Special Pleading
fallacy
Summary: Invent exceptions without justification.
Rules apply to everyone else but are waived for oneself or one’s claim using ad hoc reasons.
Pattern prevalence
- Authors: top 0%, bottom 0%, overall 0.2%
- Publications: top 0.7%, bottom 0.1%, overall 0.2%
- Articles: top 2%, bottom 0%, overall 1%
Recent example
But if you're going to use it to get illegal aliens that might be committing crimes, apparently to no fault of their own, if you're going to use it to go get them, well, that's just too much.
Okay for surveillance on citizens but not immigrants, without consistent principle.
Recent articles
St. Louis mayor fiercely defends City Hall’s tornado recovery: ‘I'm very proud’ 34.4%
STLPR - 5/11/2026, 10:00 AM
Ambiguity (Equivocation) 13.3% - Appeal to Authority 12.2% - Self-Serving Bias 10.5%
As the May 16 tornado bore down on the area last year, tornado sirens failed to sound in St. Louis. Soon, it became clear that wasn’t the only thing that had gone wrong. News outlets widely reported the impact of President Donald Trump’s call to eliminate FEMA. Nearly a year later, debris still covers much of north St. Louis, where the... more
Joey Jones: Democrats let the intrusive thoughts win #democrats #shorts #politics 94.3%
Fox News - 5/11/2026, 12:00 AM
Negativity Bias 45.9% - Appeal to Emotion 35.5% - Hasty Generalization 29.6%
You have an entire class of Democrats in this country and leftist progressives who to Joey's point are true believers that actually advocate for the criminals and the violent folks on the streets more so than they do the victims and the decent folks. And they are committed to that platform. You know, Joey, what's kind of interesting to... more
Teen arrested for Times Square murder threw urine on victim, was on crime ‘rampage’: prosecutors 20.2%
New York Daily News - By Rocco Parascandola, Kerry Burke, Emma Seiwell, Colin Mixson, Thomas Tracy - 5/7/2026, 4:18 PM
Unattributed Quote 39.4% - Negativity Bias 30.3% - Appeal to Authority 24.5%
A 17-year-old boy arrested Thursday for a fatal Times Square stabbing inspired by a TikTok trend tossed urine on his victim before chasing him down and plunging a knife into his chest, prosecutors said. Leonides Baez, 39, was sleeping on the sidewalk outside of Burger & Lobster restaurant on Monday when the teen and two friends woke him... more
Oakland Could Fine Property Owners Nearly $1 Million for Tree Removal 16.1%
KQED - By Desmond Meagley - 5/5/2026, 9:37 PM
Oakland’s City Council may decide on Tuesday to fine a couple nearly $1 million for allegedly removing 38 legally-protected trees on and around their Claremont Avenue property. Public records show that city workers responded to the site — an undeveloped lot on a steep slope in the Oakland hills — five times for reports of illegal... more
Trump administration says Iran war ‘terminated’ before 60-day deadline for congressional approval 11.1%
MS NOW - By The Associated Press, Emily Hung - 5/1/2026, 11:02 AM
Appeal to Authority 13.3% - Framing Effect 6.6% - In-Group Bias 6.6%
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is arguing that the war in Iran has already ended because of the ceasefire that began in early April, an interpretation that would allow the White House to avoid the need to seek congressional approval. The statement furthers an argument Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth laid out during testimony... more
Has the US-Iran ceasefire reset the clock on War Powers Act deadline? 13.4%
Al Jazeera - By Al Jazeera Staff - 5/1/2026, 10:56 AM
False Dilemma 15.6% - Appeal to Authority 15.5% - Negativity Bias 13.4%
The Donald Trump administration has argued that a key May 1 deadline it faces to secure congressional approval for the US-Israel war on Iran no longer matters because of the ongoing ceasefire with Tehran. Once the president notifies the United States Congress about a war, he has a 60-day deadline under the War Powers Resolution to get... more
Biggest supplier of video gambling machines in Missouri is pulling the plug Friday 23.8%
St. Louis Public Radio - By Jason Rosenbaum - 4/8/2026, 9:38 PM
Framing Effect 10.7% - Indoctrination 10.7% - Pessimism Bias 8.9%
Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway said Wednesday that the state’s biggest supplier of video gambling machines is pulling out the devices later this week. Hanaway said Wildwood-based Torch Electronics is suspending operations of the devices, which resemble slot machines, on Friday. A federal judge has ruled the devices, found in... more
Jen Shah speaks out for first time since prison release 90.3%
NBC News - 4/3/2026, 11:30 AM
Biased Writer Voice 32.7% - Halo Effect 25.7% - Appeal to Authority 21%
Real Housewife star Jen Shaw describing her first thoughts as she arrived in prison in an exclusive interview with People magazine. Her first since her December release. >> What I would say to somebody that lost money because of this is that I'm sorry for any part that I had. >> The Salt Lake City reality star spent nearly 3 years in... more
Live updates: Trump claims Iran’s president wants a ceasefire ahead of his address to Americans 0%
AP News - By Bridget Brown, David Cohen, Brian P. D. Hannon, Patrick Quinn, Suman Naishadham - 4/1/2026, 4:06 AM
Appeal to Authority 16.9% - Post Hoc (False Cause) 9% - Negativity Bias 8.3%
Major developments we’re following: U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday claimed that Iran’s president wanted a ceasefire ahead of his speech to the American people. Trump made the claim on his Truth Social website. Iran had no immediate response to Trump’s post. The aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush is slated to go to the Middle... more
What Would We All Say If Iran Razed MIT Because of Military-Related Research? 0%
The Intercept - By Natasha Lennard - 3/30/2026, 8:37 PM
Negativity Bias 49.5% - Biased Writer Voice 31% - Hasty Generalization 24.9%
Over the weekend, the U.S. and Israel bombarded two universities in Iran, the Isfahan University of Technology and the Iran University of Science and Technology in Tehran. These are not, of course, the first attacks on civilian infrastructure in President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s illegal war on Iran;... more