Trump called the government’s job numbers “phony” — what happens now that he’s in charge of them? Statisticians fear Trump White House will manipulate figures to fit narrative: Experts, including former chief statistician of the US and outgoing head of Bureau of Labor Statistics, see threats to system of public, accurate data. Can a president who disregards the truth uphold his oath of office? Quinta Jurecic on how his job demands a basic level of respect for the concepts of law and meaning. Adam Gopnik on how President Donald Trump’s disdain for truth and accuracy poses a threat to democracy akin to Big Brother in George Orwell’s book “1984”.
The political implications of crowding out the facts with Trump’s alternative universe. The dangerous consequences of accepting even one “alternative fact”. Scott F. Aikin and Robert B. Talisse on “alternative facts” and the necessity of liberal education. Fake think tanks fuel fake news and the President's tweets. Meredith Bohen: I was a White House fact-checker — don’t accept Trump’s attitude toward the truth.
