Throughout a year of tumult and transformation, and so much news, the Post’s graphics team had a single goal: Help readers make sense of it all. Our journalism has covered the substance and style of President Trump’s first year, disasters manmade and natural, scientific advances and a celestial light show, cultural sensations and practical applications. Here’s what we’ve been doing this year:
Working with colleagues across the newsroom, we are tracking what Trump says and what his administration does. Here are three examples.
We’re continuously updating our coverage of the multifaceted probe of Russian interference in the 2016 election to help readers understand the story so far.
Our accountability reporting extends far beyond this White House. Among our examinations is a continuing focus on policing in America — and how often fired officers resurface on forces elsewhere.
Along with a new administration comes new policy initiatives. Over the course of the year, we’ve examined the consequences of changes to trade deals, visa requirements and the Environmental Protection Agency.
It has been a brutal year for natural disasters, with a strong hurricane season that devastated Houston and Puerto Rico and fires that ravaged northern and southern California. We used visuals to explain the scope of the catastrophes.
We analyzed the causes for the longest and largest blackout in U.S. history — and chronicled the human toll.
We used maps to explain how vehicle attacks in Spain and New York City unfolded and showed the wrenching loss caused by mass shootings in Las Vegas and Sutherland Springs, Tex.
As tensions between the United States and North Korea intensified, we examined North Korea’s nuclear capabilities and potential targets.
We chronicled the continuing crisis in the Middle East as Iraqi forces took back the city of Mosul from the Islamic State.
We’re always thinking about ways to help readers understand how they fit into the world around them. The tax overhaul was a complex policy change, so we offered multiple ways for readers to determine how the changes might affect them.
We also built tools to help readers figure out whether they should ditch cable, if their families would be restricted by the travel ban, and whether they are in the middle class.
In 2017, we continued to open up conversations with our readers. After the massacre in Las Vegas, we asked readers whether we’re doing enough to prevent these attacks.
After the solar eclipse, we analyzed thousands of Instagram photos to show what it was like to experience the event across the country.

We’re always looking for new ways to tell stories with visual power. This year, we created stories with 3-D maps, augmented reality and 360 illustration.
In a busy year full of political intrigue and natural disasters, we also covered many stories that reflect our readers’ everyday lives, offering new lenses for understanding the world around them.
More stories
2016 in graphics: The year in must-see visualizations from The Post
16 in ’16: Must-see visualizations (other than the election) from the past year.
The 2016 election, in graphics
A curated collection of the visual stories published throughout the 2016 presidential campaign.