Since before we even published our first feature, we set out to use BINJ as an incubator to produce and distribute longform reporting. While our team has also taken on other big challenges, from teaching to advocating for journalism, we are proud to have fulfilled our mission to pursue the kind of comprehensive stories, often investigative, that fewer outlets are able to publish in today’s troubled media climate.
As part of our retrospective celebration of BINJ entering its tenth year, we hit the archives for some of our most impactful, popular, and memorable articles. Recognizing how hundreds of them intersect topics, we picked nearly 250 of our favorites and parsed them into 13 categories: Education; Labor; Housing & Gentrification; Police & Surveillance; Prisons & Parole; Transit; Environment; Politics & Government Accountability; Immigrant Communities; Music, Arts & Sports; LGBTQIA+; Opioids & Other Drugs; Massachusetts History.
We are posting these compendiums by category weekly through the end of January 2025, and it’s not just for posterity. We hope that seeing the fruits of our labor in this light inspires you to support BINJ to do more of this work; the greatest hits in these roundups alone add up to two features a month over a decade, and they are in addition to hundreds of columns and shortform articles from projects like Somerville Wire and Manchester Divided.
Finally, you can also help by telling us which topics and investigations you think we should follow up on in the new year. Check out the list below, then find our quick engagement survey near the bottom of the post.
Transit Reporting
Snubway (December 12, 2016) By Noah Schaffer
This may help explain why you’ve had so much trouble renting and returning public bikes in Boston
Intersectional Politics (A Crash-Not-Accident-Report) (June 7, 2017) By Kylie Obermeier
When it comes to bike safety and infrastructure in Greater Boston, there’s a dangerous gap between the promises that cities make and the reality where rubber meets the road
CondeMBTA (June 14, 2017) By Derek Kouyoumjian
A visual essay on public transportation infrastructure and priorities in Greater Boston
The Ballad Of Biking In Boston (July 9, 2017) By Katie Campisi
Dispatches from my daily dance with death en route to work
Jammed Up (May 1, 2018) By Olivia Deng
Is Boston cycle infrastructure getting better faster than congestion gets worse?
Behind The Curve (May 14, 2018) By Rob Katz
Hubway’s low-income program goes regional, but infrastructure’s still inadequate
The Plight Of Public Transportation In Boston, Illustrated (October 17, 2018) By Andy Metzger
The Track Least Traveled (December 12, 2018) By Nate Homan
Daybreak at a semihistoric MBTA station you have never heard of and will probably never use
More ETA, Less WTF (March 4, 2020) By Dan Atkinson
This marketing company with political ties is getting paid millions to “humanize” the MBTA brand
Hacks, Facts, & Contracts (June 28, 2022) By Dan Atkinson
As trains broke down, the MBTA’s million-dollar marketing campaign kept running
Hacks, Facts, & Contracts: FOIA Follow-Up (August 19, 2022) By Dan Atkinson
Internal Emails Show How MBTA Sought To Market “Safe,” “Good” Trains As System Failed
Unfare? (September 14, 2022) By Dan Atkinson
Transit advocates question costly MBTA study to determine new fare structures
So Much For Contracts (February 7, 2023) By Dan Atkinson
Company hired to run Transit Police dispatch service under-delivered, charged extra, and kept inadequate records, according to inspector general’s report
Commuter Communication (March 30, 2023) By Dan Atkinson
Amid Multiple Crises, MBTA Fields Pitches For New Agency Marketing Campaign
“State Of Good Repair” (April 20, 2023) By Dan Atkinson
With the MBTA still very broken, agency lacks clarity in communications with contractors, commuters
Crash & “Error” (May 4, 2023) By Dan Atkinson
There are many stories about people getting hurt and killed by trains. This one’s about what their families may endure in the pursuit of answers and justice
Fair Game (January 22, 2024) By Dan Atkinson
After years of delays, the MBTA is finally about to roll out a new fare-collection apparatus. Will it only lead to more problems for the embattled agency?
The MBTA’s Billion-Dollar Question Mark (June 18, 2024) By Dan Atkinson
Speaking of high fares and tardiness, will the T have to pay private lenders for being late to deliver its new collection system?
Lack of Trains-Parency At MBTA (July 15, 2024) By Dan Atkinson
The T commissioned multiple safety studies costing millions, but officials refuse to release the reports. Transparency advocates say the agency is using “Orwellian doublespeak” to conceal the findings.
