False Equivalence
False Equivalence: treating unequal things as the same.
How to spot it
Treating unequal things as the same: "both sides are equally to blame" when one side did far more, or setting a parking ticket beside a felony as if they weighed the same. The flattening is the move. It makes a real difference disappear.
What doesn't count
Noticing a flaw both sides really do share isn't false equivalence. "Both campaigns use emotional ads" can be simply true. The technique claims equal weight where the weights differ.
Real examples
Each was flagged by Semblen's model, then chosen to stay on this page, so the examples don't change from day to day. A quote in a news article may be the outlet reporting what someone else said, and an ad may be quoting its opponent. Follow each link to check it in context.
In the news
“are the same people that said”
“for all their professed concerns about religion in the public square”
“passionately defending him — though another Salvadoran illegal raped and killed Rachel Morin, one of his own constituents, in 2023”
“sending a pizza to a judge is a threat to the rule of law but parking a guillotine in front of the Supreme Court is free expression”
Related techniques
Something wrong or unclear on this page?
Tell us. A person reads every note. Use Yes / No under any example if it isn't really false equivalence: two readers saying no takes it off the page.
Check something yourself
Paste an article, a speech or a video link into the analyzer and Semblen marks the words that use false equivalence or any other technique, and says why. It flags rhetorical techniques, not political tilt.