This year GCL has shared hundreds of pieces from across the country, from deep-dive investigations and personal essays, to profiles and reported features. It’s a daunting (but exciting) task to sift through them to pick out favourite pieces from the past year.
The following list, unveiled Friday, Dec. 18 on our Twitter account is presented in alphabetical order of the author’s last name. It comprises 10 pieces from 2020 that are especially notable for their quality and craft.
Not addressed in this list is longform coverage we’ve shared about the COVID-19 pandemic. It will be covered in its own “Best of” list in early 2021. Otherwise, I think this list presents an interesting time capsule of Canadian stories from this year and some especially strong examples of memoir and personal journalism which deeply resonated with readers.
Happy reading. (And wear a mask!)
Rob Csernyik
December 19, 2020
GREAT CANADIAN LONGFORM’S BEST OF 2020
Andrew Duffy, Ottawa Citizen
Annie Hylton, The Walrus
The destructive conspiracy theory that Victoria unleashed upon the world
Jen Gerson, Capital Daily
I donated my kidney to help a stranger. But what about the person I couldn’t help?
Wency Leung, The Globe and Mail
Black Communities Have Known about Mutual Aid All Along
Vicky Mochama, The Walrus
Julian Brave NoiseCat, National Observer
Christopher Pollon, Hakai Magazine
Jody Porter, Maisonneuve
He said, they said: inside the trial of Matthew McKnight
Jana G. Pruden, The Globe and Mail
Debra Thompson, The Globe and Mail
Great Canadian Longform 