Lauren Kirchner
Lauren Kirchner was a senior reporting fellow at ProPublica.
Lauren Kirchner was a senior reporting fellow at ProPublica. She has covered digital security and press freedom issues for the Columbia Journalism Review, and crime and criminal justice for Pacific Standard magazine. She began her journalism career at the Richmond Times-Dispatch in Virginia. She has a B.A. in philosophy from Wesleyan University, and an M.S. from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, where she received the Louis Winnick Prize for reporting and a Pulitzer Travel Fellowship.
New York City Moves to Create Accountability for Algorithms
Spurred by a ProPublica report, the New York City Council passed the country’s first bill to address algorithmic discrimination in city government.
Federal Judge Unseals New York Crime Lab’s Software for Analyzing DNA Evidence
We asked the judge to make the source code public after scientists and defense attorneys raised concerns that flaws in its design may have resulted in innocent people going to prison.
Putting Crime Scene DNA Analysis on Trial
We reported on a dispute over the methods used by New York City’s crime lab to analyze complex DNA samples. Now similar concerns are prompting a national study. In this Q&A, a leading expert explains why labs may be making mistakes — and what can be done about it.
ProPublica Seeks Source Code for New York City’s Disputed DNA Software
We’re asking a federal court for the code behind a technique that critics say may have put innocent people in prison.
Thousands of Criminal Cases in New York Relied on Disputed DNA Testing Techniques
New York City’s crime lab has been a pioneer nationally in analyzing especially difficult DNA samples. But the recent disclosure of the source code for its proprietary software is raising new questions about accuracy.
Despite Disavowals, Leading Tech Companies Help Extremist Sites Monetize Hate
Most tech companies have policies against working with hate websites. Yet a ProPublica survey found that PayPal, Stripe, Newsmax and others help keep more than half of the most-visited extremist sites in business.
Lawmakers Seek Stronger Monitoring of Racial Disparities in Car Insurance Premiums
In response to our report that minority neighborhoods pay higher premiums than white areas with the same risk, six members of Congress and two Illinois state senators are pushing for closer scrutiny of insurance practices.
Minority Neighborhoods Pay Higher Car Insurance Premiums Than White Areas With the Same Risk
Our analysis of premiums and payouts in California, Illinois, Texas and Missouri shows that some major insurers charge minority neighborhoods as much as 30 percent more than other areas with similar accident costs.
Where Traditional DNA Testing Fails, Algorithms Take Over
Powerful software is solving more crimes and raising new questions about due process.