KQED61%
SF Chronicle Reporter on the Investigation That Ended Swalwell's Career 0%
By Scott Shafer0% Marisa Lagos91%
4/14/2026, 11:47:35 PM
Topics: Political Breakdown
BS Summary: This article contains 11 faulty reasoning types, including Biased Writer Voice, Availability Heuristic, and Anecdotal, with Appeal to Authority as the most egregious example at 43.4% saturation with 49 hits. Analysis detected 276 faulty-reasoning hits from 113 analyzed words, generating a BS Score of 0% and a BS Rank of 0% (0 of 16,813 articles). This article is better (less manipulative) than 100.00% of the article peer group.
When the San Francisco Chronicle published the story of a woman accusing Rep.
Eric Swalwell of rape, his surging gubernatorial campaign collapsed within days.
Swalwell still denies the most serious allegations but he has since resigned his House seat.
Scott and Marisa talk to the San Francisco Chronicle’s Sophia Bollag, who broke the story alongside her colleague Alexei Koseff.
She describes how the story came together and what it took to bring to light a secret that political insiders have since admitted has circulated around Swalwell for years.
[YouTube video embedded: https://www.youtube.com/embed/IohGPv7K8Xg]
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Confirmation Bias
0%Confirmation Bias
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott Shafer
6.3%PublicationCalMatters
2%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Anchoring Bias
0%Anchoring Bias
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott Shafer
2.7%PublicationCalMatters
0.9%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Availability Heuristic
25.7%Availability Heuristic
OverallThis article
25.7%AuthorScott Shafer
6.5%PublicationCalMatters
3%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Representativeness Heuristic
0%Representativeness Heuristic
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott Shafer
1.3%PublicationCalMatters
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Hindsight Bias
0%Hindsight Bias
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott Shafer
2%PublicationCalMatters
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Overconfidence Bias
0%Overconfidence Bias
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott Shafer
1.3%PublicationCalMatters
1.2%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Framing Effect
18.6%Framing Effect
OverallThis article
18.6%AuthorScott Shafer
30%PublicationCalMatters
6.4%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Loss Aversion
0%Loss Aversion
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott Shafer
0.2%PublicationCalMatters
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Status Quo Bias
0%Status Quo Bias
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott Shafer
2.2%PublicationCalMatters
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Sunk Cost Effect
0%Sunk Cost Effect
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott Shafer
0%PublicationCalMatters
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Optimism Bias
0%Optimism Bias
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott Shafer
3.5%PublicationCalMatters
3.6%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Pessimism Bias
0%Pessimism Bias
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott Shafer
0.9%PublicationCalMatters
1.4%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Negativity Bias
22.1%Negativity Bias
OverallThis article
22.1%AuthorScott Shafer
22.1%PublicationCalMatters
6.4%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Self-Serving Bias
0%Self-Serving Bias
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott Shafer
1.9%PublicationCalMatters
1.7%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%AuthorScott Shafer
1.3%PublicationCalMatters
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%AuthorScott Shafer
0.3%PublicationCalMatters
0.2%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%AuthorScott Shafer
3.8%PublicationCalMatters
1.7%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%AuthorScott Shafer
2.1%PublicationCalMatters
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%AuthorScott Shafer
5.3%PublicationCalMatters
2.7%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Horn Effect
0%Horn Effect
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott Shafer
0%PublicationCalMatters
0.1%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%AuthorScott Shafer
0%PublicationCalMatters
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Recency Bias
0%Recency Bias
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott Shafer
7%PublicationCalMatters
0.9%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Primacy Effect
0%Primacy Effect
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott Shafer
1.5%PublicationCalMatters
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%AuthorScott Shafer
0%PublicationCalMatters
0%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Ad Hominem
0%Ad Hominem
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott Shafer
1.3%PublicationCalMatters
0.6%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Straw Man
0%Straw Man
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott Shafer
0.2%PublicationCalMatters
0.2%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Appeal to Authority
43.4%Appeal to Authority
OverallThis article
43.4%AuthorScott Shafer
7.6%PublicationCalMatters
3.1%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
False Dilemma
0%False Dilemma
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott Shafer
2.4%PublicationCalMatters
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%AuthorScott Shafer
0.3%PublicationCalMatters
0.8%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Circular Reasoning
0%Circular Reasoning
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott Shafer
0%PublicationCalMatters
0.1%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Hasty Generalization
9.7%Hasty Generalization
OverallThis article
9.7%AuthorScott Shafer
4.2%PublicationCalMatters
3.6%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Red Herring
0%Red Herring
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott Shafer
2.5%PublicationCalMatters
0.2%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Bandwagon
0%Bandwagon
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott Shafer
2.7%PublicationCalMatters
0.7%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%AuthorScott Shafer
7.5%PublicationCalMatters
5.3%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Begging the Question
8.8%Begging the Question
OverallThis article
8.8%AuthorScott Shafer
2.7%PublicationCalMatters
0.6%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Post Hoc (False Cause)
23%Post Hoc (False Cause)
OverallThis article
23%AuthorScott Shafer
3.9%PublicationCalMatters
2%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Tu Quoque
0%Tu Quoque
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott Shafer
0%PublicationCalMatters
0.1%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%AuthorScott Shafer
0.2%PublicationCalMatters
0.3%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%AuthorScott Shafer
0.2%PublicationCalMatters
0.2%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Composition/Division
0%Composition/Division
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott Shafer
0%PublicationCalMatters
0.2%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Anecdotal
25.7%Anecdotal
OverallThis article
25.7%AuthorScott Shafer
1.7%PublicationCalMatters
3.2%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%AuthorScott Shafer
0%PublicationCalMatters
0%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Ambiguity (Equivocation)
0%Ambiguity (Equivocation)
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott Shafer
1.3%PublicationCalMatters
1.2%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%AuthorScott Shafer
0%PublicationCalMatters
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Middle Ground
0%Middle Ground
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott Shafer
0%PublicationCalMatters
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Personal Incredulity
0%Personal Incredulity
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott Shafer
0%PublicationCalMatters
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%AuthorScott Shafer
0%PublicationCalMatters
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%AuthorScott Shafer
1.6%PublicationCalMatters
0.2%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Unattributed Quote
25.7%Unattributed Quote
OverallThis article
25.7%AuthorScott Shafer
1.8%PublicationCalMatters
0.8%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%AuthorScott Shafer
2%PublicationCalMatters
0.6%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Biased Writer Voice
31.9%Biased Writer Voice
OverallThis article
31.9%AuthorScott Shafer
20.5%PublicationCalMatters
3.1%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Indoctrination
0%Indoctrination
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott Shafer
0.7%PublicationCalMatters
1.8%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%AuthorScott Shafer
8.4%PublicationCalMatters
1.1%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%AuthorScott Shafer
1%PublicationCalMatters
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Attempt to Sell a Product or Service
9.7%Attempt to Sell a Product or Service
OverallThis article
9.7%AuthorScott Shafer
8.5%PublicationCalMatters
1.2%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
113 words analyzed.
Analysis
Hover over highlighted words in the article to view the associated bias or fallacy analysis.