Mother Jones, Reveal Release List of Top 10 Stories, Podcasts, Videos of 2024

In Election Year, Politics Dominate Most Popular Content

With 2024 coming to a close, Mother Jones and Reveal released their top 10 list of most popular stories, podcasts, and videos of the year. 

Politics dominated the most-read stories from Mother Jones, led by an article about the Supreme Court decision giving presidential immunity to Donald Trump, and two articles each about JD Vance and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. On the Reveal side, the weekly podcast’s most downloaded episode is a landmark investigation into how land was stolen back from formerly enslaved people in the South; opposition to solar farms in New York state; and how Florida’s “war on woke” is affecting state residents. Finally, the 10 most-viewed videos included two about the rise of Black MAGA, and one about Elon Musk promoting centuries-old, racist pseudoscience. 

“This year has proved to be one helluva time for our brand of no-holds-barred accountability journalism,” said James West, Executive Editor of Mother Jones and Reveal. “Across print, podcasts, video, and social media platforms, our investigations captured and often anticipated the year’s biggest cultural and political upheavals, resonating with record numbers of readers and listeners. This list is a testament to an extraordinarily talented team—and we’re just getting started for 2025.”

10 Most-Read Mother Jones Stories (source: Google Analytics)

1. “The President Is Now a King”: The Most Blistering Lines From Dissents in the Trump Immunity Case (published July 1, 2024)
2. National Black Farmers Group Says Supporting GOP Ticket Is “Off the Table” After JD Vance’s Attack (published Aug. 16, 2024)
3. How RFK Jr. Falsely Denied His Connection to a Deadly Measles Outbreak in Samoa (published July 2, 2024)
4. To Understand JD Vance, You Need to Meet the “TheoBros” (published Sept. 19, 2024)
5. Lessons From a Mass Shooter’s Mother (published May 16, 2024)
6. Why Did Trump Really Win? It’s Simple, Actually. (published Nov. 7, 2024)
7. What to Know About Donald Trump’s New $60 Bible (published March 27, 2024)
8. Guess Who’s Being Weird to Tim Walz’s Son (published Aug. 22, 2024)
9. A Federal Judge Has Gone to Great Lengths to Make Clear Trump Really Did Rape E. Jean Carroll (published Jan. 18, 2024)
10. RFK Jr. Is Even Crazier Than You Might Think (published May 23, 2024)

10 Most-Downloaded Reveal Episodes (source: PRX)

1. 40 Acres and a Lie, Part 1 (posted June 15, 2024)
2. Sunblocked: Resistance to Solar in Farm Country (posted Jan. 6, 2024)
3. Black in the Sunshine State (posted Jan. 20, 2024)
4. Lessons From a Mass Shooter’s Mother (posted May 18, 2024)
5. The Suspect Detective (posted March 2, 2024)
6. Alphabet Boys Revealed (posted Feb. 10, 2024)
7. The Spy Inside Your Smartphone (posted April 27, 2024)
8. The 13th Step (posted Feb. 3, 2024)
9. Hidden Confessions of the Mormon Church (posted July 20, 2024)
10. The Racist Hoax That Changed Boston (posted May 11, 2024)

10 Most-Viewed Mother Jones Videos

1. I Spent a Week With Black Republicans (YouTube, posted Aug. 13, 2024)
2. Black Republicans Are Nothing New (Instagram, posted Aug. 16, 2024)
3. Elon Musk Is Bringing Back Centuries-Old Racist Pseudoscience (TikTok, posted March 13, 2024)
4. Beyoncé’s Cover of This Beatles Song Honors Black History (Instagram, posted March 29, 2024)
5. No, Donald Trump Isn’t the Best President Since Abraham Lincoln (Instagram, posted July 31, 2024)
6. The Grab: A High-Stakes Thriller Movie Revealing Global Food and Water Warfare (TikTok, posted June 6, 2024)
7. Trump’s False Claim: Best President for Black Population (TikTok, posted July 31, 2024)
8. Why the “Weird” Attack Is Working (YouTube, posted Aug. 2, 2024)
9. Popular Things Happen When You Vote. Here’s the Proof. (Instagram, posted Nov. 3, 2024)
10. Fox News’ Kamala Harris Problem (YouTube, posted July 12, 2024)

Mother Jones and Reveal, which are produced by the Center for Investigative Reporting, merged in February 2024. The nonprofit news organization is supported by readers and listeners, and was formed in 1976 in San Francisco.