assess the accuracy of a finding (or some assertion that turns out to be completely false) that is being advanced in the news

For this assignment you will write a brief analysis paper not to exceed 900 words (about
3-3.5 double-spaced pages) in which you assess the accuracy of a finding (or some
assertion that turns out to be completely false) that is being advanced in the news
(Breitbart has some, as do other news outlets (major News agencies—e.g. Fox, CNN,
MSNBC, etc.—are usually a fruitful place to go looking, as they often take statistics out
of context and report distilled versions of research findings). You may look at recent
“findings” about COVID that reference research or you may do a search for “New study
finds….,” which always turns stuff up. The goal is to find something that may have
already turned out to be inaccurate or that seems not quite true. Your job is to
investigate and explain using empirical methods of analysis.
For example, an obesity myth is advanced by the Center for Consumer Freedom
(consumerfreedom.com). The CCF is an organization sponsored and funded by the
food and beverage industries with the purpose of dispelling what they purport are unfair
criticisms (myths) of those industries. One look at their home page will tell you that they
are not unbiased in their defense of food and beverage companies! In our training as
students of the empirical social sciences, it is worth our time to dig deeper into any
claims and see how their interpretation of science might lead to biased conclusions.
Continuing with this example, try visiting one of the following websites:
Myths, Presumptions, and Facts about Obesity (nih.gov) ,
https://www.worldobesity.org/healthy-voices/learn/facts-myths ,
https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/five-myths/five-myths-about-
obesity/2021/05/13/1eb9dc02-b33f-11eb-9059-d8176b9e3798_story.html .
You can also visit: beefmagazine.com and vegansociety.com and compare and contrast
the contradictory claims these two organizations make about health and diet.
Compare and contrast claims on the CCF website with some of what is found on these
websites. Provide at least 3 criticisms (or arguments) against what they are
claiming is true. Be sure to acknowledge if what they are saying is partially true (in other
words, have a fair tone to your arguments). You will find the section in chapter one on
misleading samples, misleading measures, etc. to be useful.
For your analysis paper, you will be doing this again, but on a topic of your choosing!
This is a brief paper that should be focused on your critical thinking and analysis skills,
so organize your paper as follows:
1. Succinct and poignant introduction: let me know what finding/myth you are
addressing and what their main argument in support of that myth is.
2. Your three main counterarguments or criticisms or issues with what they are
arguing. These should include APA style in-text citations as well as an APA style
References page, and should state CLEARLY why the “finding” is possibly
inaccurate or at least not as it was portrayed. Full credit is given when you use terms
from the text: sample, bias, control group, etc. The more specific you are, the better.
The support for your arguments should come from legitimate sources, such as
scholarly research articles or government organizations. Remember, you are
essentially holding private interests (e.g., lobbying groups) accountable for their
claims by pitting them against scientific evidence.
3. Succinct and poignant conclusion. Don’t simply summarize what you’ve said. Use
the conclusion to make a final argument that provides an overall assessment of what
you think is believable after comparing all the evidence.