Lecher & Russell Brandom
By Kyle Chayka
By Elizabeth Lopatto
By Tasha Robinson
By Spencer Woodman
By Alessandra Potenza
By Colin Lecher & Russell Brandom
By Michael Balter
By Rachel Becker
By Josh Dzieza
By Kwame Opam
By Kaitlyn Tiffany
By Cat Ferguson