Fallacies in The News Media

News media discusses many different topics. From political to economic, they all include events that happen in our world today. Political news today is rife with many fallacies. Fallacies are mistaken beliefs and they consist of the straw man fallacy, the bandwagon fallacy, among others. Fallacies are not typically used on purpose, but they often appear when people are arguing or trying to persuade others, even when they are spreading misinformation.

Misconceptions in the News Media

In 2016, President Donald Trump was campaigning for his position as president and delivered a speech. In his speech, he employed the bandwagon fallacy, a logical fallacy that is an argument based on unsound reasoning. President Trump stated, “Wow, woah, that is some group of people, thousands.” We do not know precisely if there were indeed thousands of people present to see President Trump. If such a large crowd gathered to see him during his speech, it could imply that he was a viable candidate. It makes him appear more credible because not everyone would attend a speech to listen to someone express their views on certain issues and propose solutions. Overall, the thousands of people were there to support his candidacy.

In the same speech, President Donald Trump used another fallacy: the straw man fallacy. The straw man fallacy misrepresents an opponent's argument, oversimplifying it or making the opponent appear weaker so they can be easily defeated. President Trump said, “When do we beat Mexico at the border?” He simplifies the argument by suggesting that the only way to handle the situation is by building a wall, making his opponent, Mexico, appear weak. President Trump portrays Mexico as defenseless, as they are not present to counter his claims or plans.

In 2016, Hillary Clinton was also running for president and delivered her foreign policy speech targeting President Donald Trump. In her speech, she employed the wishful thinking fallacy. Wishful thinking involves imagining or discussing something unlikely to happen, such as a situation or a future event. Clinton said, “I'm going to keep America’s security at the heart of my campaign.” Americans are not just electing any president, and Hillary Clinton is aware of the current state of security. This is a topic she cannot ignore because it is a real issue. If she truly intended to be the President of the United States, she would avoid making promises she could not fulfill.

In the same speech, Hillary Clinton used another fallacy: the appeal to fear. This fallacy involves creating an idea by instilling fear towards an alternative. Hillary Clinton said, “We cannot put the security of our children and grandchildren in Donald Trump's hands; we cannot let him roll the dice with America. This is a man who said that more countries should have nuclear weapons, including Saudi Arabia.” Here, Clinton uses Trump to heighten the fears of her audience, encouraging them to vote for her instead of Trump. This made people perceive President Trump as a threatening figure capable of causing alarming events. Clinton leveraged this fear to secure votes.

Conclusion

In conclusion, fallacies are ubiquitous and manifest in various contexts. Sometimes, individuals are unaware of their use of fallacies. In political discourse, fallacies can be employed in different ways. There are numerous types of fallacies, such as the bandwagon fallacy, the straw man fallacy, the wishful thinking fallacy, and the appeal to fear, among many others. These fallacies can support an argument or oppose a viewpoint on a topic. Politically, their use can span various subjects, influencing public perception and debate.

References

• American Psychological Association. (2020). Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.).
• Modern Language Association. (2016). MLA Handbook (8th ed.).
• Trump, D. J. (2016). Campaign speech [Speech].
• Clinton, H. R. (2016). Foreign policy speech [Speech].