“The Great Crow Fallacy”
A READER RESPONSE TO A CHAPTER FROM
UNSPUN
BY: BRAD SAUNDERS AND COLE ROSENBAUM
It’s Clinically Proven!!!
 This presentation is clinically proven to raise grades
on tests in AP Lang. Take notes!
Overview
 The Article
 Connection to 1984
 Connection to Weasel Words
 Contemporary Examples
 MLA Citation
The Article
 Story ≠ Data

Don’t confuse anecdotes with data

Anecdote: a usually short narrative of an interesting, amusing, or
biographical incident (Marriam-Webster)

Crows

Want repeated results through experimentation
The Article (cont.)
 Perspectives don’t always show the whole picture

Personal experiences are very narrow

Impact of media and government

What you’re not told can be more important
The Article (cont.)
 Emotions can cloud an argument.

Dramatic stories yield attention

Football players and fertilizer
The Article (cont.)
 Some studies are more accurate than others.

Who stands behind the information?

Does the source have motivation?

What data collecting methods were used?

Age of data?

Any assumptions?

Any guesswork?

Want “convergent evidence”
The Article (cont.)
 Repetition ≠ Truth

Groups repeat ideas, especially involving fear

Causes people to believe claim is true

Crippling death tax bills

Only 1.17% of estates taxed
The Article (cont.)
 A huge claim requires huge evidence.

Groups exaggerate data to make extraordinary claims

In order for extraordinary claims to have substance, must be
proportionally supported
The Article (cont.)
 The myth of “Clinically Proven”

Replicated results needed

Quality of the test

Cold-Eeze
The Article (cont.)
 Expertise is non-transferable.

Just because you’re a doctor on TV does not make you
knowledgeable in the field of medicine

Analyze what background endorsers actually have
The Article (cont.)
 Appeals to popularity


Why…

“top-selling”

“number one”

“preferred over…”
Large marketing budget, supply…
Connection to 1984
 Don’t always see whole picture

Party limits what citizens of Oceania see

Leads to incorrect conclusions

Example from unSpun

Gulf War and smart bombs
Seeing vs. Believing
Connection to 1984 (cont.)
 Use of dramatic stories

Constant drama and triumph of wars

Keeps citizens caught up in commotion and keeps them
enthusiastic
Connection to 1984 (cont.)
 Saying it doesn’t make it true

Repetition throughout Oceania

Big Brother

War is Peace

Freedom is Slavery

Ignorance is Strenght
Connection to Weasel Words
 Main Ideas

Groups with motivation will manipulate evidence

Claims/evidence are falsified lead audience to draw
conclusions

As the audience, we must analyze sources

A world without analyzing sources is Oceania
Contemporary Example #1
 President Obama’s State of the Union speech

Number of Americans currently working

Obama: 2 million Americans currently have
jobs

Obama’s Economic Advisers: 1.5 million

CBO: between 800,000 and 2.4 million

IHS: 1.25 million

Macroeconomic Advisers: 1.1 million

Moody’s economy.com: 1.6 million
Contemporary Example #1 (cont.)


Bringing down health care deficit

Obama claimed CBO could bring deficit down to $1 trillion over
the next 20 years

CBO reported that it could be as little as half of Obama’s number
for the same 20

A very rough estimate: CBO generally projects for a 10 year max
Projected deficit

Obama claimed a $3 trillion deficit when he took office + a total
deficit of $8 trillion in 10 years

CBO projected a deficit of $1.2 trillion by the end of the year + a
total deficit of $3.1 trillion in 10 years
Contemporary Examples (cont.)
 John Kerry’s exaggerated cost of the Iraq War.

Kerry claimed the cost to be above $200 billion

CBO: cost of the military operations alone was $93.7 billion

OMB: military operations + rebuilding Iraq + supporting
coalitions = $119 billion

Kerry’s estimate included cost of the next year + protecting
U.S. cities + operations in Afghanistan

Not mentioned in his speech
Wrap Up
 Studies aren’t always accurate
 Sources aren’t always honest
MLA Citation
Eschholz, Paul, Alfred Rosa, and Virginia Clark. “Weasel Words: The Art of Saying Nothing at All.” Language
Awareness. 9th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2005. 442-452. Print. Excerpt from Doublespeak. By
William Lutz. N.p.: n.p., n.d.
Jackson, Brooks, and Kathleen Hall Jamieson. “The Great Crow Fallacy.” Unspun: Finding Facts in a World of
Disinformation. Illus. Signe Wilkinson. New York: Random , 2007. 105-125. Print.
"Kerry Exaggerates Cost of War in Iraq." FactCheck.org. Ed. Lori Robertson. Anneberg Political Fact Check. Web.
09 Feb. 2010. <http://www.factcheck.org/kerry_exaggerates_cost_of_war_in_iraq.html>.
"Obama's State of the Union Address." FactCheck.org. Ed. Lori Robertson. Anneberg Political Fact Check. Web.
09 Feb. 2010. <http://factcheck.org/2010/01/obamas-state-of-the-union-address/>.
Orwell, George. 1984. New York: Signet Classics, 1977. Print.