Data is vs. data are

The debate continues...

From The Guardian:

It's like agenda, a Latin plural that is now almost universally used as a singular. Technically the singular is datum/agendum, but we feel it sounds increasingly hyper-correct, old-fashioned and pompous to say "the data are".

From The Economist:

We have a strong urge to just have language behave, but regular readers of this column know that, as the original Johnson knew, it just won't. He famously said that "to enchain syllables, and to lash the wind, are equally the undertakings of pride". Less well known, but perhaps more to the point, he pointed to the unruliness of language as the sign of a healthy culture constantly enriching itself....

From The WSJ:

We suspect that the plural will continue to dominate in our prose.

Addendum: From the Economist, a more data-driven approach to the controversy.

Addendum 2: From Nathan Yau.

I say data is. The plural version sounds weird to me.