When facts cause friction: Tim Harford joins us for a special This is Money podcast on fake news and why statistics can be emotive

Dec 29, 2017, 03:35 PM

Facts are either right or wrong, right?

...wrong?

In this special episode of the This is Money podcast Tim Harford, presenter of the BBC series More or Less and all-round Undercover Economist makes a second guest appearance.

We talk about facts and stats - checking them, debunking them, reporting them, baffling with them, battling over them.

But that's just the start.

Tim argues that we think of facts as being either the truth or lies, but that actually factual claims can form part of our identity.

We talk about the importance of factual claims made by those in positions of power - but also of trying to keep some facts out of the political domain altogether.

We also discuss the impact of social media on the way in which we consume news and facts. And whether we're too dependent on numbers altogether.

Don't believe us? You'll have to listen and see.