From a wild inauguration to a deadly hurricane season, 2017 was a year that lived up to its billing as “a year like no other.” NPR’s international and national security correspondents covered an incredibly diverse range of stories this past year. Whether it was tensions between North and South Korea, Britain’s political chaos over Brexit or criticism of Saudi Arabia’s human rights record, the world kept NPR’s audience interested.
Using data from Google, we ranked our top 10 global news stories of the year based on search trends. As expected, political stories topped the list, with a heated Supreme Court battle and government shutdowns making the cut. But there were also plenty of other compelling stories that made a big impression, from the death of Sudan the elephant to a show-stealing eye roll during a Chinese parliament session.
NPR’s global coverage shows that despite the fact that much of the world has suffered from conflict and economic hardship, there are still moments of hope and progress to be found. We’re proud to have been part of the storytelling that has helped people understand and connect with these world events, and we look forward to continued work in 2018. Happy New Year.