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UC Berkeley mathematician says he has stopped grading homework, citing student AI use

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Coverage spectrum

Covered by 4 outlets, all right-leaning.

5 articles in total. The spectrum counts each outlet once and leaves opinion out. How we measure bias

The New York Post, The Washington Times, The Daily Wire and Breitbart News report that Richard Borcherds, a Fields Medal–winning mathematician at UC Berkeley, has stopped grading homework for correctness. Borcherds told the California Post that students widely use AI on homework, so grading for correctness rewards AI use and penalizes honest students. He now gives credit for completing work and grades mainly on in-person exams without devices. He says there is no easy way to tell human work from AI work. The reports rest on his account of the change.

Headline and summary written by Mantle’s AI from the coverage below, under published rules. How this works

What happened

Key points

Each point shows who reports it, from Far Left to Far Right.

  1. Richard Borcherds, a Fields Medal–winning mathematician at UC Berkeley, has stopped grading homework for correctness.

    One side only: the rightReported byRight2Far Right2See the outletsHide the outlets
    Right
    New York Post, The Washington Times
    Far Right
    The Daily Wire, Breitbart News

  2. Borcherds says students widely use AI on homework, and that grading for correctness rewards AI use and penalizes honest students.

    One side only: the rightReported byRight2Far Right2See the outletsHide the outlets
    Right
    New York Post, The Washington Times
    Far Right
    The Daily Wire, Breitbart News

  3. He now gives credit for completing homework and grades mainly on in-person exams with no devices allowed.

    One side only: the rightReported byRight1Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Right
    New York Post
    Far Right
    Breitbart News

  4. Borcherds says there is no easy way to tell human work from AI work.

    One outletBreitbart News· Far Right

How each side tells it

Compare views

Every outlet reports that Richard Borcherds, a UC Berkeley mathematician, has stopped grading homework for correctness because students use AI. Coverage differs in tone: the Daily Wire labels him ‘liberal’ and Breitbart leads with his ‘no point’ verdict, while the New York Post and Washington Times report it plainly.

  • the left

    No coverage yet

    No left-leaning outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.

  • the center

    No coverage yet

    No center outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.

  • the right

    4 outlets

    Headlines frame the change as a warning about student AI use; the Daily Wire, a Far Right outlet, adds ‘Liberal’ to his description, and Breitbart leads with ‘No Point’.

    California math professor at Berkeley stops grading homework due to AI
    The Washington TimesRightAll right-leaning headlines

The words they chose

Language to notice

Words that carry a judgement beyond the facts. Tap a highlighted word anywhere on the page to see why.

  • Left

    Has not covered this story.

  • Center

    Has not covered this story.

  • Right5

    worrying trendLiberal College Professorcheatersabusing AI

In the outlets’ own words

  • Sensational language

    worrying trendMore neutral: trend

    The phrase adds alarm in the outlet's own voice that the facts do not establish.

    UC Berkeley professor refuses to grade his students’ homework after noticing worrying trend: ‘No point’

    Used byNew York Post (Right)

  • Loaded modifier

    Liberal College ProfessorMore neutral: College Professor

    The political label attached to the professor has no bearing on the grading change described.

    Liberal College Professor Gives Up Grading Homework After Catching On To Student Trend

    Used byThe Daily Wire (Far Right)

  • Loaded modifier

    cheatersMore neutral: students suspected of using AI

    The label presumes students cheated, which the article does not establish beyond the professor's view that some use AI.

    UC Berkeley prof who quit grading student’s homework deploys new tactic to catch out cheaters: ‘Waste of time’

    Used byNew York Post (Right)

  • Loaded verb

    abusing AIMore neutral: using AI

    Abusing implies wrongdoing by students, while the reports describe them using AI for homework.

    …reportedly abandoned grading assignments after noticing that his students have been abusing AI to secure top scores.

    Used byBreitbart News (Far Right)

Show 1 more phrasesShow fewer

  • Loaded verb

    AbandonsMore neutral: Stops

    Abandons implies he deserted a duty, while the reports describe a change in how he grades.

    'No Point': UC Berkeley Professor Abandons Grading Students' Homework Due to Overuse of AI

    Used byBreitbart News (Far Right)

See the full language guide

See for yourself

Side by side

What each side leads with and what it leaves out. Open a side to read its headlines.

From the left

0 outlets

No left-leaning outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.

From the center

0 outlets

No center outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.

From the right

4 outlets

Leads with

  • student AI cheating
  • the professor’s ‘no point’ verdict
  • his new grading methods
  • his ‘liberal’ label (Daily Wire)
See the 4 headlines from the rightHide the headlines

Articles you open from here build My Mix, a private picture of how your reading spreads across the spectrum, kept on this device. What is My Mix?

The left is Far Left and Left together. The right is Right and Far Right together. Every outlet keeps its own five-point rating.

Who reported it when

How the coverage built up

  • Left

    No report yet

    From the outlets Mantle follows

  • Center

    No report yet

    From the outlets Mantle follows

  • Right

    First to report

    New York Post, Oct 25, 3:57 PM EDT

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. New York PostRightOct 25, 3:57 PM EDT
  2. The Washington TimesRightOct 26, 9:17 AM EDT
  3. The Daily WireFar RightOct 26, 10:36 AM EDT
  4. Breitbart NewsFar RightOct 26, 2:59 PM EDT

Times are the ones the outlets published in their own feeds, in Eastern time. Opinion is left out.

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