Fallacies in Politics and the News
Nowhere are logical fallacies used more frequently — or more deliberately — than in politics and media. Politicians use them to avoid answering questions. Media uses them to generate clicks. If you can spot fallacies in politics, you can spot them anywhere.
Political Fallacy Playbook
The Pivot (Red Herring)
Reporter: "Minister, why did unemployment rise?" Minister: "What the Australian people really care about is keeping their families safe." The question wasn't answered. A different topic was substituted. This happens in virtually every political interview.
The False Dilemma
"You either support this policy or you support terrorism." Politicians love false dilemmas because they force you to "pick a side" without considering alternatives.
The Straw Man
"My opponent wants to increase the refugee intake. They want open borders!" Increasing intake by 5,000 is not "open borders." The opponent's actual position is replaced with an extreme version that's easier to attack.
Whataboutism (Tu Quoque)
"Yes, we broke that promise, but what about when THEY broke their promise in 2015?" Both parties can be wrong. One party's failure doesn't excuse another's.
Media Fallacies
False Balance
A news story gives "both sides" of climate change: one climate scientist and one sceptic. This implies a 50/50 debate when in reality 97%+ of climate scientists agree on human-caused climate change (Cook et al., 2013). Equal airtime ≠ equal evidence.
Cherry-Picking
Selecting data that supports your story while ignoring data that contradicts it. "House prices rose 2% this quarter!" (Ignoring that they fell 15% over the year.)
Correlation as Causation
"Countries that eat more chocolate win more Nobel Prizes!" (Real study, real correlation, obviously not causation.) Headlines love to present correlations as if they prove cause and effect.
Tonight's Question
"Watch a political interview or Question Time clip together. How many fallacies can you spot in five minutes?"
Make it a game. You'll be surprised how many you find.
Political Debate Bingo
- Create bingo cards with common political fallacies (straw man, red herring, false dilemma, appeal to fear, whataboutism, appeal to authority, etc.).
- Watch a political debate, Q&A, or press conference together.
- Mark your card when you spot a fallacy.
- First person to get three in a row wins.
- Discuss: were any of the fallacies effective despite being logically flawed?
Go Further
- Watch: ABC's Q+A or Parliament's Question Time with your fallacy checklist.
- Research: The false balance problem — why do media outlets feel compelled to present "both sides" even when the evidence is one-sided?
- Book: Bad Arguments by Ali Almossawi (2013) — beautifully illustrated guide to fallacies.
- Question: Is it ever acceptable for politicians to use fallacies? Is politics inherently about persuasion rather than logic?
What We Simplified
- Not every pivot is a red herring. Sometimes politicians legitimately believe the alternative topic is more important.
- False balance is declining. Many news organisations now explicitly state the scientific consensus rather than presenting "both sides."
- Politics involves values, not just logic. Policy debates are partly about priorities and values, which can't be resolved purely through logic.
Sources
- Cook, J. et al. (2013). "Quantifying the consensus on anthropogenic global warming." Environmental Research Letters, 8(2), 024024.
- Almossawi, A. (2013). An Illustrated Book of Bad Arguments. The Experiment.
- Boykoff, M.T. & Boykoff, J.M. (2004). "Balance as bias: global warming and the US prestige press." Global Environmental Change, 14(2), 125-136.
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