In 2024, the Scene’s readers gravitated toward political reporting, real estate news and reports about the untimely deaths of local media figures. Below, you’ll find a roundup of the past year’s most-read Nashville Scene articles, along with a bit of context.
See the winners, honorable mentions and other gems in our annual YASNI contest
In the interest of transparency: We disqualified a couple of Scene links from this list that are more logistical than editorial — otherwise, the Best of Nashville voting page and the “You Are So Nashville If …” submission link would’ve landed near the top of the list. We also disqualified stories published prior to 2024 that saw a spike in traffic this year. (A 2019 article about Dave Ramsey and a 2009 story about Toby Keith, for instance, saw enormous upticks in traffic this year. Thank you, Google.)
Landing just outside of our top 10 were a column by Betsy Phillips about U.S. Rep. Tim Burchett’s comments on DEI, the removal of Confederate flags from a piece of private property near I-65, Betsy’s thoughts on U.S. Rep. Mark Green, and more of Michael Ray Taylor’s reporting on River Gorge Ranch.
10. Green’s Daughter: He’s Not the ‘Christian, Conservative Family Man’ He Claims to Be
Family blames ‘toxic environment’ in D.C. for affair, but infidelity might not be enough for him to lose reelection bid
In September, the Nashville Banner’s Sarah Grace Taylor reported on text messages sent by Camilla Green, the wife of Republican U.S. Rep. Mark Green, to a group of Congress members. Green accused her husband of being corrupted by D.C. and having an affair with a woman significantly younger than him. The Banner spoke with the Greens’ daughter Catherine, who said, “We’ve all had to basically grieve the loss of the person that we thought was our father.” As part of our partnership with the Banner, the Scene also ran the story.
Despite the scandal, Rep. Green went on to defeat Democrat Megan Barry and retain his seat representing Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District.
9. Morgan Wallen, Bad Behavior and Nashville's Relationship With Its Guests
Last week, the Metro Council rejected signage for Wallen's bar, citing the country superstar's reckless behavior
In April, country star Morgan Wallen (already beset by scandal) was arrested for throwing a chair from the roof of Eric Church’s honky-tonk on Lower Broad. The next month, the Metro Council rejected signage for Wallen’s bar as a means of sending a message. Longtime columnist Betsy Phillips opined on the greater implications of the situation, writing that “we have become a tourist destination for racists because we’re a tourist destination for assholes.”
Earlier this month, the council ultimately voted to give Wallen’s bar its signage.
8. Scene Reporter Arrested at Vanderbilt University
Scene staff writer Eli Motycka was reporting on student protests regarding campus speech and Israel's military invasion of Gaza
On March 26, Scene reporter Eli Motycka was arrested by Vanderbilt University police while reporting on student protests regarding campus speech and Israel's military invasion of Gaza. He was released from custody a few hours later and ultimately not charged with a crime, with Judicial Magistrate Timothy Lee not finding probable cause to hear charges against Motycka. Vanderbilt later released a review of the incident, led by attorney Aubrey Harwell, noting that the arrest was made “contrary to [a] directive about clearing any arrests through … the chain of command.” Vanderbilt has still not issued an apology for its arrest of our reporter.
7. Bill Freeman Dies at 73
Real estate company founder, Scene owner and community benefactor died at his home in Forest Hills
In November, Bill Freeman — the co-founder of Nashville-based real estate company Freeman Webb, a Democratic Party powerbroker, a former mayoral candidate and the owner of Nashville Scene parent company FW Publishing — died at his Forest Hills home. He was 73. An outpouring of support and fond memories followed the news of Bill’s death, as he was a supporter of national, state and local progressive political and community causes.
6. RiverGate Mall Listed for Sale
North Davidson retail property opened in 1971, offers Target, Dillard’s, J.C. Penney
In March, sprawling retail complex RiverGate Mall was offered for sale for an undisclosed asking price. The news lit up Facebook, and seemed particularly popular among longtime Nashvillians who either worked at or frequented the mall in its ’90s heyday. (Editor’s note: I worked at a Rivergate Mall kiosk the summer before college, and understand the ambivalent nostalgia.) As far as we know, the mall is not yet under contract.
5. Thunder on the Mountain: Do Luxury Homesites Sit Atop Environmental Catastrophe?
An East Tennessee development is moving forward on what locals call a ‘Swiss cheese’ of abandoned coal mines
In March, Scene contributor Michael Ray Taylor kicked off a series reporting on River Gorge Ranch, a luxury homesite situated on East Tennessee’s Aetna Mountain. Owned by developer John “Thunder” Thornton, River Gorge Ranch garnered a great deal of concern and controversy due to being situated on top of what locals called a “Swiss cheese” of abandoned coal mines. Taylor continued reporting on the development for the Scene over the course of the year, from regulatory concerns to Thornton’s attempts at a libel suit.
4. Scoop Nashville Founder Jason Steen Dies at 44
The controversial figure’s sites celebrated sensational crime news
In October, Scoop Nashville proprietor Jason Steen died at age 44. Steen, who received a heart transplant in 2017, died of heart failure. As the Nashville Banner’s Steve Cavendish wrote at the time: “Through Scoop Nashville, Steen practiced a brand of journalism that was scorned by many, relying on public records, social media and internet rumor to produce stories that were often sensational and exploitative. A current sample of recent items on the site includes overdoses, drunk and disorderly behavior on Lower Broadway, domestic disturbances, theft and assault.” Scoopnashville.com is currently nonfunctional.
3. Allegations Pile Up Against Top VUMC Executive
Former surgeon and assistant allege $500 bribe, sexism, retaliation and kickbacks in separate lawsuits
In April, Eli Motycka reported on “additional allegations of departmental misconduct and employee mistreatment under Dr. Rick Wright, an orthopedic surgeon and top executive at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.” The article followed related reporting from the Scene’s Kelsey Beyeler that landed on our list of most-read stories in 2023.
2. FBI Conducting New Investigation Into Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Questioning has focused on VUMC orthopedics department, according to those interviewed by federal agents
In September, the Scene’s Eli Motycka reported that the FBI had conducted multiple interviews at Vanderbilt University Medical Center over the preceding 18 months. Multiple anonymous sources told Motycka at the time that additional FBI interviews took place among their colleagues, centering on VUMC’s orthopedics department.
1. Best of Nashville 2024
The Scene’s annual Best of Nashville issue is a huge undertaking, featuring both our annual Readers’ Poll and our Writers’ Choices. BON rounds up our staff’s, our freelance contributors’ and our readers’ favorite local food, art, music, businesses, media, athletes and beyond. We begin work on the issue at the beginning of the summer, and publish it in October. I’m happy to say it was our most-read issue of the year.
