Visual journalism, in its many forms, is a vital part of news: It can provide evidence that allows us to hold people and institutions accountable, and it can help us build empathy for the plight of others. This year, The Intercept sent photographers and video journalists into the field to bring viewers to places they might not otherwise see, and to move them with human stories — from the release of Palestinian activist Ahed Tamimi to the reunification of families separated at the U.S.-Mexico border. Our illustrations and data visualizations helped elucidate complex issues, from the scope of sexual abuse in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention to the National Security Agency’s hidden network of spy hubs around the country.
Photo: Ryan Christopher Jones
A brutal murder rocked a small Southern town. Cops quickly closed the case. Then came another murder. And another. Did putting the wrong man in jail let a real killer go free? Welcome to Murderville.
By Liliana Segura, Jordan Smith
Illustration: Cun Shi
Emile Bouari was an unprincipled businessman who’d been accused of ripping people off. But it would take Operation Bo-Tox to get him to launder money.
By Trevor Aaronson
Photo: Matthew Cassel
Palestinians work their fields for a pittance — thanks to the economic woes caused by Israel’s blockade.
By Matthew Cassel
Photo: Alex Potter
The rule bars U.S. aid money from going to international groups that provide abortions or support the right to have them, and its impact is far-reaching.
By Laura Kasinof
Illustration: Nicole Rifkin
Immigrants sexually abused in ICE detention have been saying #MeToo for years. They faced retaliation and a system unwilling to hold itself accountable.
By Alice Speri
Photo: Carlos Pérez Osorio
The barricades have been cleared and there is a veneer that the crisis is over, but over 200 Nicaraguans involved in protests face trial for terrorism.
By Sarah Kinosian, Carlos Pérez Osorio
Photo: Verónica G. Cárdenas
Border communities still remember when a U.S. Marine assigned to a drug interdiction task force mistakenly shot and killed an 18-year-old boy.
By Melissa del Bosque
Illustrations: Matt Rota
Rather than mending intercommunal rifts to pave the way for reconciliation, the ISIS trials risk further polarizing Iraq’s fractured society.
By Simona Foltyn
Still: Lou Marillier and Daisy Squires
The extreme lengths people will go not to have children illustrate the depth of Venezuela’s economic crisis, and its disproportionate effect on women.
By Lou Marillier and Daisy Squires
Photo: Samar Hazboun
Ahed Tamimi’s story highlighted the plight of Palestinian children in Israeli military jails. Hundreds more remain behind bars.
By Alice Speri
Photo: Joel Angel Juárez
ICE told Carlos Rueda Cruz to focus on “illegal aliens” with criminal histories. He would need to produce one name per month or be sent back to Mexico.
By Ryan Katz
Photo Illustration: The Intercept
As I took the stand, I thought about how much press freedom had been lost and how drastically national security reporting had changed in the post-9/11 era.
By Jim Risen
Six months after Hurricane Maria, Puerto Ricans are designing a recovery that defends their island. Politicians and bitcoin billionaires have other ideas.
By Naomi Klein
Photo: Ilana Panich-Linsman
Wendell Lindsey is serving life in a Texas prison, but his conviction relied on dubious drowning science and a key witness with secrets of her own.
By Jordan Smith
Illustration: Clay Rodery
There are an estimated 60,000 gang members in El Salvador. Benjamin knew many who wanted to leave, but they were afraid. He wanted to show them they could.
By Danielle Mackey
Photo: Steven Day
These fortress-like AT&T buildings are central to a secret NSA program that has monitored billions of communications, documents and sources reveal.
By Ryan Gallagher, Henrik Moltke
Photo: Ariel Zambelich
Danny Michel was wrongfully deported in 2016. After fighting for two years to return, ICE defied a court order and detained him.
By Alice Speri
Art: Matt Lubchansky
In a frank and wide-ranging conversation, Steny Hoyer laid down the law for Levi Tillemann. The decision, Tillemann was told, had been made long ago.
By Lee Fang
Photo: Alex Potter
Photojournalist Alex Potter chronicles the suffering of Yemenis after three years of fighting and near famine.
By Alex Potter
Photo: Debi Cornwall
The lawyer-turned-photographer shows life on the periphery of the prison camp — and the former detainees who carry its scars with them.
By Siddhartha Mitter
