Learn / Glossary

Red herring

Introducing an irrelevant issue that distracts from the point under discussion.

Published 04 August 2026Updated 04 August 2026

A red herring diverts attention to a topic that may be interesting or emotionally charged but does not answer the original claim. To correct it, restate the question and ask how the new point bears on that question.

Sources
Tags
ArgumentationMedia Literacy
Related terms
steelman