Straw man
Misrepresents an opponent's argument to make it easier to attack.
Specimen
Critics of the new housing bill claim we should just tear down every building in the city and start from scratch. That's obviously absurd — which is why this legislation deserves our support.
Fabricated passage — teaching example designed for clarity.
straw man — opponent's position fabricated, not quoted
Dissection
Critics of the new housing bill claim we should just tear down every building in the city and start from scratch.
- opponent's actual position absent
- extreme version substituted
- now easier to attack
Field notes
- Family
- Logical fallacy
- Habitat
- opinion pieces, political commentary, debate coverage
- Frequency
- found in 14% of analyzed articles
- Confused with
- False dichotomy , Ad hominem
In the wild
"Those who oppose this measure apparently think we should do nothing and let the situation deteriorate indefinitely."
Opinion section, regional daily, January 2026
"The opposition's plan, as far as anyone can tell, is to simply hand the keys to unregulated developers and hope for the best."
Editorial, national broadsheet, March 2026
Why it works
You evaluate the argument that was actually presented, not the one the author replaced it with. The substitution happens in a single clause — and the brain doesn't stop to verify whether the quoted position is accurate. By the time you're weighing the counter-argument, you've already accepted the fabricated premise.
Counter-move
Ask: did they actually say that? Find the source quote.
See it flagged in real articles while you read.
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