Sending off 2020 (photo: Michael Appleton/Mayor's Office)

The 20 most-read Gotham Gazette reported stories of 2020 show what kind of year it was, dominated by a devastating pandemic, with its health and fiscal consequences, as well as its impact on voting; the resurgent Black Lives Matter movement and calls for rethinking the NYPD budget; and the start of the 2021 New York City election cycle. Though we covered both regularly, and in great detail with much readership, there are no stories on the list from our 2020 Census coverage nor our reporting on the 2020 state and federal elections. And while the list is unfairly biased against some of our excellent December reporting, which has had less time to accumulate readership, it is still very much reflective of the in-depth local journalism Gotham Gazette is proud to provide New Yorkers.

1. ‘Defund the NYPD’? What’s Really in the New York City Police Department Budget - by Samar Khurshid

2. 10 Dead, Hundreds Infected as State Psychiatric Facilities Become Another Crisis Point in Coronavirus Outbreak - by Ethan Geringer-Sameth

3. The 2021 New York City Mayoral Race, One Year to the Primary - by Samar Khurshid

4. 'I Don't Trust What The Department of Education Is Saying': Parents of Color Choose All-Remote Learning at Higher Rates - by Afia Eama

5. How the De Blasio Administration is Preparing to Lay Off Thousands of City Government Workers - by Samar Khurshid

6. Voting Absentee is Complicated; How to Make Sure Your Vote Counts - by Ethan Geringer-Sameth

7. New York Hospitals Brace for a Second Covid Wave. Are They Ready? - by Ethan Geringer-Sameth

8. Front-Line Workers Must Prove They Contracted Coronavirus on the Job to Receive Workers' Comp - by Ethan Geringer-Sameth

9. Scott Stringer's Strengths and Weaknesses as He Runs for Mayor - by Samar Khurshid & Ben Max

10. CUNY and New York City Could Recover Together, or the Public University System Could Be Left Behind - by Victoria Merlino

11. The 2021 Manhattan District Attorney Race is Officially Underway - by Andrew Millman

12. Donovan Richards Lays Out His Vision As Likely Next Queens Borough President - by Andrew Millman

13. Republicans Eye 2021 Mayoral Race with Optimism, But Wary of a Primary - by Samar Khurshid

14. Council Member Helen Rosenthal Drops Out of 2021 Comptroller Race - by Samar Khurshid

15. Carlos Menchaca Announces Candidacy for Mayor - by Ben Max

16. CUNY Leaders Pressed on Thousands of Faculty Layoffs - by Caroline Leddy

17. Is It Really Layoffs or Loans? De Blasio's Other Options to Find $1 Billion - by Samar Khurshid

18. Randomized Testing Would Best Assess Covid Spread, Epidemiologists Say, But New York Isn't Doing It - by Ethan Geringer-Sameth

19. Citing Lessons Learned, City Officials Outline Preparations, Cautious Optimism for Handling Potential Second Covid Wave - by Lauren Hakimi

20. Especially Hard-Hit by Coronavirus, City’s Bangladeshi Community Sees Failure of Government to Help Vulnerable New Yorkers - by Afia Eama