The case of the missing US data
Why does it matter that US government datasets are being deleted and discontinued?
In early February 2025, something strange started happening across US government websites. Decades of data began disappearing from webpages for agencies such as the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health and the Census Bureau. In many cases the entire website went dark.
Within a few days some 8,000 government pages and 3,000 datasets had been taken down. Since then, many have been reinstated - but some have not.
We speak to Professors Maggie Levenstein and John Kubale to find out why this data was taken away, and why any of it matters.
If you spot any numbers or statistical claims that you think we should check out contact: [email protected]
Presenter: Tim Harford
Producer: Lizzy McNeill
Sound engineer: Neil Churchill
Series producer: Tom Colls
Production co-ordinator: Rosie Strawbridge
Editor: Richard Vadon
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- Sat 27 Sep 202504:50GMTBBC World Service Online, Americas and the Caribbean & UK DAB/Freeview only
- Sat 27 Sep 202517:50GMTBBC World Service Online, Americas and the Caribbean, UK DAB/Freeview, News Internet & Europe and the Middle East only
- Sun 28 Sep 202504:50GMTBBC World Service East and Southern Africa
- Sun 28 Sep 202508:50GMTBBC World Service West and Central Africa
- Sun 28 Sep 202510:50GMTBBC World Service except East and Southern Africa, Europe and the Middle East & West and Central Africa
- Sun 28 Sep 202523:50GMTBBC World Service South Asia, News Internet & East Asia only & Live News
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