Burden of Proof
fallacy
Summary: Shift the obligation to disprove a claim.
The claimant demands opponents refute an assertion rather than providing supporting evidence.
Pattern prevalence
- Authors: top 2.2%, bottom 0.4%, overall 0.5%
- Publications: top 3.1%, bottom 0.5%, overall 0.8%
- Articles: top 4%, bottom 0.8%, overall 2.4%
Recent example
… movements” and “domestic terrorist organizations.” On his press tour touting the new strategy, Gorka said “left-wing violent radicals like antifa and the anarchists” were the “most ascendant” terror group and — without evidence — claimed they were “the people who killed our friend Charlie Kirk.” He said these leftists are “people
Recent articles
Judge issues blow to Trump administration over Kennedy Center 0%
ABC News - 5/30/2026, 7:21 PM
Negativity Bias 53.3% - Appeal to Emotion 34% - Appeal to Authority 28.7%
rulings now against the Trump administration. One federal judge saying the Trump name needs to be removed from the Kennedy Center within two weeks, while another is reopening the case involving the DOJ's so-called anti-weaponization fund. Senior White House correspondent Selena Wang joins us now with more. Selena, let's start with the... 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
The internet has heightened threats to children, Louisiana's AG says #shorts #foxnews #news #fox 0%
Fox News - 5/30/2026, 12:00 AM
Negativity Bias 60% - Overconfidence Bias 49.7% - Appeal to Emotion 40.6%
You know, we just talked through the numbers and they're they're staggering. And I think that a lot of people are not aware of the extent of this problem. Is what what is the biggest misconception in your view of the amount of crime targeting children in America right now? >> Yeah, I think the biggest misconception is the volume um and... more
How Trump’s New Counterterrorism Strategy Puts You at Risk 33.2%
The Intercept - By Nick Turse, Jessica Washington, Noah Hurowitz - 5/15/2026, 11:08 AM
Negativity Bias 38.1% - Appeal to Authority 26% - Biased Writer Voice 20.9%
the Trump administration last week unveiled its “2026 Counterterrorism Strategy,” a 16-page collection of threats, grievances, hyperbole, and lies. The memo is a truly foundational document and a striking distillation of Trumpism as an ideology, movement, and system of governance. It also serves as a new declaration of war on the Trump... more
I knew my writing students were using AI. Their confessions led to a powerful teaching moment 53.2%
The Guardian - By Micah Nathan - 5/10/2026, 1:00 PM
Hasty Generalization 23.6% - Negativity Bias 18.6% - Indoctrination 18.3%
I have been teaching fiction writing at MIT since 2017. Many of my students last wrote fiction in middle school, and very few have experienced a proper workshop, so at the start of every semester I offer these directions for writer and reader alike: Read the story at least twice. Mark what works and what doesn’t – underline great... more
Get up to $188,170 More From Social Security 87.9%
The Franklin Prosperity Report - By Matthew Allen - 5/8/2026, 1:26 PM
Attempt to Sell a Product or Service 65% - Biased Writer Voice 38.4% - Appeal to Emotion 35.4%
Discover the 5 simple strategies that can help you pocket an extra six figures in retirement! Using These Insider Secrets Is Like Getting FREE MONEY From Social Security! Dear Reader, more
Hungary returns a seized cash and gold shipment worth $82 million to Ukraine 40.9%
AP News - By JUSTIN SPIKE - 5/6/2026, 3:23 PM
Negativity Bias 42.5% - Post Hoc (False Cause) 28% - Out-Group Homogeneity Bias 13.3%
BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — A shipment of Ukrainian cash and gold worth around $82 million that Hungary seized earlier this year has been returned to Ukraine’s state Oschadbank, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Wednesday. The seizure of the valuables, which were being transported through Hungary by two armored cars when Hungarian... more
Mysterious earthquake swarm near Area 51 sparks conspiracy theories about secret testing 91.4%
The Independent - By Isabel Keane - 4/30/2026, 8:53 PM
Availability Heuristic 42.6% - Biased Writer Voice 31.2% - Burden of Proof 29.8%
At least 17 earthquakes have been recorded in the vicinity of Nevada’s highly classified Area 51 over the past 24 hours, prompting unfounded conspiracy theories about secret nuclear testing. The swarm of quakes ranged from 2.5 to 4.4 in magnitude and struck within miles of the mysterious military base, famed for conspiracy theories that... more
ICE Watchers Worry Democrats Are Trying to Co-Opt Their Movements For Votes 33.1%
The Intercept - By Jessica Washington, C. Frances - 4/29/2026, 9:41 PM
Negativity Bias 14.6% - Hasty Generalization 10.6% - Self-Serving Bias 9.6%
A seventeen-second video shows a dark-haired man rapping his pale knuckles gently below the tinted windows of a silver minivan. He stands back, shoving his hands into the pockets of his puffer coat, his boyish face twisted into a severe expression. The car drives off, and the camera pans to follow it down the suburban Minneapolis road.... more
Trump admin launches antisemitism probe into NYC schools over pro-Palestine teacher group 31.8%
New York Daily News - By Cayla Bamberger, Josephine Stratman - 4/23/2026, 8:50 PM
Framing Effect 33.5% - Negativity Bias 23.5% - Appeal to Authority 19.5%
The Trump administration on Thursday launched a civil rights probe into New York City's public schools over claims that pro-Palestinian teachers discriminated against Jewish students. In a news release, the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights (OCR) said it received reports about a coalition of teachers known as “NYC... more