Justification
Techniques that supply a reason to accept a claim by appealing to authority, emotion, or shared values rather than to evidence.
15,030 instances recorded across 5 techniques.
Techniques in this category
| Technique | Instances |
|---|---|
| Appeal to Authority Citing an authority figure or institution in place of evidence, so the claim rests on who said it rather than on what supports it. | 3,546 |
| Appeal to Popularity Treating widespread belief as proof, so the reader is invited to agree because everyone else supposedly does. | 890 |
| Appeal to Values Attaching a position to a shared value — patriotism, family, faith, freedom — so that opposing the position looks like opposing the value. | 5,005 |
| Appeal to Fear/Prejudice Driving a conclusion with fear of a threat or with an existing prejudice, rather than with evidence about how likely the threat actually is. | 4,085 |
| Flag Waving Invoking national or group pride so that the argument becomes a loyalty test rather than a question of fact. | 1,504 |
Recent examples
"There will be no Arab army west of the Jordan River. There will be the [Israeli military]"
Appeals to a nationalist or security-oriented value system by framing Israel's military dominance as a non-negotiable principle, implying that maintaining exclusive Israeli military control is essential to the state's identity or survival.
Israeli attacks kill one in Gaza, wound journalists in occupied West Bank"Tehran reopened the waterway... but was forced to reestablish the closure amid continued American violations"
Implies ongoing U.S. violations without specifying or evidencing them, using fear of American overreach and framing the U.S. as untrustworthy and aggressive, which plays on existing geopolitical tensions and prejudices.
Iran’s missiles determine equation, forced US to say ‘Yes, sir!’: Acting defense minister"the Islamic Republic has unveiled only a fraction of its defensive and retaliatory power so far"
Presents Iran’s military posture as inherently powerful and restrained, appealing to national pride and portraying the state as superior and resolute, which serves to rally domestic or regional support through nationalist sentiment.
Iran’s missiles determine equation, forced US to say ‘Yes, sir!’: Acting defense minister"raise concerns about the prospect of civilian casualties — particularly if it is used to target Iranian infrastructure targets located near populated areas and in close proximity to non-military sites."
Highlights the risk of civilian casualties to evoke fear about potential humanitarian consequences, leveraging concern for civilian lives to implicitly question the wisdom or morality of using the MOAB, even though the statement is framed as a source assessment.
US considering using ‘Mother of All Bombs’ against Iran, sources say | CNN Politics"raised fears the country could be left more exposed to Russian attacks heading into the winter"
Uses fear of increased vulnerability during winter to justify continued support for Ukraine, framing the situation as urgent and dangerous without providing specific evidence of immediate escalation beyond ongoing attacks.
EU rallies in support of Ukraine amid Trump standoff"the general European solidarity for Zelenskyy was a stark difference from recent messages coming from Washington"
Implies legitimacy and correctness of the EU’s position by contrasting it with perceived wavering US support, suggesting that broader consensus (in Europe) validates the stance.
EU rallies in support of Ukraine amid Trump standoff