Data Science

  • News Release

    News Release

    U.S. Journalism Has Become More Subjective

    U.S.-based journalism has gradually shifted away from objective news and offers more opinion-based content that appeals to emotion and relies heavily on argumentation and advocacy.

    May 14, 2019

  • Close-up of a person reading/texting on their smartphone, photo by sam thomas/Getty Images

    Blog

    RAND's Analysis of News in the Digital Age: Three Takeaways

    How has the rise of digital technology shaped the way that news is presented? RAND researchers conducted an empirical study to find out. Here's what you need to know from their findings.

    May 14, 2019

  • Newspapers and social media terms in LED display, photos by artisteer/Getty Images and phive2015/Adobe Stock

    Research Brief

    Facts vs. Opinions: How the News Is Changing in the Digital Age

    Technology has transformed how people get information. But it has also affected the way that information is produced, shared, and disseminated. How much has the presentation of news actually changed over the last three decades?

    May 14, 2019

  • Person scrolling through the news on a smartphone, photo by Adobe Stock/terovesalaine

    Report

    News in a Digital Age: Comparing the Presentation of Information over Time and Across Platforms

    In what ways has news reporting in print, on television, and online changed over the last 30 years? Overall, there has been a shift toward more-subjective reporting, but many of the changes have been subtle.

    May 14, 2019

  • Soldier and civilian shaking hands on white background, photo by Adobe Stock/Africa Studio and U.S. Army/Jim Goodwin

    Report

    Service Member Separation: Updating the DD Form 214

    This report offers suggestions for updating DD Form 214, which is used to characterize separating servicemembers' service, military history, and the reasons for separation, for electronic delivery.

    May 14, 2019

  • Report

    Report

    Strategic Surveillance for Food Safety: Designing a surveillance approach and considerations for implementation

    The Food Standards Agency engaged RAND Europe to design an approach to strategic surveillance for the UK food system. The study team produced an end-to-end approach, identified implementation steps and considered their impact and feasibility.

    May 13, 2019

  • Motion blur. Abstract technology and cyber space environment, photo by Quardia/Getty Images

    Commentary

    Three 'New Rules' Worth Considering for the Internet

    Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg has called for new internet regulation starting in four areas: harmful content, election integrity, privacy, and data portability. But why stop there? His proposal could be expanded to include much more: security-by-design, net worthiness, and updated internet business models.

    May 10, 2019

  • Report

    Report

    An Analytic Inventory of DHS Headquarters Business Processes

    This report provides an inventory of U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) analytic capabilities in the including current capabilities in use for decisionmaking, as DHS establishes an Analytic Agenda.

    Apr 24, 2019

  • A lawyer working on a computer with files and a pair of glasses nearby. Photo by Tero Vesalainen / Getty Images

    Report

    Prosecutor Priorities, Challenges, and Solutions

    In March 2018, the Priority Criminal Justice Needs Initiative convened an expert panel to identify priority needs and solutions for improving the effectiveness and efficiency of the prosecutorial component of the criminal justice system.

    Apr 18, 2019

  • Students building something together with tiles, photo by FatCamera/Getty Images

    Commentary

    How Do You Measure Social and Emotional Learning?

    As the desire to improve SEL for all students grows, it is increasingly important to measure its effectiveness. But the field has lacked an organized method of identifying, choosing, and using the best assessments to measure students' competencies. Two newly developed tools can help.

    Mar 28, 2019

  • An illustration of a double helix with binary code. Photo by ymgerman / Getty Images

    Report

    Assessing the Need for and Uses of Sequences of Interest Databases: A Report on the Proceedings of a Two-Day Workshop

    This report details the proceedings of a Homeland Security Operational Analysis Center workshop in which experts considered how a genetic database of "sequences of interest" could best support stakeholders to improve biotechnology research efforts.

    Mar 21, 2019

  • Andrew Morral presents testimony before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies on March 7, 2019.

    Multimedia

    Reducing Disagreements on Gun Policy Through Scientific Research and an Improved Data Infrastructure

    An overview of testimony by Andrew R. Morral presented before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies on March 7, 2019.

    Mar 7, 2019

  • Gun wall rack with rifles, photo by artas/Getty Images

    Testimony

    Scientific Research Could Reduce Disagreements on Gun Policy

    More high-quality research is needed to craft policies that could contribute to reducing gun injuries, deaths, and violence. There are many ways Congress could help build a robust and transformative gun policy research enterprise. One is to appropriate funds to support a diverse portfolio of studies.

    Mar 7, 2019

  • School children stretching up at lesson, photo by mediaphotos/Getty Images

    Commentary

    Measuring Social-Emotional Skills, Carefully

    In the often-fraught debate over education policy, there is growing agreement that educators should pay close attention to the development of the social and emotional skills that allow students to persevere when working on difficult tasks, regulate emotions, and work effectively in teams. But measuring such skills remains a significant challenge.

    Feb 28, 2019

  • Cyborg head using artificial intelligence to create digital interface 3D rendering, image by sdecoret/Adobe Stock

    Q&A

    The Promise and Perils of AI: Q&A with Douglas Yeung

    Douglas Yeung, a social psychologist at RAND, discusses how any technology reflects the values, norms, and biases of its creators. Bias in artificial intelligence could have unintended consequences. He also warns that cyber attackers could deliberately introduce bias into AI systems.

    Feb 27, 2019

  • Young Asian woman looking at an eye scanner image, photo by Photographer is my life/Getty Images

    Commentary

    Biology, in the Language of the People

    As technology and the ability to gather ever-growing amounts of data move further into the realms of biology and human performance, communication and transparency become increasingly important. Experts should consider whether they are using the words, examples, and models that connect with a broad audience most effectively.

    Feb 21, 2019

  • RAND Weekly Recap

    Blog

    Shutdown, Hezbollah, Border Wall: RAND Weekly Recap

    This weekly recap focuses on Americans' financial fragility, Hezbollah in Venezuela, assessing the effectiveness of a border wall, and more.

    Feb 15, 2019

  • Artificial eye looking through greenery

    Commentary

    Does the United States Face an AI Ethics Gap?

    Instead of worrying about an artificial intelligence “ethics gap,” U.S. policymakers and the military community could embrace a leadership role in AI ethics. This may help ensure that the AI arms race doesn't become a race to the bottom.

    Jan 11, 2019

  • RAND Weekly Recap

    Blog

    Data Breaches, Marijuana, Turkey: RAND Weekly Recap

    This weekly recap focuses on consumer reactions to data breaches, understanding teen marijuana use after legalization, why the United States can't rely on Turkey to defeat ISIS, and more.

    Jan 4, 2019

  • Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg testifies before a House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing regarding the company's use and protection of user data on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., April 11, 2018

    Commentary

    Data Breaches Could Cause Users to Opt Out of Sharing Personal Data. Then What?

    As tech-based systems have become all but indispensable, many institutions might assume user data will be reliable, meaningful and, most of all, plentiful. But what if this data became unreliable, meaningless, or even scarce?

    Dec 28, 2018