Look Over There!

We are bombarded with loads of information in our daily lives. From what the weather will be like for the day to Becky’s latest blind date story, we are always being made aware of new information. But are we being told all the facts?

With Becky’s blind date story, she may not give you all the details. She may just tell you that they went to dinner and took a walk in the park. What she didn’t tell you was that this “blind date” was simply with her dog, whom she shared a pizza with and then went for their daily walk. Becky wanted you to believe that she actually went out on a date. She cherry picked the story.

Cherry Picking
The previous story is an example of the logical fallacy cherry picking. It is defined as when a portion of information is presented in order to convince others to accept the intended position, while the opposing information is withheld. Another example of cherry picking can easily be found within media.

Kesha’s Plea
At the time I am writing this essay, a very controversial subject in the news is the lawsuit between the singer Kesha and her producer, Dr. Luke. Kesha claims that Dr. Luke verbally, emotionally, physically, and sexually abused her. The primary end result that Kesha is seeking is to gain a preliminary junction, which would release her from her contract with Sony.

Within the media, we hear a lot of Kesha’s side of the story, while all we hear about Dr. Luke is that he denies all allegations. The following video is one example of a news segment reporting on this controversial case. The entirety of this video is focused on Kesha. It is mentioned that Kesha cried during the court hearing and was comforted by her boyfriend and mother. This little piece of information may not seem crucial, but it is one of the many tactics the media uses to target the audiences emotions.

If you listen carefully to the message the news reporters are giving, you will hear that they are spinning a sad story. They want you to feel bad for Kesha, to pity or empathize with her. They want you to hate Dr. Luke for all that he has done. The media paints Dr. Luke as the villain and Kesha as the damsel in distress. But what has Dr. Luke really done?

We heard Kesha’s side of the story, but what about Dr. Luke’s? There is a brief mention of Dr. Luke denying the accusations. At the end of this video’s segment, they even said he agreed to not work with her, despite the contract remaining in place. But what else? Did he really do what Kesha is accusing him of? We do not know. The media only tells one side to the story.

Kesha’s lawsuit is a prime example of the media cherry picking facts from a story to suit their purpose. Why do they do this, you may wonder? Maybe to get more views for their channel or show. Maybe to shine light on who they feel is the victim. We really do not know for sure what their intention is, all we know is the story they are cherry picking for us.

It is not just in the news that we experience cherry picking though. Just like with my first example, we encounter cherry picking in our daily lives. From listening to the news on television to talking with a friend about their blind date, cherry picking is everywhere. Whether you want to admit it or not, you may even be guilty of cherry picking a story. Think about it, did you ever leave out some details to a story?