and therefore infers most news from the headlines and leads. However, this gives the opportunity for unexamined assumptions. For instance, in 2009, news consumers wanted an answer to the following question: "Should I be vaccinated against the H1N1 flu virus? Yes or no?" In order to get more attention, the media had overly simplified, generalized, or greatly exaggerated their headlines, leading some consumers to have unexamined assumptions about the issue.

Faulty causal reasoning is arguing that correlation is equal to causation when it is not the case. For instance, if a man's computer crashes right after a new software was installed, he may think that the software was a virus and had resulted in the crash. However, the computer may have simply crashed due to overloading of its systems. Hence, the man is wrong to have assumed correlation is equal to causation.

1. For many years, cigarette companies would try to cite examples of healthy older smokers as proof that cigarettes did not harm one's health. This is an example of improper use of inductive reasoning.
2. Many websites promoting dietary supplements (or any number of other products) rely on "testimonials." These are not actual evidence, as they are not statistically valid samples or studies conducted in controlled environments.
3. A recent example of biased discourse was Donald Trump's categorization of Mexican immigrants as rapists, drug dealers, and criminals. Although a few Mexicans (as well as a few Americans, Canadians, and people of all nations) no doubt are criminals, in actual fact, Mexican migrants are less likely to be criminals than U.S. citizens in general. 
4. Racial and gender biases were for many centuries unexamined. 
5. The most common form of faulty causal reasoning is "post hoc ergo propter hoc" which is used in many studies advocating the latest super food fads. For example, people in the United States who eat pomegranates may well be longer lived than those who do not, but this could mean that pomegranates are part of the diet of the middle and upper classes who have access to better medical care than poorer people who cannot afford exotic fruits. 

There are many examples of distortions and skewed data that reach millions of people on a daily basis through various facets of the internet. Here are two examples that are found on most social media platforms, in internet advertising, and in everyday life.

Diet Culture

Various companies and influencers advertise weight loss items such as detox teas, fat-burning gummies, fat-burning wraps/creams, along with the usual weight loss programs and diet/fitness coaches. But the science behind these items, and even the programs, is unclear.

These companies and sponsorships are questionable because they use insufficient and or skewed evidence to support their claims. For example, the Kardashians are known for sponsoring products like these, but they are also known for also undergoing cosmetic surgeries, therefore negating the reliability of the data.

These sponsors and the companies responsible use deceptive framing by showing images such as "before" and "after" pictures without further explanation. They say the change occurred solely based on the marketed product. But none of these pictures take into account an individual person's genetics, body type, environmental factors, and so on. They claim that no matter who you are, this item will work. Just recently, Instagram banned these "miracle product" ads from their platform.

Political Messaging

We know from the 2016 US Presidential Election that the internet and social media platforms play a large role in advertising, messaging, and overall voting opinions of the US. The company, Cambridge Analytica, found itself in a precarious situation as they were accused of data collection that played a part in skewing voter perspective and election results.

One of the main arguments against this company was that they were dishonestly taking information from consumers and using it to frame and persuade a person toward or away from a presidential candidate, creating an unbalanced stream of information. This deceptive framing is damaging to the entire democratic system.

eNotes can't do this entire assignment for you, but if you dig deep into these examples using the vocabulary you were given, I am certain you will cover all your bases. Good luck!