In the Trump administration era of ‘alternative facts,’ what happens to government data?

Questions about the Trump administration’s handling of factual information could lead to more of what has already happened in the past when there have been gaps in the government’s data: outside groups, including news organizations, trying their best to find answers. “[If] we can’t assume good faith and good practices in government data, it’s going to be a lot more work for everyone,” said JM Berger, a fellow with the International Centre for counter-Terrorism at The Hauge. “Government data isn’t always reliable or complete, and journalists and academics have filled in the gaps before, but if we have to question and vet everything on a consistent basis, it’s going to command a lot of our resources and make it harder to do new and important research.”