ABC News has taken all FiveThirtyEight articles offline
ABC News has taken the drastic step of completely removing all FiveThirtyEight articles, redirecting old URLs to a generic politics page. This move, described as a "needless erasure of thousands of pages of knowledge," has sparked outrage among former readers and employees, who view it as corporate pettiness and a bewildering destruction of valuable data journalism and intellectual property.
The Lowdown
ABC News has controversially taken all FiveThirtyEight articles offline, redirecting their URLs to abcnews.com/politics. This action effectively erases a vast archive of data journalism and analysis that was once a cornerstone of the FiveThirtyEight brand.
- The decision follows a period of decline for FiveThirtyEight under ABC's ownership, including layoffs and the removal of its 'projects' page.
- According to founder Nate Silver, ABC News refused his attempts to buy back the FiveThirtyEight intellectual property, citing his past criticisms of their management as the reason.
- The move is widely seen as an act of corporate pettiness and a significant loss of public-facing data and journalistic work.
- While the articles are gone, FiveThirtyEight's GitHub repository, containing data and code, remains active.
The complete removal of such an extensive body of work has left many lamenting the loss of a unique resource and questioning ABC's rationale behind discarding a once-respected brand and its valuable content.
The Gossip
Corporate Conduct & Content Culling
Commenters are largely appalled by ABC's decision, viewing it as a short-sighted and petty act of corporate malfeasance. Many highlight Nate Silver's claim that ABC refused to sell back the IP due to his criticisms, seeing this as irrational and damaging to shareholder value. The discussion touches on how large corporations often mishandle acquired brands, ultimately leading to their demise and the loss of valuable content.
The Enduring Legacy of FiveThirtyEight
Many users express sadness and nostalgia for FiveThirtyEight, remembering it as a valuable source of data-driven insights, infographics, and podcasts. They recall its unique approach to poll analysis, its accessible portal for evaluating pollster quality, and even its popular 'burrito bracket.' The sentiment is one of profound loss for a site that provided a distinct and educational perspective on politics and other topics.
Predictive Power & Public Perceptions
A significant thread discusses FiveThirtyEight's accuracy, particularly regarding election predictions, and the public's understanding of probability. While some commenters jokingly or critically suggest Nate Silver often got predictions 'wrong,' others defend 538, noting its models were often more accurate than traditional media and that '30% probabilities happen all the time.' There's a consensus that people often misunderstand statistical likelihoods, especially when political narratives are at play.