Fallacy of quoting out of context

Informal fallacies → Other informal

The fallacy of quoting out of context is when you quote only part of what someone said or wrote so that it seems to mean something different—often the opposite—from what they meant in full context. That misrepresents their view. Omitting the surrounding words, the question they were answering, or the tone can change the meaning entirely. The fallacy is to use a partial quote as if it represented their position. The remedy is to quote in context and to allow them to clarify.

Examples

  • She said "I don't support that plan." They quoted her as saying "I support that plan" by dropping the "don't."

  • He said "We might consider it." They reported "He said we will consider it."

  • The report said "No evidence of fraud was found in this sample." They quoted "No evidence of fraud was found" and dropped "in this sample."

  • She said the policy was "not ideal but acceptable." They quoted "the policy was ideal."

  • He said "I'm not saying we should do nothing." They used "He said we should do nothing."

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