• by December 30, 2019

As Publishing Insider looks forward to a decade of continued transformation for publishers, we wanted to take a moment to look back at the most-read stories of 2019.

The year included many notable news items, including efforts by Hearst magazine editorial staffers to unionize, Meredith's shedding of Sports Illustrated, the appointment of a new CEO at Conde Nast, the launch of Apple News+ and Facebook's expansion of its news platform. However, the following stories received the most clicks:

1. 'New York Times' Tests Tougher Paywall

The New York Times is testing a harder paywall, which means using “incognito” or “private” mode in a web browser is less effective at seeing the newspaper’s online stories for free.

2. F+W Media's Bankruptcy Auction Nets Almost $8M, Magazines Sold Off

A 16-hour auction involving 17 bidders resulted in breaking up F+W’s media properties among six separate sales, a debtor attorney told the court.

3. Meredith Sheds Time Inc. Legacy

How Meredith Corp. handled magazine titles inherited in last year’s acquisition of Time Inc. provides an interesting case study for a publishing industry coping with deep cuts in ad revenue.

4. Bezos Divorce May Mean 'Washington Post' Gets New Owner

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and his wife, Mackenzie, announced they were getting a divorce and splitting assets. As it turned out, Bezos maintained control of the newspaper.

5. Fate Of 'The Markup' Is Up To Craig Newmark

The Markup managed to raise more than $23 million, including donations from Craig Newmark, the billionaire founder of Craigslist. 

6. Apple News Boosts Readership To 85 Million

Apple scored a victory of sorts as its stock climbed after the iPhone maker revealed dismal results from its fiscal first-quarter, which included the holiday buying season.

7.  GateHouse-Gannett Filing Shows Revealing History Of Deal Talks

If you want some insight into the current state of publisher deal-making, a government filing for the planned $1.4 billion merger between GateHouse Media and Gannett has plenty of details.

8. Dershowitz Accuses 'The New Yorker' Of Trying To Silence Him

Alan Dershowtiz, the Harvard law professor and famed criminal-defense lawyer, accused The New Yorker and editor David Remnick of trying to silence him for making supportive remarks about President Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israel.

9. Conde Nast Quietly Cuts Magazine Staff As Mastheads Shrink

The cuts came as the company looked for a new CEO to replace Bob Sauerberg, who stepped down in November as part of a broader restructuring that combined its U.S. and international divisions.

10. 'Los Angeles Times' Switches Website To Home-Grown Publishing Tech

The LAT showed the latest sign of separating from former owner Tribune Publishing Co. with the rollout of the content management system called GrapheneCMS.