Jebediah Reed

Photo: New York Magazine Between the pandemic, the socially distanced presidential election, and an ongoing reckoning over racial injustice, the word “unprecedented” got a good workout in 2020. Throughout the year, New York readers sought out stories that offered a guide through all this new territory, from an explanation of a miraculous COVID vaccine to the pandemic’s effect on higher education to what happens when an ex-president faces trial.

By Jebediah Reed@jebediahreed This article was featured in One Great Story, New York’s reading recommendation newsletter. Sign up here to get it nightly. This article was featured in One Great Story, New York’s reading recommendation newsletter. Sign up here to get it nightly. National Institutes of Health director Dr. Francis Collins. Photo: Andrew Harnik/POOL/AFP via Getty Images We’re committed to keeping our readers informed. We’ve removed our paywall from essential coronavirus news stories.

By Jebediah Reed@jebediahreed “This is not the time for dithering,” says venture capitalist and Golden State Warriors co-owner Chamath Palihapitiya. Photo: Mark Kauzlarich/Bloomberg via Getty Images/© 2018 Bloomberg Finance LP The coronavirus pandemic is a calamity across so many spheres. In a moment when it’s hard to know what to hope for, perhaps the greatest case for optimism is that technology can make the problem manageable in the months ahead.