Heard this on an old Larry King episode
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Original Question
The discussion centered around the notoriety that those responsible for mass killings get through excessive media coverage, mentioning of their name, studying them etc
Larry: Do you think its wise that we publish the name and picture of the killer whenever we have a mass killing? Ism't this a motivating factor for copycat crimes?
Guest: Well we study old age and death, those are unpleasant topics, are you suggesting we discontinue that?
What is the fallacy? Is there more than 1?
Larry: Do you think its wise that we publish the name and picture of the killer whenever we have a mass killing? Ism't this a motivating factor for copycat crimes?
Guest: Well we study old age and death, those are unpleasant topics, are you suggesting we discontinue that?
What is the fallacy? Is there more than 1?
Answers
2This is a classic Strawman Fallacy . King's argument has nothing to do with reporting "unpleasant topics," yet the guest is arguing against that objection because it is easier to criticize than the real argument.
Could it also be faulty comparison? That's what came to mind when I heard it but I can see strawman.
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