If you ever wondered why there are so many reporters — like this one — covering Apple (AAPL), here’s a clue:

According to Thursday’s Wall Street Journal, eight out of 10 of the most-read corporate news stories on WSJ.com in 2011 were about Steve Jobs or the company he brought back from the brink of bankruptcy.

Only the nasty things Microsoft (MSFT) co-founder Paul Allen had to say about Bill Gates and the liquidation of the second-largest bookstore chain in the U.S. prevented a clean sweep.

Here, in order, is WSJ.com’s top 10 list:

1. Steve Jobs’ obituary
2. Verizon lands the iPhone
3. Jobs quits as Apple’s CEO
4. Apple’s new iPad in production
5. Sprint to get the iPhone
6. The iPhone 4S “fails to wow”
7. Jobs introduces the iPad 2
8. Apple and Google’s “locationgate”
9. Borders forced to liquidate
10. Microsoft co-founder lashes out

You can page through the Journal‘s list and find links to their stories here. (Flash required.)