proximate

A lot of research, and especially mainstream media, conflate the proximate cause of something with the underlying cause of it.

"A lot of research, and especially mainstream media, conflate the proximate cause of something with the underlying cause of it."

Miguel Santana, head of another L.A.-based philanthropic giant, the California Community Foundation, called Ross a “revolutionary” figure who challenged his peers “to believe that the billions we steward belong to the people” and “trust in those most proximate to the issues and injustice.”

If elections are won on vibes, as we say these days, and if the Democrats’ only proximate task is to defeat Donald Trump conclusively enough that his minions on the Supreme Court and around the country can’t game the results, then they’re in a good place after day one of the Chicago convention.

Some drugs directly cause the heart to stop, and in that case, the drug is more the proximate cause.