Loaded question
Asks a question with a false or disputed assumption built in.
Specimen
When did your party stop caring about ordinary workers?
Fabricated passage — teaching example designed for clarity.
Logical fallacy / loaded question
loaded question — assumes the party stopped caring; any answer accepts the premise
Dissection
When did your party stop caring about ordinary workers?
- false premise embedded in the question
- no neutral answer available
- either answer validates the assumption
Field notes
- Family
- Logical fallacy
- Habitat
- political interviews, debate coverage, opinion columns
- Frequency
- found in 8% of analyzed articles
- Confused with
- Question as assertion , Straw man
In the wild
"Why has the government given up trying to fix the NHS?"
Interview transcript, political podcast, March 2026
"When did this party decide that the environment wasn't worth protecting?"
Opinion column, national daily, February 2026
Why it works
Questions feel open. The embedded assumption is hard to challenge without seeming defensive, so it often slips through.
Counter-move
Identify the hidden premise. Challenge that before answering the question.
See it flagged in real articles while you read.
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