What I Cover

I cover how technology and digital platforms influence society, elections and the information ecosystem. I specialize in using open-source investigative techniques to uncover fraud, scams, deception and disinformation.

My Background

I’ve been a journalist for more than 20 years. Prior to joining ProPublica, I was the media editor of BuzzFeed News, where I established techniques for investigating digital disinformation.

I’ve spent more than a decade researching and reporting on online hoaxes, digital verification and debunking, and open-source intelligence techniques. I was a fellow at Columbia’s Tow Center for Digital Journalism and am the editor of the European Journalism Centre’s Verification Handbook series, which offers guidance on verifying digital content and investigating media manipulation. I’m also the author of two nonfiction books: “Mafiaboy,” about a teenage hacker, and “Regret The Error,” a history of fact-checking and media errors.

I received a George Polk Award for a series that revealed how Facebook exposes the public to disinformation, fraud and violence. I won two SABEW Best in Business awards for an investigation of Google’s digital ad business. My work has also been honored by the Mirror Awards, Canadian Association of Journalists and the American Political Science Association.