Topgolf project should not be allowed on public tidelands 99%
By U T Readers100%
7/23/2026, 12:00:14 PM
Topics: Topgolf, Public Tidelands, San Diego Bay, Environmental Impact, Coastal Act, Public Trust Doctrine
Keywords: Opinion, Letters To The Editor
BS Summary: This article contains 19 faulty reasoning types, including Biased Writer Voice, Confirmation Bias, and Burden of Proof, with Negativity Bias as the most egregious example at 91.1% saturation with 163 hits. Analysis detected 874 faulty-reasoning hits from 179 analyzed words, generating a BS Score of 98.1% and a BS Rank of 99% (415 of 21,887 articles). This article is worse (more manipulative) than 98.10% of the article peer group.
Re “After years of silence, plan for polarizing Topgolf venue on San Diego Bay on path to approval” (July 19): The Topgolf project has no place on our public tidelands.
Prior developments have converted sandy shorelines to inaccessible riprap and concrete bulwarks, filled in wetlands and degraded the bay’s historical scenic character.
Topgolf would be the crowning insult by erecting an inappropriate high-end golf facility with 170-foot-tall (17 stories!)
netting surrounding a 4.5-acre driving range, preventing public access or use.
This should be an unthinkable use for one of the last portions of public trust lands in North Bay that could be dedicated as a large park with natural habitats, accessible to San Diegans of all incomes.
The draft environmental impact report does not accurately assess Topgolf’s direct conflicts with the Public Trust Doctrine and Coastal Act.
It uses selective locations to analyze scenic effects, downplaying Topgolf’s destructive impacts; fails to effectively evaluate its impacts on our bird and wildlife populations; and minimizes traffic concerns.
— Bill Tippets, La Jolla
Confirmation Bias
43.6%Confirmation Bias
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43.6%AuthorU T Readers
34.3%PublicationSan Diego Union-Tribune
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Anchoring Bias
0%Anchoring Bias
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Availability Heuristic
12.3%Availability Heuristic
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12.3%AuthorU T Readers
12.3%PublicationSan Diego Union-Tribune
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Representativeness Heuristic
0%Representativeness Heuristic
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Hindsight Bias
0%Hindsight Bias
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0%PublicationSan Diego Union-Tribune
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Overconfidence Bias
0%Overconfidence Bias
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0%AuthorU T Readers
5.8%PublicationSan Diego Union-Tribune
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Framing Effect
25.7%Framing Effect
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25.7%AuthorU T Readers
16.6%PublicationSan Diego Union-Tribune
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Loss Aversion
20.7%Loss Aversion
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20.7%AuthorU T Readers
23.1%PublicationSan Diego Union-Tribune
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Status Quo Bias
0%Status Quo Bias
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0%AuthorU T Readers
21%PublicationSan Diego Union-Tribune
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Sunk Cost Effect
0%Sunk Cost Effect
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Optimism Bias
0%Optimism Bias
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0%PublicationSan Diego Union-Tribune
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Pessimism Bias
14.5%Pessimism Bias
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14.5%AuthorU T Readers
4.8%PublicationSan Diego Union-Tribune
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Negativity Bias
91.1%Negativity Bias
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91.1%AuthorU T Readers
44.5%PublicationSan Diego Union-Tribune
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Self-Serving Bias
0%Self-Serving Bias
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0%PublicationSan Diego Union-Tribune
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Fundamental Attribution Error
0%Fundamental Attribution Error
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0%PublicationSan Diego Union-Tribune
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Actor-Observer Bias
0%Actor-Observer Bias
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In-Group Bias
0%In-Group Bias
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Out-Group Homogeneity Bias
0%Out-Group Homogeneity Bias
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Halo Effect
0%Halo Effect
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Horn Effect
0%Horn Effect
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3.2%PublicationSan Diego Union-Tribune
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Dunning-Kruger Effect
0%Dunning-Kruger Effect
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0%PublicationSan Diego Union-Tribune
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Recency Bias
0%Recency Bias
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Primacy Effect
0%Primacy Effect
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Blind-Spot Bias
0%Blind-Spot Bias
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Ad Hominem
15.6%Ad Hominem
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15.6%AuthorU T Readers
5.2%PublicationSan Diego Union-Tribune
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Straw Man
0%Straw Man
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Appeal to Authority
11.2%Appeal to Authority
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11.2%AuthorU T Readers
3.7%PublicationSan Diego Union-Tribune
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False Dilemma
20.7%False Dilemma
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20.7%AuthorU T Readers
20.7%PublicationSan Diego Union-Tribune
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Slippery Slope
0%Slippery Slope
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0%AuthorU T Readers
4.1%PublicationSan Diego Union-Tribune
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Circular Reasoning
0%Circular Reasoning
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0%PublicationSan Diego Union-Tribune
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Hasty Generalization
0%Hasty Generalization
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15.5%PublicationSan Diego Union-Tribune
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Red Herring
0%Red Herring
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Bandwagon
0%Bandwagon
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Appeal to Emotion
25.1%Appeal to Emotion
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25.1%AuthorU T Readers
19.9%PublicationSan Diego Union-Tribune
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Begging the Question
21.8%Begging the Question
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21.8%AuthorU T Readers
12.8%PublicationSan Diego Union-Tribune
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Post Hoc (False Cause)
12.3%Post Hoc (False Cause)
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12.3%AuthorU T Readers
4.1%PublicationSan Diego Union-Tribune
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Tu Quoque
0%Tu Quoque
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Burden of Proof
27.9%Burden of Proof
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27.9%AuthorU T Readers
13%PublicationSan Diego Union-Tribune
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Appeal to Nature
0%Appeal to Nature
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Composition/Division
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Anecdotal
6.1%Anecdotal
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6.1%AuthorU T Readers
2%PublicationSan Diego Union-Tribune
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No True Scotsman
0%No True Scotsman
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Ambiguity (Equivocation)
0%Ambiguity (Equivocation)
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Gambler’s Fallacy
0%Gambler’s Fallacy
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Middle Ground
20.7%Middle Ground
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20.7%AuthorU T Readers
6.9%PublicationSan Diego Union-Tribune
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Personal Incredulity
0%Personal Incredulity
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Special Pleading
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Genetic Fallacy
0%Genetic Fallacy
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Unattributed Quote
18.4%Unattributed Quote
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18.4%AuthorU T Readers
6.1%PublicationSan Diego Union-Tribune
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Quote-first Misdirection
9.5%Quote-first Misdirection
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9.5%AuthorU T Readers
3.2%PublicationSan Diego Union-Tribune
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Biased Writer Voice
79.9%Biased Writer Voice
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79.9%AuthorU T Readers
63.9%PublicationSan Diego Union-Tribune
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Indoctrination
11.2%Indoctrination
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11.2%AuthorU T Readers
24.8%PublicationSan Diego Union-Tribune
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Politically Left Leaning Bias
0%Politically Left Leaning Bias
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0%AuthorU T Readers
8.6%PublicationSan Diego Union-Tribune
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Politically Right Leaning Bias
0%Politically Right Leaning Bias
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0%PublicationSan Diego Union-Tribune
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Attempt to Sell a Product or Service
0%Attempt to Sell a Product or Service
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0%PublicationSan Diego Union-Tribune
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179 words analyzed.
Analysis
Hover over highlighted words in the article to view the associated bias or fallacy analysis.