Cherry-pick

To “cherry-pick” is to selectively choose examples or data that support a point of view. “Cherry-picking” data or examples often leads to bias or misleading information.

In science, researchers might cherry-pick data that supports their hypothesis. If they do this, they present only the data from their experiments that supports the hypothesis. They leave out the data they found that contradicts their hypothesis. This leads to a biased or misleading finding.

A journalist might cherry-pick quotes from sources, choosing only those quotes or facts that make the story sound sensational. That might make a good story, but by cherry-picking facts, the journalist does not provide a balanced point of view.