Narrative Mechanics

Emotional substitution: replacing the question of what happened with a demand to feel a certain way. Ask what the evidence establishes.

 

Category collapse: treating unlike events, definitions or groups as equivalent. Check whether the comparison uses the same criteria.

 

Statistical laundering: giving a weak claim the appearance of precision. Trace the number to its source, denominator and time period.

 

Hindsight framing: judging a decision using information unavailable when it was made. Reconstruct what was known at the time.

 

Headline compression: removing qualifications until the summary changes the meaning. Read the source beyond the headline.

 

Selective evidence: highlighting supporting details while leaving out contrary evidence. Look for the strongest competing account.

 

Motivated certainty and identity filtering: accepting claims because they fit a preferred outcome or group identity. Apply the same standard regardless of who benefits.

 

These are diagnostic questions, not automatic verdicts. A pattern can suggest a problem; the record must establish it.