Find a current event (no older than a few months) that was widely covered by the media. Here are some websites where you can search for ideas:

• Real Clear Politics - http://www.realclearpolitics.com/

• Pros and Cons of Controversial Issues - http://www.procon.org

• The New York Times - http://nytimes.com

• Drudge Report - http://www.drudgereport.com

Select at least two news articles on your chosen current event. Then, in an essay, answer the following questions, comparing and contrasting both news articles in terms of their coverage of the current event.

• What are the issues and the conclusions of each article?

• What are the reasons given?

• Which words or phrases do you find ambiguous?

• What are the value and descriptive assumptions?

• Are there any specific fallacies in the reasoning?

• How good is the evidence?

• Are there rival causes?

• Are the statistics deceptive?

• What significant information is omitted?

• What reasonable conclusions are possible?

Sources and Citation: In addition to the news articles you are using, cite two scholarly sources to back up your ideas. Do not use the readings for the course. Remember to include all sources used, including the newspaper articles, in an APA-formatted reference page. As with all assignments in this course, keep in mind that critical reasoning and thinking skills are not the same as opinions. Review the various fallacies featured in the Module 4 and Module 5 lecture pages for terms and concepts to use in this essay. Your paper, including citations and references, should be four to five pages in length, well written, and formatted according to APA Requirements.