
Ashley Clarke
I am an engagement reporter with ProPublica.
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What I Cover
I cover issues that impact low-income individuals and families, particularly those living in urban communities, focusing on topics like housing insecurity and homelessness, education, transportation and environment. Through my reporting I prioritize building trust, transparency, curiosity and humility, and I never assume I know more about someone else’s experience than they do. I handle my sources with a high level of sensitivity and care.
My Background
I joined ProPublica in 2025. I started my career in local television news at NBC in Washington, D.C. After leaving NBC, I became an audience engagement editor at the Center for Public Integrity, where I reported and worked with reporters to build relationships with communities. I also managed collaborations between CPI and local newsrooms, including the award-winning investigation “Unhoused and Undercounted,” which focused on the lack of support for public school students experiencing homelessness and housing insecurity. Before joining ProPublica, I was a digital editor at Bloomberg Industry Group, where I covered law firms and worked with the product team to test and write prompts for machine learning tools designed for reporters.
Shattered Science: The Research Lost as Trump Targets NIH Funding
The Trump administration cut research funding that sought cures for future pandemics, examined the causes of dementia and tried to prevent HIV transmission. ProPublica heard from more than 150 researchers to understand the work that’s been lost.
by Annie Waldman, Asia Fields and Ashley Clarke, design by Zisiga Mukulu, and photography by Bethany Mollenkof for ProPublica,
Help Us Report on How the Department of Education Is Handling Civil Rights Cases
Have you recently filed a civil rights complaint or do you have a pending case? We need your help to get a full picture of how the dismantling of the Office for Civil Rights is affecting students, parents, school employees and their communities.
by Asia Fields, Ashley Clarke, Jodi S. Cohen and Jennifer Smith Richards,
Did You Work on a Terminated NIH Grant? ProPublica Wants to Hear From You.
The National Institutes of Health is canceling grants that are seen as conflicting with the Trump administration’s priorities. We want to hear from researchers who have been affected.
by Annie Waldman, Ashley Clarke and Asia Fields,
The Trump Administration Said These Aid Programs Saved Lives. It Canceled Them Anyway.
The axing of some 10,000 programs has consigned untold numbers of children and refugees to death, officials say. Documents and interviews reveal that the State Department appears to have made the cuts without the careful review it described in court.
by Anna Maria Barry-Jester and Brett Murphy,