It is hard for us to escape the constant news cycle about COVID these days but these conversations are really important, especially in regards to how this virus is disproportionately affecting people of color. In the chart, 16 states in which Black people have a higher share of the population percentage than the national average are listed. Within these states, they then compared the % population share to the % COVID death share for Black people.  They found that in all but one state, Black people made up more of the percentage of COVID deaths than they even made up the percentage of the population. When it is broken down like this, it is simple to see — Black populations are being hit hard with COVID. I think that this graph is pretty standard and easy to read, but I could understand how someone may get confused figuring out the % of population bit. This data is extremely important, especially considering VA is on that list! It is graphed like this that can make numbers easier and express issues more effectively with these visuals. 

However, in general, I think that graphs in the news have been used in very misleading ways. While most people with some higher education might be able to see through some of their tricks (mostly because they have had more exposure to classes involving this) a lot of Americans are not as fortunate. Politically fueled new sources will show the data in a different way to push for their cause and make people want to believe it is true. In the second photo attached, it is clear that changing small things, like how many decimal points you make the y-axis go to, can change the graph completely. I think this is something for everyone to be aware of while looking at graphs because while it is easy to fall into their trap, with a little understanding of graphs and data, we all can avoid this.