Aaron Mendelson

Feb 12, 2025 | datahub.thetrace.org | Aaron Mendelson

Bolstering local journalism is a major emphasis for the Gun Violence Data Hub. Many areas with high rates of gun violence have few reporters on the ground, and receive limited — if any — attention from the national news media. The Data Hub sought to identify possible collaborators in these areas. As data journalists, we wanted numbers to help guide this work. We began with data on news coverage.

Sep 27, 2024 | proofnews.org | Julia Angwin |Emily Dugdale |Aaron Mendelson |Annie Gilbertson

“What rocks can I lick?” is apparently a question geologists like Cate Larsen often get. Her answer? Probably don’t lick any rocks, or minerals for that matter. “The only mineral you can and definitely should lick is halite, rock salt,” she said. AI models, however, have their own strange ideas about when to put tongue to stone. Larsen, also known as TikTok's Groovy Geologist, used Proof’s AI testing software to run that question, and other mineral-related inquiries, through five leading AI models.

Sep 16, 2024 | proofnews.org | Emily Dugdale |Aaron Mendelson |Julia Angwin |Annie Gilbertson

Broken website links. Incorrect information about curbside voting and mail-in-ballots. Suggesting organizations that don’t exist. AI models are frequently putting out false and inaccurate information that could dissuade voters with disabilities from voting, according to new research from the Center for Democracy and Technology using an AI model comparison tool created by Proof News.

Sep 3, 2024 | proofnews.org | Aaron Mendelson |Julia Angwin |Annie Gilbertson |Rina Palta

Earlier this month, Vice President Kamala Harris made history when she accepted the Democratic Party’s nomination for president, becoming the first Black and South Asian woman to top a major party presidential ticket. When Harris became the likely nominee, in late July, misinformation and disinformation about her immediately began spreading online. Much of it has circulated for years, and been thoroughly debunked.

May 16, 2024 | mprnews.org | Aaron Mendelson |Ashley Lopez

Carolina Wassmer piloted a gray SUV around the city, dropping off canvassers from the civic engagement group Poder Latinx one by one. It was a muggy day, but the canvassers hopped out with their clipboards and pens, ready to engage in a longstanding American tradition: the voter registration drive. Poder Latinx's canvassers were fanning out to help eligible voters in Latino neighborhoods join the rolls or update their registrations.