The Best Free Press Stories of 2025
Our investigation into Qatar’s influence operation in America was one of many stories we’re proud of this year. (Illustration by The Free Press, images via Getty)
We had a busy year. Here is some of the work we’re proudest of.
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The Free Press has had a busy year. As we prepare to ring in the new year, we’re proud of all our hard work, a little tired, and—above all else—grateful to you, the reader, for making all of this possible. To round out 2025, we want to round up some of what we think were our best stories of the last 12 months.
Here are some of the stories that helped us see through the fog, separated right from wrong, challenged our views, made us laugh, or made us cry. In short, they’re stories we think are worth revisiting—or reading for the first time, if you missed them when they were published. And if you’re not a paid subscriber to The Free Press, please consider upgrading today to support more journalism like this in 2026.
Happy New Year!
Essays that Made Sense of the World
Investigations that Drove the Conversation
Reflections on Birth, Death, and What Comes in Between
Editorials that Diagnosed the Country—and Offered Moral Clarity
Profiles of People Who Matter
Features that Made Us Think
Interviews and Debates Featuring People with Skin in the Game
All outstanding stories, which is why I still subscribe. But if I may, I'd love to see a follow up to your best story of last year (2024), which was - -
"Inside America’s Fastest-Growing Criminal Enterprise: Sex Trafficking"
- By Madeleine Rowley
10.14.24
https://www.thefp.com/p/inside-americas-fastest-growing-criminal?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=organic-social
Most articles only present one side of an issue. That means TFP is often TELLING it readers WHAT TO THINK, not providing them with facts and letting READERS DECIDE WHAT TO THINK FOR THEMSELVES. That is advocacy, not real journalism.