Jeff Kao
Jeff Kao was a computational journalist at ProPublica who used data science to cover technology.
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Jeff Kao was a computational journalist at ProPublica who used data science to cover technology. His collaboration with The New York Times on Chinese government censorship of the coronavirus outbreak was a part of the newspaper’s winning entry for the 2021 Pulitzer Prize for public service. His project on videos posted to Parler during the Capitol riots was cited throughout President Donald Trump’s second impeachment hearing and won the 2021 IRE Award for breaking news. His work has also won the Loeb Award for international reporting (2022), the SOPA Award for journalistic innovation (2022) and the SABEW Award for technology reporting (2019).
Kao previously worked as a machine learning engineer at Atrium LTS, where he developed natural language processing systems for legal services. He holds a law degree from Columbia Law School, where he was the editor in chief of the Columbia Science and Technology Law Review, and a bachelor’s degree in engineering from the University of Waterloo.
The Globetrotting Con Man and Suspected Spy Who Met With President Trump
Tao Liu’s criminal odyssey took him from money laundering in Mexico to a massive scam in China to Trump’s exclusive New Jersey golf club. Investigators believed he may have infiltrated U.S. politics as part of a Chinese intelligence operation.
How a Chinese American Gangster Transformed Money Laundering for Drug Cartels
Xizhi Li pioneered a new method that enriched Latin American drug lords and China’s elite. A DEA investigation found the Chinese government may have been involved.
Infamous Russian Troll Farm Appears to Be Source of Anti-Ukraine Propaganda
Experts say a recent wave of pro-Putin disinformation is consistent with the work of Russia’s Internet Research Agency, a network of paid trolls who attempted to influence the 2016 presidential election.
In the Ukraine Conflict, Fake Fact-Checks Are Being Used to Spread Disinformation
Social media posts debunking purported Ukrainian disinformation are themselves fake. That doesn’t stop them from being featured on Russian state TV.
Trump Just Endorsed an Oath Keeper’s Plan to Seize Control of the Republican Party
The “precinct strategy” widely promoted by Steve Bannon has already inspired thousands of Trump supporters to fill local GOP positions, intent on preventing a “stolen election.”
How Bots and Fake Accounts Push China’s Vision of Winter Olympic Wonderland
Online, the country’s propagandists have promoted a vision of the Games free of hostility or controversy. For example: The New York Times and ProPublica have identified over 3,000 inauthentic-looking Twitter accounts that appear in on the effort.
华裔科学家钱卓：无国可归的才情
发现自己受到学校和美国政府的调查后，著名科学家钱卓（Joe Tsien）决定留在中国避风头。他说自己是针对亚裔种族歧视的受害者，但他的故事并非这么简单。
A Visionary Without a Country
Celebrated scientist Joe Tsien retreated to China after his university and the U.S. government began investigating him. He says he’s a victim of anti-Asian discrimination, but key parts of his story don’t add up.
Facebook Hosted Surge of Misinformation and Threats Leading Up to Jan. 6 Attack
A ProPublica/Washington Post analysis provides the clearest evidence yet that the social media giant played a critical role in spreading lies that fomented the violence.
China Unleashed Its Propaganda Machine on Peng Shuai’s #MeToo Accusation. Her Story Still Got Out.
Chinese propaganda officials have tried to shape the global discussion of the tennis player Peng Shuai’s accusations and disappearance, but their top-down strategy has largely stumbled.