PUBLISHED January 7, 2014 IN Campus, Arts, Athletics, Working@Duke

Revealed: Most-Read Duke Today Stories of 2013

Annual news quiz stumps many faculty, staff but a winner emerges

By Bryan Roth

Melinda Gates' visit to Duke as the 2013 commencement speaker was among Duke's most-read stories last year, but not many people knew how popular it was.

That was just one of 10 stories featured in Working@Duke's 2013 news quiz, which asked Duke community members to accurately rank the top-10 stories from Duke Today last year based on page views.

Of 50 entrants, Juanita Wilson, the human resources department manager with the Division of Laboratory Animal Resources, correctly picked the placement of four stories, earning her the top spot among quiz-takers.

The most-read story was a remembrance of longtime Duke chemistry professor James Bonk, who died in March; the Gates' commencement speech was the 10th most-read article. A story about free tickets to a Duke football game was second most-read.

"In our area, we have a lot of interest in football, so I try to stay abreast of things so I can contribute to the conversation around the office," said Wilson, who correctly guessed the placement of the football story. "I relied on my memory because I'm looking at Duke Today daily or at least a few days a week."

As a prize, Wilson will receive a Working@Duke coffee mug to enjoy a hot beverage each morning while checking out the latest on Duke's daily news site throughout 2014.

Among other entrants, two staff members correctly picked placement of three stories, 13 had two correct and 14 had one correct. Twenty-one participants weren't able to place any stories in correct order.

A story about the free football tickets for Duke employees had the most correct placements with 13.

Here are the most-read stories from Duke Today in 2013: