Digital Digging with Henk van Ess

Visual investigations: here's how to do it.

"60 to 70% of visual forensics is human, not tech,” says Henk van Ess

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Alex Mahadevan
Mar 07, 2026
∙ Paid

Video has become one of the most powerful forms of evidence in modern journalism. At the exact same moment, AI is making that evidence easier to fake and easier to manipulate. The result is a new reality: Journalists must become visual investigators.

The killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal officers in Minneapolis. Brutal takedowns of lawful…

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A guest post by
Alex Mahadevan
Director of MediaWise and faculty overseeing AI initiatives @ The Poynter Institute.
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