Trump's Fact Eradication Program. Plus, How Jubilee is Transforming Political Debate

President Trump fired the commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics following a weak jobs report. On this week’s On the Media, how the Trump administration is threatening government data. Plus, a viral YouTube channel raises questions about the meaning of political debate. [01:00] Host Brooke Gladstone situates President Trump’s recent firing of the commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics within a larger effort to discount facts that aren’t politically convenient. Plus, Amy O’Hara , a professor at Georgetown's Massive Data Institute, on the importance of government data, and Andreas Georgiou , a scholar in statistics at Amherst College, on his years-long battle to defend accurate economics data in Greece. [12:34] Brooke speaks with Angelo Carusone , the president of Media Matters, a liberal watchdog group that follows and fact-checks right-wing outlets like Fox News, NewsMax, and the Tucker Carlson Network, about the group’s fight for survival as it faces a deluge of lawsuits brought by Elon Musk’s X. [28:22] Host Micah Loewinger delves into the meteoric rise of the YouTube channel Jubilee with technology and online culture journalist Taylor Lorenz , and the channel’s mission of fostering “radical empathy” by hosting political debates between wildly opposing groups. He speaks with Mehdi Hasan , editor-in-chief of Zeteo , about his recent Jubilee debate with far right conservatives and how the channel is transforming the meaning of political debate. Plus, Stassia Underwood, a participant of one Jubilee debate, opens up about her experience on set. Further reading: “ Under Siege From Trump and Musk, a Top Liberal Group Falls Into Crisis, ” by By Kenneth P. Vogel, Kate Conger, and Ryan Mac “ 1 Conservative vs 25 LGBTQ+ Activists (feat. Michael Knowles) ” (Jubilee) “ 1 Progressive vs 20 Far-Right Conservatives (ft. Mehdi Hasan) ” (Jubilee) On the Media is supported by listeners like you. Support OTM by donating today ( https://pledge.wnyc.org/support/otm ). Follow our show on Instagram , Twitter and Facebook @onthemedia, and share your thoughts with us by emailing onthemedia@wnyc.org.