Hidden Ways the Government Manipulates Data | Diving In
Summary
Justin Wolfers explains how the Trump administration quietly revised Commerce Department rules to allow political interference in government statistics. By removing protections against suppressing or altering data, the new policy enables officials to manipulate economic and census reports for partisan gain. Wolfers contrasts this with historical abuses in other countries and highlights the removal of independent oversight, leaving only a weak legal guardrail to protect the integrity of official U.S. data.
Topics discussed
Sponsors: NerdWallet and Alma
Introduction: Political interference in US statistics
Overview of four key changes to scientific integrity
The quiet release of the new Commerce Department directive
Roles of Census Bureau and Bureau of Economic Analysis
Comparing old and new policies on political influence
Steel-manning the administration's case on data integrity
How the old policy prohibited political meddling
Indirect methods of statistical corruption and suppression
The Census voting report as a case study
Sponsor: RingCentral AI Receptionist
Changes to Scientific Integrity Officer requirements
Political chain of command for integrity complaints
Shift from public reporting to confidential memos
New permissions for political pressure on scientists
Legal guardrails: The Trust Regulation and OMB rules
Historical examples of statistical abuse worldwide
Sponsors: MaintainX and United Healthcare
Listen ad-free on Castria