The mounting accusations of fake news are creating an atmosphere of skepticism toward institutions and the media. People’s faith in statistics, especially government data, has taken a hit. Data journalist Mona Chalabi believes that this is a “total disaster.” She explains why it is crucial to accept statistics - only after testing their validity. In her TED Talk, she provides advice on how to distinguish the good numbers from the bad. Ms. Chalabi explores why people are growing more skeptical of statistics, how this phenomenon impedes productive debate, and how to identify a bad statistic.