The Huffington Post's Top Stories from 2010 (VIDEO)

The Huffington Post's editors chose the biggest news stories of 2010, and give their own unique take on why these stories came to define the year.

Meet the editors as they step out from behind their computer screens to discuss the past year in news, and then tell us what you think were this year's most important news stories.

WATCH:

Produced, shot and edited by Samira Nanda and Hunter Stuart

Comments

[wen1454]

01:37 AM on 01/01/2011

The biggest story of 2010 was the failure of Barack Obama: the failure to substantially reduce unemployment, the failure to stop the oil spill in a reasonable amount of time, the horrible performance of the Democrats in the 2010 elections, his huge flip-flop on civil liberties, the failure to pass any legislation important to his base (DREAM, cap & trade, etc.) other than the DADT repeal (which barely passed despite overwhelming support from the American public).

[ziggy2020]

12:53 AM on 01/01/2011

bob and dan weren't so bad, bianca could use some elocution lessons!

[Oakland Red]

08:51 PM on 12/31/2010

Wikileaks is the most important story of 2010 in terms of both the present and the historic impact. Thanks to Wikileaks, we have a dramatic light shed on an amazing range of issues with respect to the governments of the world and their hidden activities. The Iraq War revelations, the Afghan War logs, and the US State Department cables have changed our understanding and increased enormously our awareness of the actions of those institutions that act in our name but not in accordance with the will of the people.

[JISantiago]

05:28 PM on 12/31/2010

Corrected version:

The Gulf oil spill is the single biggest event of 2010 because of the devastatio­n it caused and the manifestat­ion of the criminal activity the big oil companies are engaged in, in the name of oil exploratio­n and rigging for oil.

On the brighter side, as far as America is concerned, Healthcare reform, despite the politicall­y motivated bipartisan tirade against the legislatio­n, is single most historic piece of law of immense benefit to the American people.

One more event the HuffPost editors have omitted to mention is the unfair ouster of Helen Thomas from the White House Press Corp. She paid the heaviest price to state the obvious.

[JISantiago]

05:23 PM on 12/31/2010

The Gulf oil spill is the single biggest event of 2010 because of the devastation it caused and the manifestation of the criminal activity the big oil companies are engaged in, in the name of oil exploration and rigging for oil.

On the brighter side, as far as America is concerned, Healthcare reform, despite the politically motivated bipartisan tirade against the legislation, is single most historic piece of law of immense benefit to the American people.

One more event the HuffPost editors has omitted to mention is the unfair ouster of Helen Thomas from the White House Press Corp.

[skantea]

04:15 AM on 01/01/2011

It wasn't a spill it was a dump. Hundreds of BP shares were sold in the days leading up to the explosion by Hayward as well as Goldman Sachs. After studies conclude that previous environmental concerns are now moot, there will be drills all over the gulf.
Let's see the news media chase THOSE facts.

[ejreed]

05:02 PM on 12/31/2010

the biggest stories according to the nypost
http://www.newslook.com/videos/279258-goodbye-2010-new-york-post?autoplay=true

[RTIII]

09:40 PM on 12/31/2010

If I cared, I'd go to the NY Post.

[JoeHurley]

03:56 PM on 12/31/2010

Overall, these were odd choices. Here's my top three stories of 2010:

1- The oil spill in the Gulf.

2- The rise of the Tea Party, the ouster of quite a few incumbent Republicans in the primaries, and the astounding Democratic loss of The House of Representatives.

3- The passing of Obamacare (like it or not).

[DRaymond]

03:46 PM on 12/31/2010

I think that history will look back at 2010 and point the finger at he Citizens United ruling and the subsequent failure of Congress to pass the DISCLOSE act.  We had one brief chance to cut the influence before politicians became too afraid of the power of corporations to ruin them professionally and personally,
 
We have now formalized the handing over the political power in our country to large corporations who are citizens of no country.

[CAdawn]

04:09 PM on 12/31/2010

Agree that the Citizens United ruling will be the one that impacts us the most. The BP spill will get cleaned up. The foreclosure mess will eventually be dealt with. Citizens United will impact us all. Elections have come down to whoever has the most money. We may very well lose our democracy. A new fan, DR.

[RTIII]

09:42 PM on 12/31/2010

Sorry, CAdawn, "The BP spill will get cleaned up." is VERY wishful thinking.

From, a New Orleanian.

[Helen In Canada]

03:32 PM on 12/31/2010

Love HuffPost, but I'm surprised the biggest international stories are not mentioned in the video. We are all interconnected, after all.

[Rlogan30]

03:21 PM on 12/31/2010

I don't know about the biggest story but the most important thing to happen this year was the health care reform bill passing. That change will help 30 million additional Americans get health care reform. You may like it or you may hate it but the bill passed and the change will affect this country for decades into the future.

People will barely remember the oil spill in 10 years but the health care bill will be in full effect and everyone will either feel the benefits or the pain from it.

[RTIII]

09:47 PM on 12/31/2010

People barely remember the oil spill NOW, you prig. And that oil will be out there for DECADES, degrading the environment.

Meanwhile, I PRESUME you are talking about the health INSURANCE bill - we haven't had a health care bill yet pass congress. And no, it won't help us as you think because most of us without healthcare don't have it because we cannot afford it, not because we don't want it. Thankfully, the mandate has been ruled unconstitional - and may soon be by the Supreme Court. Yeah, we helped reform health insurance a little...

That Oil Spill is going to affect all the people in South Louisiana FOREVER - at least the rest of my lifetime and I'm well below 50.......

[CPAwADD]

03:06 PM on 12/31/2010

What's all this fuss about baseball player Ricky Weeks. I don't understand how a National League second baseman can cause such an international furor and increased concerns about security.

Emily Litella

[eric14]

03:04 PM on 12/31/2010

Biggest Story of the Year

Social, cultural, economic and political degeneration of the United States demonstrated by rise of crazy Christian rightism, failure to tax the super-wealthy, selling of political system to corporate interests, yielding to ultra-right pressure from Israel, becoming mercenaries for Oligarchic medievalists in the Gulf, murdering people using drones and engaging in an ever-increasing racist tantrum against China.

Recovery is possible, but given the profound ideological polarization which exists, the outlook is grim. If the right gain power, they will destroy America in order to save it. The left will not have the power to do anything. Moderates will do a little, never enough, and things will crumble and crumble. The illusion that things are going well will be sustained by those sections of the economy which prosper.

[Travis Bickle]

03:04 PM on 12/31/2010

The anti-immigration sentiment from the far right. Arizona, ethnics studies and teachers with accents being banned, the child mural who almost got painted white, and of course the law and its controversy.

Haiti's earthquake as well as the flood in Pakistan and its displaced children.

Both rallies by Glenn Beck and Jon Stewart/Colbert.

Obama targeting US citizen for kill or capture, Anwar al-Awlaki,

The anemic compromise of Obama and Bernie's near 9 hour 'filibuster'.

Wikileaks/Julian Assange.

[Edjoodelky Louis]

02:44 PM on 12/31/2010

The Worst Story Of the Year... Have to Be Haiti Earth Quake and The Haitian Election...

[GeoTor]

02:41 PM on 12/31/2010

Sarah Palin getting her own reality TV series, her daughter on Dancing With The Stars, her husband being on a future Dancing With The Stars ... that people might want to elect a Reality TV star into the White House, that John McCain tweets with Snooki ... that the dumbing down of America is like a falling knife that nobody wants to rescue.