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.
Dedham And Goliath (July 25, 2015) By Nick Moorhead
The war against Big Energy is raging on the southern edge of Boston—and it’s being fought by a particular group of climate protesters.
Trash To Table (December 7, 2016) By Evan C. Anderson and Katie Campisi
Everything you didn’t want to know about cannibal swine and trash feeding, from Mass to the UK
Power Struggle (February 6, 2017) By Miriam Wasser
Regulators infuriate activists with announcement that power plant will stay open
How To Build A Natural Gas Pipeline In Mass… (May 10, 2017) By Kori Feener
…In four easy steps.
Battle Of The Century (September 5, 2017) By Kori Feener
Nearly 100 years old, Frances Crowe is every polluter’s worst nightmare
More Potent Than Rodents (May 31, 2018) By Laura Kiesel
Poisons meant for pests are killing animals and impacting humans in Mass
Living On Scraps (July 12, 2018) By Cole Rosengren
Boston is aiming to achieve “zero waste,” which some say can create more living-wage jobs. Is part of this lofty goal rooted in the region’s dirtiest hypocrisy?
The Merrimack Valley Disaster: It’s Not Just About Old Pipes (September 18, 2018) By Jason Pramas
The New Pollutants (August 9, 2019) By Vincent Gabrielle
A growing body of research suggests that, in and around traffic, what you can’t see may be killing you
The Most Dangerous Square Mile (September 18, 2019) By Suren Moodlier
The centuries-long relationship with Boston that made Chelsea a frontline community for environmental justice
The Flood: Mass Has A Runoff Problem. What’s Being Done? (July 25, 2021) By Emilee Klein
Thanks to stormwater pollution, Dirty Water’s more than just a theme song. It’s a way of life.
Investigating The Interstate: On The I-93 Sound Wall Study (December 7, 2021) By Shira Laucharoen
The new MassDOT project is seen as both a step forward and a long overdue move
Battle: Sgars (December 16, 2021) By Laura Kiesel
Poisons used by Mass municipalities are killing more than just the rats they’re targeting. In practice, their controversial tactics may actually protect the rodent population.
Debatable Data (January 17, 2023) By Jon Lamson
Shortcomings in the state’s greenhouse gas inventory pose issues for energy planning
A Massachusetts Fossil Fuel Lobbying Review (February 28, 2023) By Jon Lamson
As Prices Soar, Fossil Fuel Industry Looks After Its Interests On Beacon Hill
Surf’s Upcycled (March 20, 2023) By Delainey Lahood-Burns
Meet The Bay State Surfers Conserving The Oceans Where They Ride
The Aftermath (April 4, 2023) By Jon Lamson
Addressing February’s Clean Harbors chemical fire and the state’s response follows long history of environmental injustice around the Fore River Basin
Tragedy Still Lingers Over Lawrence (September 13, 2023) By Chris Faraone, Emilia Perez, and Sophie Yarin | Interactive timeline by Zhaozhou Dai
A Merrimack Valley Natural Gas Explosion Time Capsule: Putting the extensive damage done in focus five years after a preventable fatal disaster disrupted northeast Massachusetts
