'Just the facts': Seeking to provide the public with the government data they need
Making government data more accessible and easier to understand: That's the standing goal for Poppy MacDonald.
MacDonald, a former news executive, now leads "USA Facts,” a nonpartisan, nonprofit civic initiative that has been collecting and disseminating government data for nearly a decade.
Launched by tech tycoon Steve Ballmer in 2017, "USA Facts" has grown into a leading resource for journalists, lawmakers and everyday Americans looking for government data and trend lines.
And in an election year, MacDonald told The Hill, the work of her small but growing Seattle-based team is under a microscope as more Americans look to better understand how their federal, state and local governments function and make informed decisions about how to vote this fall.
“As people are overwhelmed with information, we think it’s really important that people have their questions answered with just the facts,” she said during a recent interview.
MacDonald and a staff of a few dozen data analysts, engineers and researchers collect stats and figures from more than 100 government sources on topics ranging from immigration to the economy and crime.
They synthesize and analyze the data, transforming the raw numbers into graphics, videos and other visualization tools in an effort to simplify issues such population dispersion, demographic change and border security.
The visceral political debate around these topics makes USA Facts’ objectivity even more important, MacDonald said.
“We don’t tell people what decisions they make or how they should vote, our goal is just to provide the data,” she added.
“USA Facts,” was launched in 2017 by Ballmer, the billionaire former top executive at Microsoft, who stated an explicit goal of finding out more about what parts of the federal government were and weren’t working.
“I wanted to understand the government more broadly by the numbers,” Ballmer says in a promotional video on the organization’s website. “Government itself is an ingestion machine, not a production machine. We are on an extreme of words versus numbers, and a rebalancing is helpful.”
As with any data set, particularly topics of public debate, context is key, MacDonald said.
“When Steve hired me … he did originally start the initiative because he wanted to know from a philanthropic, giving perspective, what the government programs were that were effective,” she said.
Her experience in the at times fickle and constantly changing business side of media made MacDonald a good fit for Ballmer’s project, which had collected millions of data points but needed to organize it and build audience for a yet to be launched brand.
MacDonald was previously president of Politico USA after stints at the National Journal and Gallup.
“Having a background in media, how to make complex data relevant for readers is an important skill,” she said.
MacDonald and her staff take advantage of many of the common audience metric tools used by large digital publishers, such as Google Analytics, to target who is coming to USA Facts.org, estimating about a million visitors each month.
The nonprofit has also recently launched a weekly newsletter with a subscriber base of more than 290,000 and regular social media campaigns to promote its content.
But unlike many large digital publishers, USA Facts does not have a revenue model and is not beholden to private shareholders.
Staying current based on the news cycle is part of their strategy.
The site published a report breaking down President Biden’s State of the Union Address earlier this year, a project it called a “non-partisan data-driven” snapshot of the speech.
“The State of the Union might be heavy on policy or accomplishments, but it’s seldom nonbiased, which is where the 2024 State of the Union in Numbers comes in,” the report reads. “These are historic metrics — how you use them to advocate for changes you want to see in the country is up to you.”
Ahead of this year’s election, MacDonald said USA Facts has seen an uptick in interest in data specifically concerning the economy, such as the average cost of living and trends on salaries for public school teachers.
“People are most interested in what’s happening around them,” she said. “People want to compare data to their lived experience so that’s allowed us to leverage local data to take people from asking a question about immigration broadly to go more locally at their state our county.”
As USA Facts works to better scale and publish the data it collects, its leaders are aiming to build connections with more media partners as it grows its brand.
“We want to be that definitive source so we can answer any questions Americans have about what’s happening in their country,” MacDonald said. “There is a lot of human effort to make sure its trustworthy, that the data is right and its just the facts is incumbent on our team so we can continue to be a trusted brand.”
Date: |
-
The Hill - Politics
Democrats seek public’s help in learning about Project 2025 launch plan
House Democrats are seeking outside help in deciphering conservatives’ plans for launching their Project 2025 agenda under the next Republican president. Leaders of the Democrats’ Project 2025 task ...2 hours ago -
Yahoo Sports - Sports
Data Dump Wednesday: 10 stats you need to know for Week 3 | Yahoo Fantasy Forecast
Week 2 has come and gone. Time to set our sights for Week 3. Matt Harmon and Sal Vetri are back for another 'Data Dump Wednesday' by sharing 10 data points you need to know for Week 3 to maximize ...Yesterday -
The Hill - Politics
On childhood vaccines, candidates must separate facts from alternative facts
As fewer children die or are debilitated due to measles, mumps, rubella, diphtheria, tetanus and polio, we tend to forget that this is the result of an evidence-based childhood vaccination program.21 hours ago -
ESPN - Sports
Facts vs. Feelings: Making sense of some neat or messy situations
Liz sorts through seven messy -- or surprisingly tidy -- fantasy football situations to guide you through Week 3 and beyond.49 minutes ago -
Inc. - Business
Harris Meets With Teamsters, Seeking Endorsement
Leadership of the 1.3-million-member union has not backed a candidate for president yet, but met with Trump in January.Yesterday - Kamala Harris -
Yahoo News - World
Tesla Is Apparently Testing Its Affordable EV In Public
23 hours ago - Tesla -
The New York Times - Business
Boeing Restarts Labor Negotiations as It Seeks End to Strike
Federal mediators are helping the aerospace manufacturer and leaders of the union representing more than 33,000 workers who went on strike last week reach a deal.Yesterday -
CBS News - Top stories
North Carolina rafting trip seeks to bridge divides
A group of about 30 Americans with diverse political leanings recently embarked on a rafting trip along a North Carolina river. The goal of the journey wasn't to change minds or persuade anyone to ...Yesterday
More from The Hill
-
The Hill - Politics
England’s strained health care system should ring alarms in the US
We aren’t there yet in the U.S., but there are several warning signs that we are heading in the wrong direction.20 minutes ago -
The Hill - Politics
Congress approaches fiscal new year with plenty of noisemakers
House Speaker Mike Johnson was forced to pull the six-month stopgap continuing appropriations bill due to lack of votes, raising questions about a possible putsch by Republicans to remove him from ...50 minutes ago -
The Hill - Politics
UN spokesman: 'We need diplomacy' after Lebanon explosions
Walkie-talkies and solar equipment exploded in Beirut and other parts of Lebanon on Wednesday in an apparent second wave of attacks.1 hour ago - United Nations -
The Hill - Politics
Paging Iran...
Israel has launched a cunning attack on Hezbollah, targeting 4,000 operatives with pre-planted explosives, and is escalating its response to Iran's seven deadly sins, including its nuclear weapons ...1 hour ago - Iran -
The Hill - Politics
Morning Report — How will Congress avert a shutdown now?
Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-La.) funding gamble didn’t pay off. A diverse group of House Republicans on Wednesday torpedoed Johnson’s proposal for a six-month government funding bill, dealing an ...2 hours ago