404 Media66%
Behind the Blog: Silent Retreat 18%
By Samantha Cole72% Jason Koebler59% Joseph Cox76%
7/31/2026, 9:24:50 AM
Topics: Journalism, Behind The Scenes
Keywords: Behind The Blog
BS Summary: This article contains 8 faulty reasoning types, including Biased Writer Voice, Self-Serving Bias, and Optimism Bias, with Attempt to Sell a Product or Service as the most egregious example at 26.2% saturation with 37 hits. Analysis detected 152 faulty-reasoning hits from 141 analyzed words, generating a BS Score of 28.2% and a BS Rank of 18% (21,405 of 26,005 articles). This article is better (less manipulative) than 82.30% of the article peer group.
This is Behind the Blog, where we share our behind-the-scenes thoughts about how a few of our top stories of the week came together.
This week, we discuss going into the woods, a "he admit it" moment, and a tofu sandwich.
JOSEPH: Thank you to everyone who came to Thursday’s FOIA Forum.
It was a great turnout with a ton of really good questions.
We spoke mostly about mining city council meetings for tips or context you can then use to fuel your public records requests.
I’ll upload the video soon and put it on the site for everyone to watch.
The other 404 Media co-founders have been writing in Behind The Blog about disconnecting recently.
I’m doing something related to that shortly: going to an Airbnb in the woods to do a makeshift ‘silent retreat’.
Confirmation Bias
8.5%Confirmation Bias
OverallThis article
8.5%AuthorSamantha Cole
3%Publication404 Media
3.2%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Anchoring Bias
0%Anchoring Bias
OverallThis article
0%AuthorSamantha Cole
0.3%Publication404 Media
0.7%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Availability Heuristic
0%Availability Heuristic
OverallThis article
0%AuthorSamantha Cole
3.5%Publication404 Media
3.3%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Representativeness Heuristic
0%Representativeness Heuristic
OverallThis article
0%AuthorSamantha Cole
1.1%Publication404 Media
1.4%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Hindsight Bias
0%Hindsight Bias
OverallThis article
0%AuthorSamantha Cole
0.4%Publication404 Media
0.4%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Overconfidence Bias
0%Overconfidence Bias
OverallThis article
0%AuthorSamantha Cole
1.3%Publication404 Media
2.5%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Framing Effect
12.1%Framing Effect
OverallThis article
12.1%AuthorSamantha Cole
4.7%Publication404 Media
4.8%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Loss Aversion
0%Loss Aversion
OverallThis article
0%AuthorSamantha Cole
1.4%Publication404 Media
0.5%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Status Quo Bias
0%Status Quo Bias
OverallThis article
0%AuthorSamantha Cole
1.2%Publication404 Media
0.6%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Sunk Cost Effect
0%Sunk Cost Effect
OverallThis article
0%AuthorSamantha Cole
0.3%Publication404 Media
0.1%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Optimism Bias
14.2%Optimism Bias
OverallThis article
14.2%AuthorSamantha Cole
3.6%Publication404 Media
2.4%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Pessimism Bias
0%Pessimism Bias
OverallThis article
0%AuthorSamantha Cole
1.9%Publication404 Media
1.5%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Negativity Bias
10.6%Negativity Bias
OverallThis article
10.6%AuthorSamantha Cole
11.2%Publication404 Media
9.6%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Self-Serving Bias
15.6%Self-Serving Bias
OverallThis article
15.6%AuthorSamantha Cole
2.7%Publication404 Media
1.3%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Fundamental Attribution Error
0%Fundamental Attribution Error
OverallThis article
0%AuthorSamantha Cole
1.3%Publication404 Media
0.7%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Actor-Observer Bias
0%Actor-Observer Bias
OverallThis article
0%AuthorSamantha Cole
0.2%Publication404 Media
0.1%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
In-Group Bias
0%In-Group Bias
OverallThis article
0%AuthorSamantha Cole
2.8%Publication404 Media
0.8%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Out-Group Homogeneity Bias
0%Out-Group Homogeneity Bias
OverallThis article
0%AuthorSamantha Cole
1.4%Publication404 Media
0.4%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Halo Effect
0%Halo Effect
OverallThis article
0%AuthorSamantha Cole
0.9%Publication404 Media
0.9%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Horn Effect
0%Horn Effect
OverallThis article
0%AuthorSamantha Cole
0.6%Publication404 Media
0.2%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Dunning-Kruger Effect
0%Dunning-Kruger Effect
OverallThis article
0%AuthorSamantha Cole
0%Publication404 Media
0%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Recency Bias
0%Recency Bias
OverallThis article
0%AuthorSamantha Cole
1.2%Publication404 Media
0.8%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Primacy Effect
3.5%Primacy Effect
OverallThis article
3.5%AuthorSamantha Cole
0.5%Publication404 Media
0.3%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Blind-Spot Bias
0%Blind-Spot Bias
OverallThis article
0%AuthorSamantha Cole
0.1%Publication404 Media
0%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Ad Hominem
0%Ad Hominem
OverallThis article
0%AuthorSamantha Cole
0.4%Publication404 Media
0.2%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Straw Man
0%Straw Man
OverallThis article
0%AuthorSamantha Cole
0.7%Publication404 Media
0.3%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Appeal to Authority
0%Appeal to Authority
OverallThis article
0%AuthorSamantha Cole
2.6%Publication404 Media
2.9%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
False Dilemma
0%False Dilemma
OverallThis article
0%AuthorSamantha Cole
1.3%Publication404 Media
1.2%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Slippery Slope
0%Slippery Slope
OverallThis article
0%AuthorSamantha Cole
1.4%Publication404 Media
1%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Circular Reasoning
0%Circular Reasoning
OverallThis article
0%AuthorSamantha Cole
0.1%Publication404 Media
0.2%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Hasty Generalization
0%Hasty Generalization
OverallThis article
0%AuthorSamantha Cole
8.6%Publication404 Media
6.8%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Red Herring
0%Red Herring
OverallThis article
0%AuthorSamantha Cole
0.1%Publication404 Media
0.3%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Bandwagon
0%Bandwagon
OverallThis article
0%AuthorSamantha Cole
0.6%Publication404 Media
0.6%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Appeal to Emotion
0%Appeal to Emotion
OverallThis article
0%AuthorSamantha Cole
9%Publication404 Media
4.6%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Begging the Question
0%Begging the Question
OverallThis article
0%AuthorSamantha Cole
0.9%Publication404 Media
0.7%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Post Hoc (False Cause)
0%Post Hoc (False Cause)
OverallThis article
0%AuthorSamantha Cole
1.4%Publication404 Media
1.8%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Tu Quoque
0%Tu Quoque
OverallThis article
0%AuthorSamantha Cole
0.7%Publication404 Media
0.2%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Burden of Proof
0%Burden of Proof
OverallThis article
0%AuthorSamantha Cole
0.2%Publication404 Media
0.6%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Appeal to Nature
0%Appeal to Nature
OverallThis article
0%AuthorSamantha Cole
0.3%Publication404 Media
0.4%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Composition/Division
0%Composition/Division
OverallThis article
0%AuthorSamantha Cole
0.6%Publication404 Media
0.3%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Anecdotal
0%Anecdotal
OverallThis article
0%AuthorSamantha Cole
3.4%Publication404 Media
2.5%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
No True Scotsman
0%No True Scotsman
OverallThis article
0%AuthorSamantha Cole
0.3%Publication404 Media
0.1%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Ambiguity (Equivocation)
0%Ambiguity (Equivocation)
OverallThis article
0%AuthorSamantha Cole
1.8%Publication404 Media
1.7%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Gambler’s Fallacy
0%Gambler’s Fallacy
OverallThis article
0%AuthorSamantha Cole
0%Publication404 Media
0%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Middle Ground
0%Middle Ground
OverallThis article
0%AuthorSamantha Cole
0.1%Publication404 Media
0.1%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Personal Incredulity
0%Personal Incredulity
OverallThis article
0%AuthorSamantha Cole
0.2%Publication404 Media
0.1%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Special Pleading
0%Special Pleading
OverallThis article
0%AuthorSamantha Cole
0.1%Publication404 Media
0.1%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Genetic Fallacy
0%Genetic Fallacy
OverallThis article
0%AuthorSamantha Cole
0.1%Publication404 Media
0.1%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Unattributed Quote
0%Unattributed Quote
OverallThis article
0%AuthorSamantha Cole
3%Publication404 Media
2.6%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Quote-first Misdirection
0%Quote-first Misdirection
OverallThis article
0%AuthorSamantha Cole
1.8%Publication404 Media
1.4%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Biased Writer Voice
17%Biased Writer Voice
OverallThis article
17%AuthorSamantha Cole
9.3%Publication404 Media
9.4%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Indoctrination
0%Indoctrination
OverallThis article
0%AuthorSamantha Cole
2.2%Publication404 Media
1.2%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Politically Left Leaning Bias
0%Politically Left Leaning Bias
OverallThis article
0%AuthorSamantha Cole
0.4%Publication404 Media
0.5%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Politically Right Leaning Bias
0%Politically Right Leaning Bias
OverallThis article
0%AuthorSamantha Cole
0.1%Publication404 Media
0%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Attempt to Sell a Product or Service
26.2%Attempt to Sell a Product or Service
OverallThis article
26.2%AuthorSamantha Cole
1.9%Publication404 Media
2.7%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
141 words analyzed.
Analysis
Hover over highlighted words in the article to view the associated bias or fallacy analysis.