Cherry Picking

We selectively present data that supports our conclusion while ignoring contradictory data — then declare victory. The target is drawn around where the arrow already landed.

• A financial advisor shows clients only the years their strategy outperformed — never mentioning the years it underperformed.
• Alternative medicine practitioners highlight the cases where their treatment worked — dismissing failures as cases where 'the patient didn't try hard enough.'
• Political parties cite only the economic statistics that support their narrative — unemployment when they want to claim success, growth when the other side is in power.