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Vox.com
2016 Year in ReviewVox's 2016 Year in Review
If there was ever a year in need of context and explanation, 2016 was it. And Vox delivered.
From Trump and Clinton to Brexit and Westworld, Vox dug relentlessly into the cultural forces that drove the year’s big stories. And it did it in more places than ever, launching on Apple News and Google AMP, hosting its first live conference, creating new podcasts and sections, diving into special Snapchat editions and Instagram stories, and blowing past a million subscribers on Facebook and a million and a half on YouTube.
In only its second full year of existence, Vox more than tripled its audience by showing that curious audiences are everywhere, and they want smart, sophisticated content that makes sense of an increasingly chaotic world.
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Dan Rather: "[Ezra Klein is] one of the most thoughtful journalists working today one driven by a search for deeper understandings and not afraid of wading into complexity and context."
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New York Daily News: "Vox has the unique ability to stretch the boundaries of video engagement and experiment with longer videos on multiple platforms.
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Finalist, 2016 Online Journalism Awards, General Excellence in Online Journalism, Large: Vox
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Winner, Shorty Award for Social Good, News & Media: 2016ish with Liz Plank
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Winner, Excellence in Multimedia, 2016 Excellence in Journalism Awards from the Association of LGBTQ Journalists: Trans Lives by German Lopez and Joe Posner
175MM
total monthly content views
67MM
average monthly video views across all platforms
Top 10
fastest-growing general news property
1.5MM
YouTube subscribers
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Vox Becomes a Leading Voice in Campaign Coverage
In the midst of a complex and intense campaign, Vox surpassed even top-tier competitors like Politico, the Atlantic, and CNN Politics in October in audience size. And it did it with reported explainers on important policy proposals, deep interviews with candidates, and sharp analysis, proving there's a wide audience hungry for serious news across social and mobile platforms.
Klein Interviews Clinton on Policy, Gender, and Leadership
Vox editor in chief Ezra Klein set out to answer a question about Hillary Clinton that had bothered him for years: What accounts for "the Gap" between the publicly cautious and controversial Clinton we see on TV and the privately beloved Clinton we hear about from staffers and fellow senators? Klein's deep profile, published alongside a 40-minute interview with Clinton herself, redefined the national conversation about Clinton, gender, and leadership.
Vox Goes Deep on the Rise of a Dark New Political Mood
With features like Amanda Taub's "The rise of American authoritarianism" and Zack Beauchamp's "White riot," and daily analysis from Vox's world-class politics team, Vox helped guide audiences to an understanding of a shocking new form of American politics that has redefined the Republican Party and, with Trump's election, is poised to redefine the country.
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Vox Hits 1.5 Million YouTube Subscribers
Vox Video grew its subscriber base by more than 400% in 2016! How? Going longer, deeper, and smarter than ever. From the dark side of the Rio Olympics to the rise of ISIS to rapping deconstructed and driving in the left lane, Vox Video is explaining the serious, weird, fun, and surprising and defying the conventional wisdom that video needs to be superficial and disposable to find an audience.
"2016ish" Interviews a Prime Minister, Wins a Shorty
Liz Plank's election video series "2016ish" earned both audience and award love this year, taking home a Shorty Award for News & Media and reaching millions on Facebook and YouTube. With wit and humor, Liz dissected the media, talked to voters, and even interviewed one dreamy Canadian prime minister.
Vox Redefines the Policy Conference With Vox Conversations
Vox's first-ever conference began with two unconventional rules: 1) no panels, and 2) no preset schedule. This "unconference" brought a new energy to the conventional policy events that plague the Beltway, allowing participants ranging from data scientists and venture capitalists to labor leaders and senators to come together to set their own agenda and have urgent conversations about unusual topics like a universal basic income, the rise of automated transportation, and the rezoning of American cities.
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The Weeds Grows, The Ezra Klein Show Is Born
Vox's podcast audience grew by more than 300% in 2016. Why? Because Vox audiences love when its journalists go deep, and few mediums are better for that than podcasts. Sarah Kliff, Matt Yglesias, and Ezra Klein's conversations about policy on Vox's first podcast, The Weeds, continued to offer an oasis of substance. And Klein launched an interview show, The Ezra Klein Show, talking to everyone from Momofuku founder David Chang to Microsoft founder Bill Gates.
SB Nation in 2016