# How Biased Data Is Used to Reinforce Racism, Sexism, and the Status Quo

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/messy-liberation-feminist-conversations-about-politics-and-pop-culture-6952884/how-biased-data-is-used-to-reinforce-racism-sexism-and-the-status-quo
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/messy-liberation-feminist-conversations-about-politics-and-pop-culture-6952884/how-biased-data-is-used-to-reinforce-racism-sexism-and-the-status-quo.md
Podcast: [Messy Liberation: Feminist Conversations about Politics and Pop Culture](https://stenobird.com/podcast/messy-liberation-feminist-conversations-about-politics-and-pop-culture-6952884)
Published: 2026-07-20T13:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://share.transistor.fm/s/f9bccd4e
Audio file: https://media.transistor.fm/f9bccd4e/29b95a63.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/messy-liberation-feminist-conversations-about-politics-and-pop-culture-6952884/episodes/how-biased-data-is-used-to-reinforce-racism-sexism-and-the-status-quo
Duration seconds: 2909

## Resource

In this episode of Messy Liberation, hosts Becky Mollenkamp and Taina Brown sit down with data and analytics professional Millie to explore why data is never as neutral as it looks — and why that matters for everyone. From biased medical studies and skewed incarceration stats to the politics of AI, the census, and your personal data being sold without your consent, this conversation connects the dots between numbers on a screen and the power structures shaping our lives. In This Episode, We Get Into: • Why data isn't neutral, and how human bias gets baked in at every stage of collection, analysis, and presentation • How manipulated charts, skewed infographics, and decontextualized research statistics mislead the public • Real-world examples of data bias causing serious harm: medication dosages, Plan B effectiveness, census undercounting, and school funding • The deeply troubling way incarceration data is used to reinforce racist narratives about Black and brown communities • How AI inherits and amplifies data bias, and why "garbage in, garbage out" is a phrase everyone should know • What data literacy actually looks like, and how to become a smarter, more critical consumer of statistics and studies • The GDPR, browser cookies, and why your personal data is already a product being sold without your cut • How to use public open data resources (like NYC Open Data) to engage with information in your community 🎤 JOIN US IN THE FEMINIST PODCASTERS COLLECTIVE: http://feministpodcastcollective.com/

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## Transcript

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