Justification
Techniques that supply a reason to accept a claim by appealing to authority, emotion, or shared values rather than to evidence.
11,556 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. | 2,621 |
| Appeal to Popularity Treating widespread belief as proof, so the reader is invited to agree because everyone else supposedly does. | 637 |
| Appeal to Values Attaching a position to a shared value — patriotism, family, faith, freedom — so that opposing the position looks like opposing the value. | 3,927 |
| 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. | 3,201 |
| Flag Waving Invoking national or group pride so that the argument becomes a loyalty test rather than a question of fact. | 1,170 |
Recent examples
"deliberately hyped up the 'China threat theory,' generalized the concept of national security"
Uses the phrase 'China threat theory' in a way that frames US actions as based on irrational fear and prejudice rather than legitimate security concerns, implying the United States is stoking baseless alarm to justify interference. This appeals to the audience's skepticism of perceived anti-China bias.
China firmly opposes US moves blocking normal cooperation between Argentine firms and Huawei: embassy"the Supreme Court ruled IEEPA did not authorize them"
The article cites the Supreme Court's ruling as authoritative legal justification for the invalidation of the tariffs. While referencing a legitimate judicial decision is standard reporting, the phrasing positions the Court as the sole arbiter of legality without exploring broader policy implications, functioning as an appeal to judicial authority to close debate on the legitimacy of the tariff use of IEEPA.
Trump admin refunds $100 billion in 'liberation day' tariffs""Tariffs have been incredible. We've taken in hundreds of billions of dollars," Trump said Tuesday in a Fox News interview."
Trump's statement frames the success of tariffs by their revenue yield and popularity among his base, implying their value based on perceived effectiveness and broad support rather than on economic or ethical analysis. The article presents this claim without immediate contextual challenge, allowing the appeal to popularity to stand unqualified.
Trump admin refunds $100 billion in 'liberation day' tariffs"Western-backed armed coup in Kiev"
Invokes negative associations with foreign interference and illegitimacy by emphasizing 'Western-backed,' framing the Ukrainian government as externally imposed rather than domestically legitimate. This appeals to anti-Western sentiment and national sovereignty values to undermine the legitimacy of Ukraine’s constitutional decisions, including its NATO aspirations.
Kiev used virtually all NATO tools against Russia – ex-top general"Noted the Lawfare blog"
Cites 'the Lawfare blog' as an authoritative source to validate the claim that the reference to international law 'does little more than kick the can down the road,' positioning the blog’s analysis as a conclusive judgment without engaging with counter-interpretations.
An agreement on the Strait of Hormuz is taking shape – but not one Trump wants | CNN"we have created a very dangerous precedent, which will repeat itself in other parts of the world"
Invokes fear of global destabilization by suggesting that Iranian involvement in managing the strait could trigger similar actions by other states elsewhere, thereby framing the issue as a systemic threat rather than a regional negotiation.
An agreement on the Strait of Hormuz is taking shape – but not one Trump wants | CNN