WBUR Up Next6%
State senate considers mandatory screening test for a virus in newborns 8%
By Stephanie Brown33% Lynn Jolicoeur3%
7/22/2026, 7:03:57 PM
BS Summary: This article contains 4 faulty reasoning types, including Appeal to Emotion, Anecdotal, and Availability Heuristic, with Negativity Bias as the most egregious example at 15.8% saturation with 15 hits. Analysis detected 55 faulty-reasoning hits from 95 analyzed words, generating a BS Score of 24.6% and a BS Rank of 8% (19,553 of 21,172 articles). This article is better (less manipulative) than 92.40% of the article peer group.
A bill before a state Senate committee would require a new screening test for all newborns in Massachusetts.
The test is for congenital cytomegalovirus, a common viral infection that passes from mother to fetus during pregnancy.
It affects about one in 200 babies in the U.S.
If it isn't treated early, it can cause hearing loss, vision problems and even death.
Sara Holcomb's son August was diagnosed with the virus when he was 2 years old.
Holcomb joins WBUR's All Things Considered to discuss.
Confirmation Bias
0%Confirmation Bias
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0%AuthorStephanie Brown
0.8%PublicationCognoscenti
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Anchoring Bias
0%Anchoring Bias
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0%AuthorStephanie Brown
0.7%PublicationCognoscenti
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Availability Heuristic
10.5%Availability Heuristic
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10.5%AuthorStephanie Brown
1.8%PublicationCognoscenti
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Representativeness Heuristic
0%Representativeness Heuristic
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0%AuthorStephanie Brown
2.3%PublicationCognoscenti
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Hindsight Bias
0%Hindsight Bias
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0%AuthorStephanie Brown
0%PublicationCognoscenti
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Overconfidence Bias
0%Overconfidence Bias
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0%AuthorStephanie Brown
0.6%PublicationCognoscenti
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Framing Effect
0%Framing Effect
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0%AuthorStephanie Brown
4.3%PublicationCognoscenti
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Loss Aversion
0%Loss Aversion
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0%AuthorStephanie Brown
0%PublicationCognoscenti
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Status Quo Bias
0%Status Quo Bias
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0%AuthorStephanie Brown
0.4%PublicationCognoscenti
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Sunk Cost Effect
0%Sunk Cost Effect
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0%AuthorStephanie Brown
1%PublicationCognoscenti
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Optimism Bias
0%Optimism Bias
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0%AuthorStephanie Brown
5.4%PublicationCognoscenti
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Pessimism Bias
0%Pessimism Bias
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0%AuthorStephanie Brown
2%PublicationCognoscenti
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Negativity Bias
15.8%Negativity Bias
OverallThis article
15.8%AuthorStephanie Brown
4%PublicationCognoscenti
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Self-Serving Bias
0%Self-Serving Bias
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0%AuthorStephanie Brown
1.4%PublicationCognoscenti
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Fundamental Attribution Error
0%Fundamental Attribution Error
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0%AuthorStephanie Brown
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Actor-Observer Bias
0%Actor-Observer Bias
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0%AuthorStephanie Brown
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In-Group Bias
0%In-Group Bias
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0%AuthorStephanie Brown
0%PublicationCognoscenti
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Out-Group Homogeneity Bias
0%Out-Group Homogeneity Bias
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0%AuthorStephanie Brown
0.8%PublicationCognoscenti
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Halo Effect
0%Halo Effect
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0%AuthorStephanie Brown
1%PublicationCognoscenti
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Horn Effect
0%Horn Effect
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Dunning-Kruger Effect
0%Dunning-Kruger Effect
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0%AuthorStephanie Brown
0%PublicationCognoscenti
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Recency Bias
0%Recency Bias
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0%AuthorStephanie Brown
0.7%PublicationCognoscenti
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Primacy Effect
0%Primacy Effect
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0%AuthorStephanie Brown
0%PublicationCognoscenti
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Blind-Spot Bias
0%Blind-Spot Bias
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0%AuthorStephanie Brown
0%PublicationCognoscenti
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Ad Hominem
0%Ad Hominem
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0%AuthorStephanie Brown
0.7%PublicationCognoscenti
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Straw Man
0%Straw Man
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0%AuthorStephanie Brown
0%PublicationCognoscenti
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Appeal to Authority
0%Appeal to Authority
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0%AuthorStephanie Brown
1.5%PublicationCognoscenti
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False Dilemma
0%False Dilemma
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0%AuthorStephanie Brown
1.2%PublicationCognoscenti
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Slippery Slope
0%Slippery Slope
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0%AuthorStephanie Brown
0%PublicationCognoscenti
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Circular Reasoning
0%Circular Reasoning
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0%AuthorStephanie Brown
0%PublicationCognoscenti
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Hasty Generalization
0%Hasty Generalization
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0%AuthorStephanie Brown
4%PublicationCognoscenti
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Red Herring
0%Red Herring
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0.8%PublicationCognoscenti
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Bandwagon
0%Bandwagon
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0.8%PublicationCognoscenti
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Appeal to Emotion
15.8%Appeal to Emotion
OverallThis article
15.8%AuthorStephanie Brown
0.4%PublicationCognoscenti
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Begging the Question
0%Begging the Question
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0%AuthorStephanie Brown
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Post Hoc (False Cause)
0%Post Hoc (False Cause)
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0%AuthorStephanie Brown
3.4%PublicationCognoscenti
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Tu Quoque
0%Tu Quoque
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Burden of Proof
0%Burden of Proof
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0.1%PublicationCognoscenti
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Appeal to Nature
0%Appeal to Nature
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Composition/Division
0%Composition/Division
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0%AuthorStephanie Brown
1.3%PublicationCognoscenti
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Anecdotal
15.8%Anecdotal
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15.8%AuthorStephanie Brown
5.3%PublicationCognoscenti
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No True Scotsman
0%No True Scotsman
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0%AuthorStephanie Brown
0.6%PublicationCognoscenti
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Ambiguity (Equivocation)
0%Ambiguity (Equivocation)
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0%AuthorStephanie Brown
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Gambler’s Fallacy
0%Gambler’s Fallacy
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Middle Ground
0%Middle Ground
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Personal Incredulity
0%Personal Incredulity
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0%AuthorStephanie Brown
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Special Pleading
0%Special Pleading
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Genetic Fallacy
0%Genetic Fallacy
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Unattributed Quote
0%Unattributed Quote
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Quote-first Misdirection
0%Quote-first Misdirection
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Biased Writer Voice
0%Biased Writer Voice
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Indoctrination
0%Indoctrination
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Politically Left Leaning Bias
0%Politically Left Leaning Bias
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Politically Right Leaning Bias
0%Politically Right Leaning Bias
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Attempt to Sell a Product or Service
0%Attempt to Sell a Product or Service
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95 words analyzed.
Analysis
Hover over highlighted words in the article to view the associated bias or fallacy analysis.