Amazing News 2020

Our favorite longreads of 2020

January 03, 2021 | by Julian L. Mertz | No comments

Capers, heists, discoveries, and tales of redemption: take a breath and enjoy some of our best in-depth stories.

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01.03.21

We weren't just bingeing Netflix in this pandemic-blighted year. We were reading—voraciously. Yes, in 2020 WIRED readers flocked to long-form stories about the coronavirus disaster. But they also devoured in-depth articles about everything from alleged poker cheats to digital blackface to the finer points of eluding a hungry dinosaur.

So, on the off-chance that you missed any of these gems, we're here to suggest a reading list of our favorites from the past year, a few of which you can find below. It's an admittedly subjective compilation, fueled by the picks of WIRED editors, reader favorites, and, yes, a few of my own darlings.

Enjoy some reading. Then you can go back to Netflix.

Mark Robinson | Features Editor, WIRED

A collage of articles and people reading.

YEAR IN REVIEW | 4-MINUTE READ

Our Favorite Longreads of 2020

BY MARK ROBINSON

It was a brutal year. Take a breath and enjoy some of our favorite in-depth stories.

diptych: man walking in a yard and the words %22What Happened to Lee?%22

WHO AM I? | 26-MINUTE READ

The Devastating Decline of a Brilliant Young Coder

BY SANDRA UPSON

Lee Holloway programmed internet security firm Cloudflare into being. Then he became apathetic, distant, and unpredictable—for a long time, no one could make sense of it.

a dark wooded road; a sign that reads %22The City of Forks Welcomes You%22

SOCIAL MEDIA | 33-MINUTE READ

The True Story of the Antifa Invasion of Forks, Washington

BY LAUREN SMILEY

A false report on Twitter exploded into a call to arms. Then a bus, carrying a family and two dogs, rolled into a remote Northwestern town.

COVER STORY | 21-MINUTE READ

TikTok and the Evolution of Digital Blackface

BY JASON PARHAM

On the app, users drape themselves in the trappings of Black culture—and steal the viral spotlight. It's exploitation at its most refined and disturbing.

BACKCHANNEL | 9-MINUTE READ

How to Outrun a Dinosaur

BY CODY CASSIDY

If, through some scientific malfunction, you found yourself transported 70 million years into the past, you might be safer from certain hungry reptiles than you think.

SHOWDOWN AT STONES | 24-MINUTE READ

The Cheating Scandal That Ripped the Poker World Apart

BY BRENDAN I. KOERNER

Mike Postle was on an epic winning streak at a California casino. Veronica Brill thought he had to be playing dirty. Let the chips fall where they may.

FOOTSTEPS | 25-MINUTE READ

To Run My Best Marathon at Age 44, I Had to Outrun My Past

BY NICHOLAS THOMPSON

After 20 years of long-distance competition, I ran my fastest. All it took was tech, training, and a new understanding of my life.

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