New KUOW podcast 'Control-F' debuts

How many undocumented immigrants live in the United States? How is the poverty line calculated? And what information are companies tracking about us as we surf the internet? Well, Wednesday is the debut of a KUOW podcast about the data that is shaping our lives every day, even if we don't realize it. It's called "Control F," and it's hosted by KUOW's Clare McGrane and Teo Popescu.

This interview has been edited for clarity.

Kim Malcolm: Clare, if I can start with you, what was the moment that made you realize that what we really need is a show about numbers and data?

Clare McGrane: This was a moment just over a year ago where I was working as a daily news producer, and the city of Seattle had a huge budget shortfall, hundreds of millions of dollars. And I could not figure out why and where that money came from and where the money went, even though I was in the news and covering this issue and reading about people talking about it. So Teo and I teamed up to do a really deep dive into Seattle's budget, taking apart all the data of all of the departments and how taxes work and how spending works, and took a really deep look at all of those numbers. The end result was a podcast episode that I produced for "Seattle Now," KUOW's daily news podcast. Teo did some amazing visualizations for our website, and the takeaway we really had was that the city pays for things in unsustainable ways. It's a big finding, yes, and that wouldn't have been possible without taking a really long, hard look at this data. So that inspired us to do the same thing on "Control-F" but for lots of different topics.

My mind’s already kind of blown by what you found about Seattle and the city spending. Tell us, Teo, what's coming up on the show that's also going to make me stop and think?

Teo Popescu: Well, without giving away too much, we do have our first episode coming out about credit scores. And I think something that folks are going to find surprising in it is that, you know, we think about big data as kind of a very modern thing, right? Mass surveillance has a very internet, computer-era vibe to it, but we actually had one of our big first mass surveillance programs happening way back in the 1940s. Credit bureaus back then had amassed records on over 60 million Americans. That was almost 70% of the total adult population. A Life magazine article from the 50s compared it to the kind of information-gathering strength of the KGB, so we got fun little tidbits like that in there for you.

I just want to know, how can I be more like you? How can I see stories and numbers?

Clare: I think that's so relatable, because some people think they're just not into math, right? And luckily, that is why we are here. In some ways, what I really want to encourage people to do is think critically about numbers. When you see them presented, don't just go, 'Oh, OK, I don't know enough to question that.' Really think, where is this data coming from, and why did this person who I'm seeing throw around this number — whether it's a politician, or in a media report, or on social media — why are they choosing this number versus another one? Can I check the source of it? Critical thinking is really the most important thing, even if you don't know exactly how the number was calculated.

Well, I know that the folks listening are super curious. Teo, if I've got a data question and I want you to tackle it, how can I ask you?

Teo: Excellent question. We have an email inbox that both Clare and I will get at ControlF@KUOW.org.

Listen to the interview by clicking the play button above.