🧪 This platform is in early beta. Features may change and you might encounter bugs. We appreciate your patience!
card_stacking
Card stacking involves selectively presenting only evidence that supports one side of an argument while deliberately omitting, suppressing, or downplaying contradictory evidence. Unlike outright lying, card stacking uses real facts and data — but only those that favor the desired conclusion. The result is a technically accurate but deeply misleading picture that makes one position appear overwhelmingly supported when the full evidence is actually mixed or contradictory.
A pharmaceutical company's press release highlights five clinical trials showing positive results for their drug while failing to mention three other trials that showed no benefit and one that revealed serious side effects. Each cited study is real, but the overall picture is distorted.
A fast food chain's marketing campaign proudly announces their new burger contains protein, iron, and B vitamins, while making no mention of its saturated fat, sodium, or calorie content — all of which exceed recommended daily limits in a single serving.
A politician running for reelection releases a glossy report highlighting every infrastructure project completed and every jobs number that rose during their term, while omitting rising homelessness rates, stalled education outcomes, and a ballooning budget deficit that occurred during the same period.
Binary (yes/no) questions an LLM must answer to identify this aspect:
Does the text present only evidence supporting one conclusion?
Type: binaryIs significant contradictory evidence omitted or downplayed?
Type: binaryDoes the presentation create an artificially one-sided picture?
Type: binaryCard stacking involves selectively presenting only evidence that supports one side of an argument while deliberately omitting, suppressing, or downplaying contradictory evidence. Unlike outright lying, card stacking uses real facts and data — but only those that favor the desired conclusion. The result is a technically accurate but deeply misleading picture that makes one position appear overwhelmingly supported when the full evidence is actually mixed or contradictory.
People tend to accept presented evidence at face value and rarely investigate what has been omitted. The completeness of the evidence presented creates an illusion of thoroughness, making the audience believe they have seen the full picture when they have only seen a curated selection.
Always ask: 'What evidence exists on the other side? Have any studies or reports reached different conclusions? What information might be missing from this presentation?'
Widespread in pharmaceutical marketing, political fact sheets, corporate earnings presentations, legal arguments, and persuasive journalism. Lobbyists and think tanks routinely use card stacking in policy papers.
Use these tools to detect, analyze, or train this aspect.