BS Summary: This article contains 3 faulty reasoning types, including Appeal to Authority and Attempt to Sell a Product or Service, with Halo Effect as the most egregious example at 57.3% saturation with 43 hits. Analysis detected 79 faulty-reasoning hits from 75 analyzed words, generating a BS Score of 29.2% and a BS Rank of 12% (14,801 of 16,813 articles). This article is better (less manipulative) than 88.00% of the article peer group.
Mark Z.
Barabak is a political columnist for the Los Angeles Times, focusing on California and the West.
He has covered campaigns and elections in 49 of the 50 states, including 13 presidential contests and scores of mayoral, legislative, gubernatorial and congressional races.
He also reported from the White House and Capitol Hill during the George H.W.
Bush and Clinton administrations.
Follow him on Bluesky at markzbarabak.bsky.social and on X at markzbarabak.
Confirmation Bias
0%Confirmation Bias
OverallThis article
0%AuthorMark Z. Barabak
1.9%PublicationDaily Pilot
2.8%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Anchoring Bias
0%Anchoring Bias
OverallThis article
0%AuthorMark Z. Barabak
0%PublicationDaily Pilot
1.3%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Availability Heuristic
0%Availability Heuristic
OverallThis article
0%AuthorMark Z. Barabak
6.2%PublicationDaily Pilot
3.5%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Representativeness Heuristic
0%Representativeness Heuristic
OverallThis article
0%AuthorMark Z. Barabak
0.9%PublicationDaily Pilot
1%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Hindsight Bias
0%Hindsight Bias
OverallThis article
0%AuthorMark Z. Barabak
2.8%PublicationDaily Pilot
0.9%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Overconfidence Bias
0%Overconfidence Bias
OverallThis article
0%AuthorMark Z. Barabak
0.8%PublicationDaily Pilot
1.9%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Framing Effect
0%Framing Effect
OverallThis article
0%AuthorMark Z. Barabak
10.6%PublicationDaily Pilot
7.7%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Loss Aversion
0%Loss Aversion
OverallThis article
0%AuthorMark Z. Barabak
0.5%PublicationDaily Pilot
0.9%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%AuthorMark Z. Barabak
1%PublicationDaily Pilot
0.9%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%AuthorMark Z. Barabak
0%PublicationDaily Pilot
0.2%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Optimism Bias
0%Optimism Bias
OverallThis article
0%AuthorMark Z. Barabak
1%PublicationDaily Pilot
3.7%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Pessimism Bias
0%Pessimism Bias
OverallThis article
0%AuthorMark Z. Barabak
2.8%PublicationDaily Pilot
1.4%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Negativity Bias
0%Negativity Bias
OverallThis article
0%AuthorMark Z. Barabak
27.6%PublicationDaily Pilot
7.6%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%AuthorMark Z. Barabak
10.2%PublicationDaily Pilot
2.2%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%AuthorMark Z. Barabak
2.6%PublicationDaily Pilot
0.9%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%AuthorMark Z. Barabak
0%PublicationDaily Pilot
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%AuthorMark Z. Barabak
1%PublicationDaily Pilot
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%AuthorMark Z. Barabak
0%PublicationDaily Pilot
0.6%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Halo Effect
57.3%Halo Effect
OverallThis article
57.3%AuthorMark Z. Barabak
2.3%PublicationDaily Pilot
5.4%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Horn Effect
0%Horn Effect
OverallThis article
0%AuthorMark Z. Barabak
0.9%PublicationDaily Pilot
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%AuthorMark Z. Barabak
0%PublicationDaily Pilot
0%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Recency Bias
0%Recency Bias
OverallThis article
0%AuthorMark Z. Barabak
2.8%PublicationDaily Pilot
1.3%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Primacy Effect
0%Primacy Effect
OverallThis article
0%AuthorMark Z. Barabak
1.1%PublicationDaily Pilot
0.5%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%AuthorMark Z. Barabak
0%PublicationDaily Pilot
0.1%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Ad Hominem
0%Ad Hominem
OverallThis article
0%AuthorMark Z. Barabak
4.6%PublicationDaily Pilot
0.9%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Straw Man
0%Straw Man
OverallThis article
0%AuthorMark Z. Barabak
0%PublicationDaily Pilot
0.3%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Appeal to Authority
33.3%Appeal to Authority
OverallThis article
33.3%AuthorMark Z. Barabak
4.1%PublicationDaily Pilot
5.1%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
False Dilemma
0%False Dilemma
OverallThis article
0%AuthorMark Z. Barabak
2.5%PublicationDaily Pilot
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%AuthorMark Z. Barabak
1.2%PublicationDaily Pilot
0.7%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Circular Reasoning
0%Circular Reasoning
OverallThis article
0%AuthorMark Z. Barabak
0%PublicationDaily Pilot
0.1%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Hasty Generalization
0%Hasty Generalization
OverallThis article
0%AuthorMark Z. Barabak
1.7%PublicationDaily Pilot
4.4%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Red Herring
0%Red Herring
OverallThis article
0%AuthorMark Z. Barabak
2%PublicationDaily Pilot
0.3%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Bandwagon
0%Bandwagon
OverallThis article
0%AuthorMark Z. Barabak
3.3%PublicationDaily Pilot
1%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%AuthorMark Z. Barabak
9.3%PublicationDaily Pilot
5.7%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%AuthorMark Z. Barabak
2.1%PublicationDaily Pilot
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%AuthorMark Z. Barabak
2.1%PublicationDaily Pilot
2.6%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Tu Quoque
0%Tu Quoque
OverallThis article
0%AuthorMark Z. Barabak
0%PublicationDaily Pilot
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%AuthorMark Z. Barabak
2.9%PublicationDaily Pilot
0.4%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%AuthorMark Z. Barabak
0%PublicationDaily Pilot
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%AuthorMark Z. Barabak
0%PublicationDaily Pilot
0.3%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Anecdotal
0%Anecdotal
OverallThis article
0%AuthorMark Z. Barabak
4.3%PublicationDaily Pilot
2.8%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%AuthorMark Z. Barabak
0.6%PublicationDaily Pilot
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%AuthorMark Z. Barabak
1.1%PublicationDaily Pilot
1.6%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%AuthorMark Z. Barabak
0%PublicationDaily Pilot
0%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Middle Ground
0%Middle Ground
OverallThis article
0%AuthorMark Z. Barabak
0%PublicationDaily Pilot
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%AuthorMark Z. Barabak
0.6%PublicationDaily Pilot
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%AuthorMark Z. Barabak
1.5%PublicationDaily Pilot
0.2%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Genetic Fallacy
0%Genetic Fallacy
OverallThis article
0%AuthorMark Z. Barabak
0%PublicationDaily Pilot
0.3%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Unattributed Quote
0%Unattributed Quote
OverallThis article
0%AuthorMark Z. Barabak
1%PublicationDaily Pilot
1.2%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%AuthorMark Z. Barabak
2.2%PublicationDaily Pilot
0.8%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Biased Writer Voice
0%Biased Writer Voice
OverallThis article
0%AuthorMark Z. Barabak
25.1%PublicationDaily Pilot
6.1%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Indoctrination
0%Indoctrination
OverallThis article
0%AuthorMark Z. Barabak
5.1%PublicationDaily Pilot
1.6%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%AuthorMark Z. Barabak
0%PublicationDaily Pilot
0.9%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%AuthorMark Z. Barabak
0%PublicationDaily Pilot
0.3%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Attempt to Sell a Product or Service
14.7%Attempt to Sell a Product or Service
OverallThis article
14.7%AuthorMark Z. Barabak
0.3%PublicationDaily Pilot
4.3%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
75 words analyzed.
Analysis
Hover over highlighted words in the article to view the associated bias or fallacy analysis.