Case studies and analysis
Worked poisoning the well cases covering AI-authorship accusations, work, politics, social media, research, and family arguments, with fair ways to respond.
These long-form case studies use fictional scenarios to examine how a poisoned well changes a discussion, where the diagnosis can go wrong, and how participants can return to the evidence.
When “AI-Generated” Accusations Poison the Well
When does calling a report AI-generated become poisoning the well? Compare three matched cases, detection limits, and a checklist for fair criticism.
Family Arguments: Escaping a Poisoned Role
A family-conversation case study about fixed roles, relevant history, practical constraints, bystander repair, and language that reopens a fair hearing.
Poisoning the Well in Politics: A Town-Hall Case
A neutral political-rhetoric case study about pre-labelling critics, audience pressure, moderator choices, and fair policy comparison.
Research Debate: Source Criticism or Poisoning the Well?
A method-first case study about funding, expertise, data, replication, and the boundary between responsible scientific scrutiny and blanket dismissal.
How a Quote-Post Poisons the Well
An anatomy of a fictional quote-post pile-on, with reader checks, creator response options, fair labelling boundaries, and platform-aware rewrites.
A Workplace Example: The Risk Review
A workplace case study showing how pre-meeting reputation cues can displace evidence, plus a fair decision protocol for managers and teams.