Three Dead in Severe Weather System that Hit Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky on March 15th

Unique Points

• Tornadoes killed 3 people and injured dozens more in the central US
• Three people died in Indian Lake area of Ohio's Logan County northwest of Columbus
• Search crews and cadaver dogs didn't find any more victims after going into neighborhoods that had been blocked by gas leaks and fallen trees overnight

Accuracy

• A tornado wreaked havoc across the path in Fryburg, Ohio on Thursday.
• Survey teams are still combing through wreckage to find evidence of more tornadoes or if they were even stronger

Deception (100%)

None Found At Time Of Publication

Fallacies (75%)

• The author uses an appeal to authority by citing the number of people injured and homes damaged in various locations without providing any evidence or context for these claims. Additionally, the author quotes a sheriff who states that it is fortunate that the storm did not hit on a summer weekend, which implies that there would have been more casualties if it had.
• The statement 'When you see this damage, you'll be surprised it was only three,' by Sheriff Randy Dodds is an example of inflammatory rhetoric as it creates fear and urgency in the reader without providing any evidence to support this claim.

Bias (100%)

None Found At Time Of Publication

Site Conflicts Of Interest (50%)

None Found At Time Of Publication

Author Conflicts Of Interest (0%)

None Found At Time Of Publication

Unique Points

• A tornado wreaked havoc across the path in Fryburg, Ohio on Thursday.
• Three people died when a tornado tore through Logan County, one of five reported tornadoes in Ohio according to Chief Deputy Joe Kopus with the sheriff's office.
• Chad Steinke filmed a massive tornado swirling near his home as he stood outside his house. The violent winds were so strong that they lifted and tossed debris high into the air, leaving a trail of destruction as it moved across the state.

Accuracy

No Contradictions at Time Of Publication

Deception (50%)

• The author claims that Steinke witnessed a tornado descending on Fryburg when he was actually situated on the southern side of the funnel cloud where some drier air was drawn into it. This misrepresentation creates an impression that Steinke had a better view of the tornado than he did and makes him appear more heroic than he is.
• In one sentence, Steinke says 'I could feel myself being sucked out the door' which implies that there were no other safety measures available to him when in fact it was reported later that several people died due to not taking shelter during the tornado. This creates a false sense of danger and heroism for Steinke while downplaying the severity of the situation for others who did not take proper precautions.

Fallacies (70%)

• The article contains an appeal to authority by citing the National Weather Service's evaluation of videos like Steinke's.
• <em>I could feel myself being sucked out the door</em>
• <em>Believe it or not, I could feel the pressure of it pulling me.</em>

Bias (85%)

• I could feel myself being sucked out the door
• The violent winds were so strong that they lifted and tossed debris high into the air
• This is definitely closer than I ever wanted to be to a tornado, but I felt like I was safe, so I picked up my phone and started videoing

Site Conflicts Of Interest (0%)

• >Chris Oberholtz is a member of the Logan County Sheriff's Office
• The article covers an incident that occurred in Indian Lake

Author Conflicts Of Interest (50%)

• The article reports on a tornado in Fryburg, Ohio which is owned by News Corporation. The article mentions that Chad Steinke was injured during the tornado.

Unique Points

• Survey teams are still combing through wreckage to find evidence of more tornadoes or if they were even stronger
• Amber Fagan rushed to Lakeview in Logan County after hearing about damage from a friend's business that was destroyed by an EF1 tornado
• Sheriff Randall Dodds of Logan County, Ohio said it was unbelievable damage caused by the storms and nothing prepared him for what he saw

Accuracy

• Strong storms and tornadoes hit Indiana and Ohio on Thursday evening
• At least three people were killed in the storms, including one person from an EF3 tornado in Logan County, Ohio
• EF3 tornados also struck Winchester, Indiana and Indian Lake community in Logan County

Deception (30%)

• The author quotes a sheriff who says an EF3 tornado killed three people in Logan County, Ohio. However, no one was actually found dead after the storm passed.

Fallacies (85%)

• The article contains several examples of informal fallacies. The author uses an appeal to authority by citing the opinions of various people without providing any evidence or reasoning for their claims. They also use inflammatory rhetoric when describing the damage caused by the storms and tornadoes, such as calling it a 'bomb going off' and saying that there was 'unbelievable damage'. Additionally, they use dichotomous depictions of the situation in Indiana and Ohio, stating that one area suffered significant damage while another did not. The author also uses an example of inflammatory rhetoric when describing the impact on people who were injured or killed by the storms.

Bias (85%)

• Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said that there was tremendous amount of damage here, indicating that he may have exaggerated the extent of the damage in order to garner sympathy and support from his constituents.
• The author uses sensationalist language such as 'a bomb going off' and 'unbelievable damage' to describe the storms. This is an example of emotional appeal which can be used to manipulate readers into feeling a certain way about the topic without providing evidence or logical reasoning for their emotions.

Site Conflicts Of Interest (50%)

None Found At Time Of Publication

Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)

None Found At Time Of Publication

Unique Points

None Found At Time Of Publication

Accuracy

• A tornado tore through western Ohio on Thursday night.
• The aerial footage reveals the devastation caused by the tornado.

Deception (50%)

• The use of 'utter devastation' and 'trending now' are examples of sensationalism and emotional manipulation. They are meant to evoke strong feelings in readers without providing any factual information or context about the tornado.

Fallacies (100%)

None Found At Time Of Publication

Bias (100%)

None Found At Time Of Publication

Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)

None Found At Time Of Publication

Author Conflicts Of Interest (50%)

None Found At Time Of Publication

Unique Points

• The storm system struck Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky.
• > Tornadoes killed 3 people and injured dozens more in the central US
• > At least three people had died as a consequence of the extreme weather.
• Multiple homes were damaged with residents also dealing with knocked down trees and power lines.

Accuracy

No Contradictions at Time Of Publication

Deception (50%)

• The article is deceptive because it does not provide any evidence or sources for the claim that at least three people had died as a consequence of the extreme weather. This could be a lie by omission, meaning that they are leaving out important information to make their readers more emotional and fearful. They also do not mention if there were any other casualties or injuries caused by the storm system.

Fallacies (85%)

• The BBC’s US partner CBS News reported that at least three people had died as a consequence of the extreme weather.

Bias (100%)

None Found At Time Of Publication

Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)

None Found At Time Of Publication

Author Conflicts Of Interest (0%)

None Found At Time Of Publication