We, as citizens, can certainly make an impact in this area as well. When conducting interviews or moderating debates, it has to be the responsibility of our media leaders to keep the candidates on track and call them out when they intentionally don’t answer a question or try to veer away from a certain topic. This fallacy is most relevant in the media. Most politicians are absolute masters of red herring, though not quite everyone has the hang of it (yeah, I’m looking at you Gary Johnson). We see red herring when someone misleads or distracts from the issue or question that is relevant or important. This may be the logical fallacy most associated with politics and the people in it. These kinds of attacks cannot be tolerated. I’m not saying it’s not important to discuss character, and to look into the lives of those running for president, but it is vital that voters and media recognize that when it’s time to discuss policy or positions, personal attacks render an argument totally invalid. Often we have seen questions asked involving a specific policy or the opposing position on a particular issue, only to receive an answer that is nothing more than an insult or accusation thrown at their opponent. Bernie Sanders, D-Vt., reinforced his support for former primary rival, now-Democratic presidential nominee, Hillary Clinton at a Madison Read… Sanders backs Clinton education policies at Madison rally U.S. This happens frequently in debates and interviews involving the candidates or their representatives, and while it tends to hurt former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton more, she is not innocent of the ad hominem fallacy. It’s fairly obvious and easy to spot, but a fallacy nonetheless. Ad hominem surfaces when a rebuttal or an attack is focused directly on a particular person or their character, as opposed to their position on a particular issue. This is perhaps the most obvious type of fallacy we have seen so far, and is not unique to this election. I would like to examine three types of fallacy that have been particularly pertinent to the presidential election thus far, and hopefully through increased awareness and understanding of these logical blunders we can all take a step toward making an informed decision this November.

Red herring fallacy in media