For people in all walks of life, the approach of a new year always offers a chance to look back at what was. For us at The Edge, the end of 2020 gives us an opportunity to gauge what our audience is interested in and, we hope, provide some insight into what worked and what didn’t.
Below is a list, along with a brief synopsis, of The Edge’s top 25 most-viewed stories of 2020:
1
It should come as no surprise that the most viewed page was directly related to the COVID-19 pandemic: Coronavirus Live Local Updates. It was a compilation of timely briefs and press releases that was launched in March and continued into May. The page was the most-read by far, outpacing the second most popular by a margin of more than 2-1.
2
The runner-up was a piece on the travails of Edge contributor Susanna Opper, entitled, “Want your stimulus payment? You may have to work for it.” Opper recounted the barriers that confronted her as she tried to secure her stimulus check, ultimately concluding that, “My efforts to get our stimulus money into the bank may be the best compensated 90 minutes of my life.”
3
Next is a piece reported by yours truly. As often happens at news outlets, a reader asked me a question, in this case about the business end of the pandemic — specifically why Gov. Charlie Baker, who ordered the closing of “nonessential businesses,” deemed package stores essential and cannabis stores nonessential. It was a variation of the mantra of the ruling pigs in Orwell’s “Animal Farm:” all businesses are essential but some are more essential than others. The result was “With recreational cannabis shops closed, why do liquor stores remain open?”
4
Another of my stories evidently attracted a lot of attention. Bash Bish Falls, a breathtakingly beautiful place and a tourist attraction popular with residents of Berkshire County and the Hudson Valley, was besieged during the second half of July. I suppose the jarring headline might have had something to do with the hundreds of social media shares and the high search rankings of the story: “‘Hordes of people breaking every single rule’ pack Bash Bish Falls.”
5
Next was an opinion piece, headlined “Trump: America’s Hitler?” It was penned by Jerry McCreary, who noted that, “By 1933 Adolph Hitler managed to turn Germany into a dictatorship.” In the current climate, McCreary says that feat of strength begs the question: “How could that happen in a democracy? And could it happen in America?”
6
Some might find it surprising that a piece in our Real Estate section also scored high. The story by interior designer William Caligari wondered aloud about the efficacy and necessity of tile backsplashes: “Backsplashes, or not so fast with that tile!”
7
A review by filmmaker, author, and longtime Edge contributor Mickey Friedman of Mary Trump’s book about her Uncle Donald, “Too Much and Never Enough,” garnered lots of views. For reasons unknown to us — and we’re certainly not complaining — the search rankings of Friedman’s review remain extraordinarily high. A recent Google search using the title of the book as its search terms found the review ranked eighth on page one. Perhaps the headline helped, too: “In ‘Too Much and Never Enough,’ Mary Trump has relived her nightmare to shine some critical light on ours.”
8
A “Letter From New York” column by Edge contributor Leonard Quart headlined “The unequal impact of COVID-19,” asserted that, “When the plague finally ends or, hopefully before that point, we will be forced yet again to address the problem of economic and racial inequality in this country.”
9
Next was a review by Edge contributor Hannah Van Sickle of Roselle Chartock’s new book, “The Jewish World of Elvis Presley.” Van Sickle combined the review with an interview with Chartock and headlined the story: “‘The Jewish World of Elvis Presley’ (November 2020) by Roselle Kline Chartock.”
10
The tenth most read story was really a letter to the editor, “Friendship with Trump supporter is a deal breaker,” in which writer David Schecker reacts to a previous column by Rochelle O’Gorman, who was surprised that her new male friend voted for Trump.
11
Remarkably, clocking in at number 11 was a story I did from last year about a private so-called UFO monument in Sheffield being hauled off of town-owned property by the highway department. The owner threatened legal action that never came to pass. The headline: “Sheffield town crew hauls away UFO monument; ‘off-world’ witness vows to ‘file charges.'”
12
The first in a series of stories I did, a news analysis on the now-infamous Great Barrington Declaration, also received a high ranking. The headline: “Disputed ‘Great Barrington Declaration’ issued by free-market think tank.”
13
A column from last year by Kathleen George of Fairview Hospital warned of tainted marijuana, noting that, “Some of the more-serious symptoms of moldy cannabis are chest pains and allergic reactions close to the time of consumption.” Headline: “Beware moldy cannabis that poses a health risk.”
14
A piece is the Real Estate section on screened-in porches received an unusually high number of views. Penned by Berkshire County designer Ritch Holben, “All Park and No Bite: How a SCREENED PORCH is a timeless solution to an age-old problem,” clocked in at number 14.
15
Who says no one cares about independent bookstores in the era of Barnes & Noble and Amazon? One of our most popular stories this year concerned an independent bookseller in Great Barrington moving to a new location: “The Bookloft, a Great Barrington fixture for 46 years, is moving to new digs.”
16
Closely following the Bookloft, was a popular staff effort entitled, “Where to find meals, food and fresh produce in the Berkshires during social distancing.”
17
Alan Chartock penned a heartfelt tribute to his friend, dancer and choreographer Marge Champion, who died in October: “I Publius — in memory of Marge Champion.” Though it did not make the top 25, also writing a compelling remembrance was Edge contributor Carole Owens: “CONNECTIONS: Marge Champion, a friend.”
18
The aforementioned and controversial Great Barrington Declaration spawned a much-read viewpoint piece by Dan Seitz, “The Great Barrington Declaration – another viewpoint,” in which the author, who leads the Council on Naturopathic Medical Education and is a lawyer, argues that the economic consequences of COVID-related lockdowns are worth considering in any cost-benefit analysis.
19
A third story on the Great Barrington Declaration made the list, a quasi-investigative piece by yours truly headlined, “‘Great Barrington Declaration’ and AIER feeling heat on both sides of the Atlantic.”
20
And yes, people do really care about real estate. Our 20th most viewed page was our real estate transactions page.
21
Also seen by a lot of eyeballs was a new release put out by the town in the early stages of the pandemic: “Great Barrington implores second-home owners, tourists to stay away during COVID-19 contagion.”
22
Given the terror snakes strike in most people, it should come as no surprise that a piece about ophidiophobia by Edge contributor David Noel Edwards made the list: “Deadly Berkshire copperheads.”
23
The only obituary to make the list: “Nicholas Hardcastle, 67, of Porthleven, Cornwall, England, formerly of New Marlborough, Mass., a man of many talents.”
24
Yet another real estate piece made the list, a run-down on the pandemic-induced sales “frenzy” by Edge contributor Emily Thurlow, entitled, “COVID-19 spurs real estate buying ‘frenzy’ in the Berkshires.”
25
Finally, there was a piece by yours truly on employees at Berkshire Medical Center being placed under quarantine, along with the local angle on controlling the contagion: “BMC employees under self-quarantine as local officials grapple with response to coronavirus.”
