Topic: Data Visualization

A report from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) found that COVID-19 skeptics often place a high premium on data analysis and the scientific process. The study notes that these groups treat science as a process of inquiry rather than an institutional authority.

Discussions regarding a CDC-sourced graph showing COVID-19 deaths peaking in mid-April 2020 and declining toward zero have met with significant resistance on social media. Critics on Twitter claim the data is incorrect despite its origin in official government statistics. This denial is attributed to a marketing mechanism designed to maintain public anxiety in favor of future vaccine distribution and political opposition to Donald Trump.

An analysis of CDC weekly pneumonia death charts from 2014 to 2020 suggests an anomalous downward trend in pneumonia deaths starting in January 2020. Claims are made that many deaths traditionally attributed to a severe flu season are being reclassified as COVID-19. The discussion questions the reliability of government and hospital data regarding the actual cause of death for elderly patients.

Vivek Kundra promotes a public-facing IT dashboard designed to lift the veil on federal technology expenditures. Critics argue the dashboard merely converts existing, non-transparent data into decorative pie charts without providing substantive new information. Many projects on the dashboard reportedly show zero dollars in spending due to incomplete data reporting.