Andrea Wise

Visual Strategy Editor

Andrea Wise is a Visual Strategy Editor responsible for ideating and commissioning photography, illustration, and other forms of visual journalism at ProPublica. She is also the co-founder of Diversify Photo, a global community working to amplify the voices of underrepresented groups in visual media.

Prior to joining ProPublica, Andrea was a contract photo editor on the history & culture desk at National Geographic and also worked with Newsweek, BuzzFeed News, The Intercept, and Open Society Foundations, among other publications. She has coached workshops at Syracuse University, The University of Oregon, and Western Kentucky University, as well as juried competitions for Getty Images, The Connecticut Art Directors Club, American Illustration - American Photography, and the Society of Professional Journalists.

Andrea earned her M.S. in Photography from Syracuse University and her B.A. in Studio Arts from Trinity College. She is an alum of the Eddie Adams, Kalish, and Mountain Workshops.

In the Child’s Best Interest

As a contentious custody dispute drags on for years, both sides agree on one thing: The child at the center of it is being abused. Is his mother or father to blame?

The Ugly Truth Behind “We Buy Ugly Houses”

HomeVestors of America, the self-proclaimed “largest homebuyer in the U.S.,” trains its nearly 1,150 franchisees to zero in on homeowners’ desperation.

This Pharmacist Said Prisoners Wouldn’t Feel Pain During Lethal Injection. Then Some Shook and Gasped for Air.

A Florida pharmacist serves as an expert witness on behalf of states defending lethal injection protocols, often speaking about a drug that he has no authority to prescribe. His testimony has helped pave the way for executions across the country.

Doctors Warned Her Pregnancy Could Kill Her. Then Tennessee Outlawed Abortion.

A Tennessee mother wanted to end her high-risk pregnancy, but doctors feared prosecution.

They Called 911 for Help. Police and Prosecutors Used a New Junk Science to Decide They Were Liars.

Tracing the fallacy of 911 call analysis through the justice system, from Quantico to the courtroom.

What Happened to Rezwan

When Kabul fell, Biden promised to rescue Afghan allies. For 14-year-old Rezwan Kohistani and his family, that meant being sent to a remote Missouri town where no other Afghans lived. “We’d been left alone,” said Rezwan’s father.

These Foster Kids Need Mental Health Care. New Mexico Is Putting Them in Homeless Shelters.

Youth crisis shelters aren’t set up to deal with foster youth who need intensive mental health treatment. When teens try to harm themselves or others, staff resort to calling 911.

“The Human Psyche Was Not Built for This”

How Republicans in Montana hijacked public health and brought a hospital to the brink

Lights Out: Profitable Utility Company Shut Off Electricity to Homes Hundreds of Thousands of Times

Three months into the pandemic, Michigan’s largest power company, DTE Energy, began ramping up power shut-offs for customers behind on their bills. A regulatory system built to prioritize investors, not affordability, let it happen.

St. Jude Hoards Billions While Many of Its Families Drain Their Savings

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital promises not to bill families. But the cost of having a child at the hospital for cancer care leaves some families so strapped for money that parents share tips on spending nights in the parking lot.

America’s Food Safety System Failed to Stop a Salmonella Epidemic. It’s Still Making People Sick.

For years, a dangerous salmonella strain has sickened thousands and continues to spread through the chicken industry. The USDA knows about it. So do the companies. And yet, contaminated meat continues to be sold to consumers.

“The Liberty Way”: How Liberty University Discourages and Dismisses Students’ Reports of Sexual Assaults

The school founded by evangelist Jerry Falwell ignored reports of rape and threatened to punish accusers for breaking its moral code, say former students. An official who says he was fired for raising concerns calls it a “conspiracy of silence.”

Conservationists See Rare Nature Sanctuaries. Black Farmers See a Legacy Bought Out From Under Them.

In Pembroke, the well-intended efforts of mostly white nature conservationists overlook one thing: The township’s Black farming community has never fully supported them. Now, a generations-old way of life is threatened by the push for conservation.

Operation Fox Hunt: How China Exports Repression Using a Network of Spies Hidden in Plain Sight

China sends covert teams abroad to bring back people accused — justifiably or not — of financial crimes. One New Jersey family was stalked as part of a global campaign that takes families hostage and pressures immigrants to serve as spies.

A Crisis of Undiagnosed Cancers Is Emerging in the Pandemic’s Second Year

A factory worker didn’t want to call in sick or catch COVID-19, so she tried to ignore the pain. Now she has stage 4 cancer.

Texas Enabled the Worst Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Catastrophe in Recent U.S. History

They used their car to stay warm when a winter storm brought down the Texas power grid. In a state that doesn’t require carbon monoxide alarms in homes, they had no warning they were poisoning themselves.

The Broken Front Line

As the winter’s surge of coronavirus cases overwhelmed Los Angeles hospitals, EMTs like Michael Diaz were forced to take previously unthinkable measures. What lasting impact will the pandemic have on America’s first responders?

The Lost Year: What the Pandemic Cost Teenagers

In Hobbs, New Mexico, the high school closed and football was cancelled, while just across the state line in Texas, students seemed to be living nearly normal lives. Here’s how pandemic school closures exact their emotional toll on young people.

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