Welcome to Quillette's list of the most popular articles of the year, based on the number of pageviews from January 1 to December 27, 2023.
These articles cover a wide range of topics, including true crime, Harvard, Oppenheimer, and even an imaginary sex ring. We want to extend our congratulations to the authors and our dedicated team of editors for delivering such high-quality journalism in what has been our most successful year yet.
Additionally, we'd like to give a special shout-out to Quillette editors Jamie Palmer and Jonathan Kay, whose essays have made it into our top 10 list.
One
The Wrongful Exoneration of Adnan Syed Part I: A Straightforward Murder Case
A serious reexamination of this case must begin by setting out the evidence that led the jury to convict.
Andrew Hammel
Two
The Harvard Double Standard
And how higher education can reform from within.
Jeffrey S. Flier
Three
RIP, Richard Bilkszto, a Toronto Educator Who Stood up to Woke Bullying—and Paid the Price
Two years after being falsely smeared as a white supremacist by a diversity trainer, a longtime school principal committed suicide
Jonathan Kay
Four
The Return of the Progressive Atrocity
It is the responsibility of Western activists to know who and what they support, and to separate themselves—openly and decisively—from programs and regimes that are predicated on violence and repression.
Susie Linfield
Five
Campus Puritans Come for an Astronomer—And His Byline
By demanding that morality tests be imposed on scientific journal authorship, Geoff Marcy’s critics are creating a dangerous precedent.
Lawrence M. Krauss
Six
The Lab-Leak Illusion
The laboratory accident hypothesis of COVID-19’s origins is a bust, but the popular consensus is unwilling to accept it.
Jamie Palmer
Seven
The Wrongful Exoneration of Adnan Syed Part II: The Legal and Media Circus
Adnan Syed would never have been released had ‘Serial’ not been made, and why advocacy journalism must be treated with caution.
Andrew Hammel
Eight
McMaster’s Imaginary Sex Ring
In 2020, a Canadian university tore up its psychology department in search of a non-existent network of sexual predators. Documents obtained by Quillette reveal how administrators allowed it to happen.
Jonathan Kay
Nine
How Accurate is Christopher Nolan’s ‘Oppenheimer’?
A nuclear engineer reviews the blockbuster film.
Robert Zubrin
Ten
When Trans Activism Becomes Government Policy
Even as other nations finally move to protect dysphoric youth from disfiguring treatments, Canadian politicians and educators continue to promote state-funded ‘gender journeys.’
Margaret Wente
