Anecdotal
fallacy
Summary: Use personal stories instead of data.
Singular experiences are treated as conclusive evidence even when broader statistics disagree.
Pattern prevalence
- Authors: top 1.3%, bottom 1.8%, overall 2.7%
- Publications: top 6.4%, bottom 1.4%, overall 2.5%
- Articles: top 4%, bottom 0%, overall 2%
Recent example
Ali 10 years after his death I said last night I had a dream. When I got to Africa, I had one hell of a rumble. I had to beat Tarzan's behind first for claiming to be the king of the jungle. For this fight, I've wrestled with alligators. I've tussled with a whale. I don't handcuff lightning and put thunder in jail. You know I'm bad. I have
Recent articles
From AP's archives: Remembering boxing icon Muhammad Ali 10 years after his death 0%
Associated Press - 5/31/2026, 11:40 AM
Anecdotal 53.6% - Overconfidence Bias 44.9% - Appeal to Emotion 37.7%
I said last night I had a dream. When I got to Africa, I had one hell of a rumble. I had to beat Tarzan's behind first for claiming to be the king of the jungle. For this fight, I've wrestled with alligators. I've tussled with a whale. I don't handcuff lightning and put thunder in jail. You know I'm bad. I have murdered a rock. I injured... more
Free Swim Program Breaks Generational Fear of Water for Bayview Families 0%
KQED - By Samantha Kennedy - 5/30/2026, 11:37 PM
Appeal to Emotion 18.7% - Hasty Generalization 17.5% - In-Group Bias 16.8%
At India Basin Waterfront Park on Saturday, kids readied up their life vests and hitched a ride on a rowboat as part of the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department and YMCA of San Francisco-hosted Splash Bash. Youth from the historically Black Bayview-Hunters Point neighborhoods in San Francisco were there to celebrate their new... more
WHO chief lands in Congo as officials battle Ebola outbreak and misinformation 0%
CBS News - 5/30/2026, 5:55 PM
Appeal to Emotion 36.6% - Negativity Bias 35.1% - Availability Heuristic 20.8%
We're back with the battle against Ebola. It's been 15 days since health officials in the Congo officially declared an outbreak and the fight to control the virus gets harder every day. Now, according to the CDC, the total number of confirmed cases in the Congo and Uganda is up to 134 with 18 confirmed deaths. But, the World Health... more
We have to take this more seriously, UFO expert says 0%
Fox News - 5/30/2026, 10:30 AM
Appeal to Emotion 38.7% - Negativity Bias 35.9% - Availability Heuristic 35.6%
We've had repeated instances of something operating in the airspace over restricted nuclear facilities and it's not ours and we don't know whose it is. That alone, just that statement alone deserves inquiry, deserves attention, deserves focus. [music] >> If you have objects in the sky that you cannot identify, that's a problem because it... more
2026 summer will be worst yet for teen employment in decades, WSJ predicts 0%
CBS News - 5/30/2026, 12:59 AM
Hasty Generalization 34.9% - Negativity Bias 23.8% - Anecdotal 23.3%
You probably remember the good old days when you flipped burgers, bagged groceries, or scooped ice cream. Simpler times. Well, now getting a summer job just isn't what it used to be. The Wall Street Journal reports that this summer is expected to be the worst for teen jobs since 1948 when the federal government started tracking the data.... more
Tom Hanks and Tim Allen celebrate 'Toy Story 5' 0%
Associated Press - 5/29/2026, 12:53 PM
Availability Heuristic 24.1% - Ambiguity (Equivocation) 22.3% - Negativity Bias 20.3%
Buzz Lightyear is insane. >> It's been too long, Woody. Came here as fast as I could after Jessie called for help. >> Oh, thank you. Thank you. >> Tom and I go to lunch a lot and if if we're ever talking in a group, people would come up What no matter what age group now cuz we started this 30 years ago. Some of them are could be our... more
Family finds home destroyed after Israeli strikes in Lebanon 0%
NBC News - 5/29/2026, 10:50 AM
Anecdotal 39% - Loss Aversion 23.4% - Appeal to Emotion 23.4%
والله كنا قاعدين بالبيت نحن كلياتنا >> وفي معي ناس كمان مهجره قاعده معي واجتليغ و قالوا لنا بدكم تخلوا >> هلا نحن اللي بالعاده ماخلش انا وابني ما بنخل ولا مره خليان الا هالمره اني لهم قصه جديه مننا حالنا ورحنا على البحر وه اللي صار ضربوها ما نترك سور يعني ما فينا غنى عنا روحشمشط لواحد وعيله لا بقعد هون حد بيتي على الحجار بقعد وخلص more
Utah postal workers say they trust vote by mail, giving it their stamp of approval 0%
KUER - By Sean Higgins - 5/29/2026, 12:12 AM
Appeal to Authority 14.1% - Framing Effect 12.7% - Anecdotal 12.3%
Despite the popularity of vote-by-mail in Utah, state lawmakers have attempted to make changes to the system for the last two years. President Donald Trump also thinks mail ballots need an overhaul, and issued an executive order in March to limit the practice because of alleged fraud. The union representing America’s postal workers is... more
McEnany SOUNDS OFF on Jill Biden's stunning admission #foxnews #news #us #fox 0%
Fox News - 5/29/2026, 12:00 AM
Confirmation Bias 68.6% - Negativity Bias 61.7% - Bandwagon 48%
That is not the reaction of someone who believes they just watched their husband have a stroke. It it is an absolute lie. It was fraud what she did. Fraud on the American public. And she's continuing it by saying she had never seen him like that before or after. Dana, you'll remember Carl Bernstein who said he talked to people who knew... more
Deadly explosion at Dallas apartment complex 0%
NBC News - 5/28/2026, 11:52 PM
Appeal to Emotion 44.6% - Negativity Bias 31.5% - Availability Heuristic 29.1%
Oh my god. >> Tonight, chaos in Dallas. A massive plume of dark smoke filling the sky after officials say an explosion caused a fire at this apartment building. >> Two-story apartment complex, natural gas explosion, multiple victims. >> Flames completely engulfing the structure. Police seen here blocking streets and turning people away... more