Labor Dept watchdog launches probe into the Bureau of Labor Statistics
Labor Dept watchdog launches probe into the Bureau of Labor Statistics
Internal review, which will focus on how BLS collects and reports economic data, follows claims by President Trump that the statistics bureau is politicized.
Read the full article on CBS Politics
Truth Analysis
Analysis Summary:
The article is moderately accurate, stating that the Labor Department watchdog launched a probe into the Bureau of Labor Statistics. However, the article's framing, specifically mentioning Trump's claims of politicization, introduces a moderate bias. Some claims, like the reason for the probe, require further verification.
Detailed Analysis:
- Claim: Labor Dept watchdog launches probe into the Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Verification Source #2: Confirms that the office of the Labor Department's inspector general launched a probe into the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
- Verification Source #3: Confirms that the US Labor Department's internal inspector launched a probe into the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
- Assessment: Supported
- Claim: The review will focus on how BLS collects and reports economic data
- Verification Source #2: The probe will look at the 'challenges' the Bureau of Labor Statistics faces.
- Verification Source #3: The probe is into the Bureau of Labor Statistics' data collection report.
- Assessment: Supported
- Claim: The probe follows claims by President Trump that the statistics bureau is politicized.
- Verification Source #1: President Donald Trump recently fired BLS Commissioner Erika McEntarfer in response to a weak monthly jobs report.
- Assessment: Potentially misleading. While Trump has made claims and taken actions related to the BLS, directly linking the probe *solely* to his claims without further context introduces bias. Source 1 suggests a firing related to a jobs report, which could be a contributing factor, but not necessarily the only one.
Supporting Evidence/Contradictions:
- Source 2: The office of the Labor Department's inspector general said it had launched a probe to look at the "challenges" the Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Source 3: The US Labor Department's internal inspector said Wednesday that it launched a probe into the Bureau of Labor Statistics' (BLS)