What Were BU Today’s Most-Read Stories of 2021?
You were interested in COVID, naturally, but also singer-celebrities, UFOs, relaxing, and more
Photo by Janice Checchio
What Were BU Today’s Most-Read Stories of 2021?
You were interested in COVID, naturally, but also singer-celebrities, UFOs, relaxing, and more
Thanks to you, our readers, BU Today saw record readership in 2021. What stories grabbed the most eyeballs?
It’s no surprise that COVID-19 news, from vaccines to boosters to campus protocols, dominated the news cycle. But most of those stories were published first on The Brink, our science and research news site, and then shared across BU Today. (See The Brink’s separate most-read story list here.)
What about non-coronavirus stories? UFOs are apparently endlessly fascinating, because our story about a government report on flying objects really took off. The 20th anniversary of 9/11 was naturally a big deal, but so was a super cool celebrity moment at Faneuil Hall, a piece with relaxing videos, and highlights about the Class of 2025.
Here is the list of our 10 most-read stories published in 2021, starting with the one that drew the most attention.
1
Are they real? Because an official government report couldn’t rule out the existence of extraterrestrial UFOs, readers were intrigued, curious, baffled, or just excited. The story attracted nearly 100,000 views and garnered more than 130 comments.
2
The 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks was a chance to reflect upon the worst attack on American soil in history. We asked how that event changed the world, and readers were drawn to it.
3
When Radha Rao (Questrom’20) performed her version of John Legend’s “All of Me” at Faneuil Hall one afternoon this fall, she had no idea the singer-celebrity was standing right there in the audience listening with his family. What a moment.
4
Questions about whether the government might consider a mandatory “vaccine passport” to prove that people have been vaccinated against COVID-19 elicited a charged response from readers.
5
Sometimes a simple question is all it takes to get readers’ attention. In this case, our podcast, Question of the Week, asked, “When will COVID end?” BU infectious disease expert Davidson Hamer weighed in.
6
During stressful times, we wanted to help people relax with this piece featuring a series of oddly relaxing videos. Apparently it’s just what readers wanted.
7
The pandemic did not slow down the interest in attending BU, as the University actually saw a surge in applicants.
8
Speaking of applicants, our story laying out interesting facts about the Class of 2025 drew a lot of interest.
9
Tragedy struck BU, and especially the Medical Campus, when School of Public Health Professor David Jones died in a fall while jogging. Readers naturally wanted to share their condolences, sympathies, stories, and love.
10
When BU said it would require people to be vaccinated, the obvious question was: how do we prove we’ve been vaccinated? This story addressed that.
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