CNN’s top 100 digital stories of 2024

Editor’s Note: Marcus Mabry is CNN’s senior vice president for digital editorial and programming

In 2016, CNN produced a book entitled Unprecedented: The Election That Changed Everything. As we look back on the top 100 stories of 2024 on CNN’s digital platforms, the word unprecedented would seem too overused by now to still be potent … and yet.

Once again, you rewarded CNN’s extraordinary journalism with the largest English-language news audience anywhere on the internet — nearly 150 million users on average each month. More than 48 million users read our Election Night live story, making it our top single piece of content.

Chartbeat announced last week that for the third consecutive year, CNN had the most entries on the analytics company’s roundup of the 100 most engaging stories of 2024. It marks the first time CNN had both the most entries and the No. 1 story on the list.

CNN’s own ranking of top stories this year, based on how many people read, watched or listened to a piece of content, reflects two undeniable realities that are likely to shape our coverage and your world in 2025: 1) Donald Trump and 2) the wide, wild, enticing universe beyond him.

CNN’s journalism was essential in 2024: the debate we hosted between Joe Biden and Donald Trump, but also our investigative reporting into former North Carolina gubernatorial candidate Mark Robinson and our exclusive political coverage.

The president-elect dominated the news in 2024 like no one else, from his historic campaign, assassination attempts against him and comeback from his unprecedented (there it is again) trials and convictions. School shootings and deadly storms seized the nation’s attention as did a CEO’s shocking murder.

But human stories also captured the attention of our massive and diverse global audience. Science inspired awe and wonder. And travel pieces delighted you.

All the while, we offered more news you can use than, well, you could use: The era of freeloading is officially over; Here are the ultraprocessed foods you most need to avoid, according to a 30-year study; These cities are now so expensive they’re considered ‘impossibly unaffordable’; After 155 years, the Campbell Soup company is changing its name; Don’t sit on the toilet for more than 10 minutes, doctors warn.

We will see you right here in 2025, on platforms and in a variety of formats — including video, audio and text — around the world.