It’s one thing for news editors to decide which stories make it onto the year-enders’ list based on news value and impact, but it’s a completely different list when readers decide which ones were worth the click.
This is that list: the standout stories as decided by YOU — determined by most comments, interactions and shares on Global News’ social media handles.
January — Trump protests trump Trump inauguration
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Trump Inauguration: Protesters set limo on fire -
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Trump Inauguration: Police use flash bangs against protesters in Washington -
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Trump inauguration: protester appears to fight back at pepper-spraying police -
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Protesters and police clash blocks from parade route in Washington -
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Trump inauguration: protesters sit on roof of smashed limo -
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Montrealers protest as Trump sworn in as U.S. president -
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Trump Inauguration: Protesters arrested outside of Trump Tower -
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Trump Inauguration: Protesters, supporters clash on inauguration day -
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Trump Inauguration: Protesters shout ‘shame’ during swearing-in ceremony -
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Trump Inauguration: Thousands protest against Trump on Golden Gate Bridge -
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Trump inauguration: Protesters set fire to garbage cans in Washington -
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Anti-Trump protesters refuse to let two men in Air Force uniforms pass check point -
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Trump inauguration: dozens of anti-Trump protesters pepper-sprayed -
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Trump inauguration: violent protests break out in Washington -
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Trump inauguration: explosions heard at Washington protests
WATCH ABOVE: Full coverage of anti-Donald Trump protests
January was a tumultuous time for politics, as the world geared up for President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration on the 20th.
While all eyes were seemingly on the podium, more eyes were actually on the violence on the streets in Washington D.C. near the hill.
With 3.9 million views and 55,000 reactions/comments/shares, this post easily beat out the live stream of Trump’s inauguration, which received nearly 800,000 views and 35,000 interactions.
February — What pregnancy feels like
The above animation showing why pregnancy can be uncomfortable resonated with a large audience — snagging the top post for February with 15,000 reactions/comments/shares and 1.1 million views.
And here’s the top comment:
March — 5-year-old boy’s haircut makes worldwide buzz
In March, the story of two five-year-old boys from Kentucky — one white and one black — taught people about racial harmony.
According to the Associated Press, the boys believed if they have the same haircut, their teacher won’t be able to tell them apart.
The story exploded online, with more than 200,000 interactions on Global’s pages alone.
Here’s what some of you had to say!
Bonus: watch the video!
April — B.C. skiers capture Rocky Mountains avalanche
A group of skiiers in British Columbia got a front row seat to an incredible – and terrifying – natural phenomenon while skiing in the Rocky Mountains, wrote Global’s Elton Hobson.
At 1,000 metres above sea level, they heard a loud crack – which is a tell-tale sign of an impending avalanche.
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Here’s what happened next:
This video reached more than 8.8 million people, and was viewed more than 3.7 million times.
The above post garnered more than 78,000 likes/comments/shares, with many more across the interwebs.
May — Bus driver stops route to pick up lost 5-year-old
A Milwaukee County bus driver’s instincts helped a lost five-year-old girl return home.
Transit System bus driver Tiffani Lee drove by the girl and instantly knew something was wrong.
As the Associated Press reported:
Lee invited the girl to warm up on the bus as she called police for help. Video shows a West Allis police officer walking onto the bus and kneeling down to speak to the girl. She told the officer she was lost, and he walked her home.
Family members said the girl had unlocked the front door and left while her mother and siblings were asleep.
The video struck a chord with our audience, to the tune of more than 3.4 million people reached, over 760,000 views, and 26,000 interactions.
June — Michael J. Fox receives a lifetime artistic achievement award
In June, Governor-General David Johnston honoured three of Canada’s biggest celebrities — including Michael J. Fox — with performing arts awards.
As Global’s Jesse Ferreras reported:
Fox received the 2017 Lifetime Artistic Achievement Award in broadcasting, after a career that has seen him play iconic roles in TV shows such as Family Ties and films such as the Back to the Future movies.
But Fox also became known for his humanitarian efforts after he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease in 1991. He started the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research and became an advocate for people who live with the debilitating condition.
The video of Fox receiving the award was viewed just under 4.7 million times and reached 6.4 million.
The post itself was liked/shared/commented on 99,000 times.
July — Calgary veteran who survived Dunkirk causes a stir at movie premiere
It’s not every day that a movie premiere at a local theatre makes it onto a list of top stories of the year for this news organization. But theatre-goers were in for quite the surprise when a 97-year-old man who fought in the Battle of Dunkirk was moved by the realism of the film Dunkirk.
WATCH ABOVE: Dunkirk veteran Ken Sturdy was moved by the realism of Christopher Nolan’s new film Dunkirk at a theatre in Calgary in July.
“I was in those little boats picking them out of the water,” says Calgarian Ken Sturdy, who fought in the 1940 battle.
And the story of the encounter moved Global News audiences. Over 250,000 of them engaged with the story on our social pages, shooting it to the top of our charts in July.
Readers welcomed Sturdy’s candid take on the movie as it compared to real life, with one commenter saying:
August — Orca breaches in front of a kayaker
“Beautiful B.C.” was illustrated with the simple and captivating image of an orca breaching right in front of a West Coast kayaker. The local story was picked up by our national team and became a viral sensation for our audiences in August, with one post alone being shared nearly 2,000 times on Facebook.
What began as a simple night of paddling turned into a uniquely B.C. experience as a pod of orcas began swimming right in front of them, wrote Global’s Jesse Ferreras.
WATCH: A Comox Valley family captured some stunning video and stills of their close encounter with a pod of Orcas near Courtenay. Tanya Beja has the story.
September — Bear kicks its feet up in northern Manitoba garbage dump
It seems our audiences have a penchant for unbelieveable animal images, as this photo of a bear kicking its feet up in a Northern Manitoba garbage dump garnered the most interactions in September.
With nearly 200,000 reactions, shares and comments, it’s obvious animals are perfect fodder for the social sites.
October — a “Panda-Opera”
ICYMI, animals do well on social media sites, and this video of the finest compilation of cute panda falls set to the music of “The Barber of Seville,” released by the Toronto Zoo, is no exception. It was watched 5 million times (pandamonium!), landing it among the top-viewed videos of the year for Global.
November — Canadian PhD student makes groundbreaking cancer discovery
We’ve published our fair share of heartbreaking news stories about cancer victims, which might be why this story of a Canadian PhD student who made a groundbreaking cancer discovery is so refreshing, and made it to the top of the list of the most engaging in November, yielding 180,000 interactions.
WATCH ABOVE: Queen’s University PhD student has identified a chemical compound that could potentially switch off cancer cells.
It was a moment for Canadians to celebrate an accomplishment of another fellow Canadian, and brought hope to those who’ve lost someone to cancer.
December — A look at how grossly cold it’s been across Canada
And the top story of December, as determined by audience interaction, is: The cold!
Canadians may not love it, but judging by these numbers, they love to read about it (and comment with complaints).
WATCH ABOVE: Canada’s cold snap: this is how cold it felt across the country
Here’s what one reader said:
And that’s a wrap for 2017. We’ll see you over on our Facebook and Twitter pages in 2018, Happy New Year!
— With files from The Associated Press and Global News journalists Elton Hobson and Jesse Ferreras
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