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, <a href="https://gufaculty360.georgetown.edu/s/contact/0033600001nHXCZAA4/amy-ohara">Amy O’Hara</a>,  a professor at Georgetown's Massive Data Institute, on the importance of government data, and  <a href="https://www.amherst.edu/people/facstaff/avgeorgiou83">Andreas Georgiou</a>, a scholar in statistics at Amherst College, on his years-long battle to defend accurate economics data in Greece.[12:33] Brooke speaks with <a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/angelo-carusone">Angelo Carusone</a>, 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. [28:21] Host Micah Loewinger delves into the meteoric rise of the YouTube channel <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@jubilee">Jubilee</a> with technology and online culture journalist <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/taylorlorenz.bsky.social">Taylor Lorenz</a>, and the channel’s mission of fostering “radical empathy” by hosting political debates between wildly opposing groups. He speaks with <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:j53tav4pdcpfxyx2gcfr5fhb?ref_src=embed&ref_url=https%253A%252F%252Fballoon-juice.com%252F">Mehdi Hasan</a>, editor-in-chief of <a href="https://zeteo.com/">Zeteo</a>, 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:<ul><li>“<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/25/us/politics/media-matters-musk-crisis.html">Under Siege From Trump and Musk, a Top Liberal Group Falls Into Crisis,</a>” by By Kenneth P. Vogel, Kate Conger, and Ryan Mac</li><li>“<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBoFwaTWm70&t=3634s&ab_channel=Jubilee">1 Conservative vs 25 LGBTQ+ Activists (feat. Michael Knowles)</a>” (Jubilee)</li><li>“<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2S-WJN3L5eo&t=423s&ab_channel=Jubilee">1 Progressive vs 20 Far-Right Conservatives (ft. Mehdi Hasan)</a>” (Jubilee)</li></ul>
On the Media is supported by listeners like you. Support OTM by donating today (<a href="https://pledge.wnyc.org/support/otm">https://pledge.wnyc.org/support/otm</a>). Follow our show on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/onthemedia/?hl=en">Instagram</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/onthemedia">Twitter</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/OnTheMedia">Facebook</a> @onthemedia, and share your thoughts with us by emailing onthemedia@wnyc.org.

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