Behind The Stories

NPR's Top Instagram Posts of 2017

December 18, 20179:56 AM ET

This year brought a wide range of news events and NPR's Instagram audience responded. With a mix of still images and videos, we gained about 350,000 new followers and surpassed our engagement goals in 2017.

Our Instagram philosophy is to share a mix of NPR stories from a variety of topics each day. Breaking news and politics led the top 10 posts of the year but our audience also gravitated to features including baby boxes, a favorite dish from Iran and a lesson on Native American treaties.

The top overall post was from early 2017, showing the Women's March on Washington following President Trump's inauguration ceremony. The rest of the top 10 are seen in chronological order, highlighting different news events throughout the year.

Women's March Floods Washington, Sparking Rallies Worldwide

Sarah and her mom Tamara traveled from Detroit to be at the Women’s March on Washington today. (Credit: @mmkelly2 | Meg Kelly/NPR) #womensmarch

A post shared by NPR (@npr) on Jan 21, 2017 at 2:23pm PST

Dispatches Of Discontent: Protesters Of Immigration Ban Take To The Streets

Outside the White House, in Boston's Copley Square and at Battery Park in New York City, immigrant advocacy groups have organized protests to register their discontent with the executive order Trump signed Friday.⠀ ⠀ That order bars all refugees from entering the U.S. for 120 days, as well as citizens of seven largely Muslim countries for 90 days. The freeze also applies to green card holders, who are legal U.S. residents; they will need a case-by-case waiver to enter the country, which officials say will be granted so long as there is no evidence of the person presenting "a serious threat to public safety and welfare."⠀ ⠀ "Protecting this nation and our people is the No. 1 priority of this president and our government," White House press secretary Sean Spicer said Sunday, arguing that the immigration ban is the best way to do that.⠀ ⠀ Groups of protesters across the country disagree with that assessment — so much so that they make their objections readily evident with signs and chants, rallies and marches in at least a half-dozen different cities.⠀ ⠀ What began as a rally outside the White House in Washington, D.C., eventually transformed into a march toward the Capitol. (Credit: @briagranville | Bria Granville/NPR)

A post shared by NPR (@npr) on Jan 29, 2017 at 4:25pm PST

States Give New Parents Baby Boxes To Encourage Safe Sleep Habits

Twins Ryan and Nell Stimpert lie in their baby boxes at home in Cleveland, Ohio. The cardboard boxes are safe and portable places for the babies to sleep. ⠀ The program is a riff on Finland's well-known baby box, or maternity package, which the government gives to expectant mothers who get a prenatal checkup: It's the box, plus clothing, blankets and other supplies. Now states in the U.S. are experimenting with them as a way to encourage safe sleep practices and reduce sudden infant death syndrome, or SIDS. ⠀ Follow the link in our bio for the full story. (Credit: @maddiemcgarvey | Maddie McGarvey for NPR)

A post shared by NPR (@npr) on Mar 30, 2017 at 12:24pm PDT

PHOTOS: Scientists Take To Washington To Stress A Nonpartisan Agenda

Sally Belcher is a practicing family physician from Rockville, Md. She attended Saturday’s March for Science on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. "Science shouldn't run a separate path from anything. We all live with science whether we study it or not," she said. "If anything it's even more important that the scientific aspect we brought into the political arena because it affects so many people at once." Follow the link in our bio for more photos and the full story. (Credit: @mererizzo | Meredith Rizzo/NPR) #marchforscience

A post shared by NPR (@npr) on Apr 23, 2017 at 7:57am PDT

D.C. Equality March Makes Pride Political

Thousands of people marched Sunday in support of LGBTQ rights and other progressive causes, including on National Mall in Washington D.C. The march began not far from the White House, where supporters gathered with brightly colored signs and rainbow flags. As the group got closer to the National Mall, they were joined by a coalition of gay choirs who led the marchers in songs. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, straight, white, black, Latinx Americans and people from around the country — and some from around the world — attended the march to highlight issues from the LGBTQ community. In addition, many of the marchers carried signs with the names of the victims from the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, which happened on June 12th last year. Above: Scenes from the march in Washington, D.C. Follow the link in our bio for the full story. (Credit: @liamjamesphoto | Liam James Doyle/NPR)

A post shared by NPR (@npr) on Jun 11, 2017 at 12:39pm PDT

The Aroma Of Rice And Barberries Takes Her Back Home To Iran

Yasaman Alavi makes zereshk polow, a crunchy-bottomed rice dish popular in her native Iran. Infused with saffron and spiked with tart barberries, it's traditionally eaten with slow-cooked chicken. Alavi prepares this meal while sharing memories of her aunt's cooking back in Iran, and tells us how she has come to cook Persian cuisine in her new home in Maryland. Feeling inspired? Share your own Hot Pot story by posting a food memory on Instagram, using the hashtag #NPRHotPot. (Credit: NPR) #PersianFood #IranianFood #InternationalCuisine

A post shared by NPR (@npr) on Jul 27, 2017 at 8:52am PDT

Harvey Weakens Over Louisiana As Houston Copes With Record Rainfall

Rescuers in Houston got a family out safely, but one member was missing. So they went back. Follow the link in our bio for ongoing storm coverage. (Credit: @nprgreene | David Greene/NPR)

A post shared by NPR (@npr) on Aug 30, 2017 at 6:35am PDT

A Few Things To Know: Why Treaties Matter Today

The U.S. has ratified more than 370 treaties with American Indian nations. Yet many Americans know little about the these legally binding treaties, that shaped, and continue to impact, the country today. (Credit: Video/NPR) Follow this link to watch the full video: https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=bexvE4lZRGo

A post shared by NPR (@npr) on Nov 24, 2017 at 6:34am PST

Speaker Ryan On Sexual Harassment: 'We Are Having A Watershed Moment In This Country'

In a wide ranging interview with NPR’s Morning Edition, House Speaker Paul Ryan discussed tax reform, Russian interference in U.S. elections, and sexual misconduct allegations of political leaders. Republicans are continuing to grapple with Alabama GOP Senate nominee Roy Moore, who has been accused by multiple women of sexual assault when they were teens and he was in his 30s. Inskeep asked Ryan about the differences between the allegations against Moore — which the House speaker reiterated he believed were "very, very credible" — and the accusations against President Trump. Follow the link in the bio to hear the full interview. (Credit: NPR)

A post shared by NPR (@npr) on Dec 1, 2017 at 8:46am PST

Joe Biden Remembers His Son In His New Memoir

When former Vice President Joe Biden was asked about the difficulty of writing his book, ’Promise Me, Dad,’ and the subsequent tour he said, “Well, it's been a lot harder for me than I anticipated. I'll be blunt, I've been fairly surefooted about the things I've done in my career. This is the one place that I feel the least surefooted. The reason I wrote the book was because I wanted people to know what a remarkable man my son [Beau] was. And I also wanted to give hope to people who have gone through what we are going through without anywhere near the amount of support we've had, and some with considerably more difficult crisis to face.” Follow the link in our bio to hear the full conversation. (Credit: Ariel Zambelich/NPR)

A post shared by NPR (@npr) on Dec 4, 2017 at 1:42pm PST

NPR Extra