# When is a dataset truly dead? On the Data Dish, we're checking the pulse of America's public data systems

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-federal-drive-with-terry-gerton-504783/when-is-a-dataset-truly-dead-on-the-data-dish-we-re-checking-the-pulse-of-america-s-public-data-systems
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-federal-drive-with-terry-gerton-504783/when-is-a-dataset-truly-dead-on-the-data-dish-we-re-checking-the-pulse-of-america-s-public-data-systems.md
Podcast: [The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton](https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-federal-drive-with-terry-gerton-504783)
Published: 2026-07-23T11:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://mgln.ai/e/345/rss.art19.com/episodes/db5e6394-a411-4d6d-8661-7b972ba6a452.mp3?rss_browser=BAhJIg90cmFuc2NyaWJyBjoGRVQ%3D--952c5701c84ad333c69d5faa668f8177091704f0
Audio file: https://mgln.ai/e/345/rss.art19.com/episodes/db5e6394-a411-4d6d-8661-7b972ba6a452.mp3?rss_browser=BAhJIg90cmFuc2NyaWJyBjoGRVQ%3D--952c5701c84ad333c69d5faa668f8177091704f0
Processing state: not_requested
JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-federal-drive-with-terry-gerton-504783/episodes/when-is-a-dataset-truly-dead-on-the-data-dish-we-re-checking-the-pulse-of-america-s-public-data-systems
Duration seconds: 817

## Resource

Federal datasets don't always die dramatically. Sometimes they lose a variable here, an update there, and slowly drift into the statistical afterlife. In this installment of the Data Dish, we take a closer look at which federal datasets have truly flatlined and which are merely hanging on. Joining me are Denice Ross and Chris Dick. Denice is Director of Federal Data Policy at the Federation of American Scientists. Chris is a data scientist, demographer, and founder of Demographic Analytics Advisors. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

## Actions

- request_transcript: `POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-federal-drive-with-terry-gerton-504783/episodes/when-is-a-dataset-truly-dead-on-the-data-dish-we-re-checking-the-pulse-of-america-s-public-data-systems/transcription-requests` — Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode.
- read_markdown: `GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-federal-drive-with-terry-gerton-504783/when-is-a-dataset-truly-dead-on-the-data-dish-we-re-checking-the-pulse-of-america-s-public-data-systems.md` — Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource.

A page view does not enqueue transcription. Agents should invoke `request_transcript` explicitly when they need this episode processed.

## Transcript

Full transcripts are not published on public pages unless there is a clear rights basis.