fallacy

Red herring

Also called: Irrelevant conclusion, Diversion

A red herring introduces an irrelevant topic to divert attention from the question at hand.

How it works

The new topic is usually more comfortable, more emotional or more interesting than the original one. If the audience follows it, the original question goes unanswered without anyone noticing.

Examples

Asked about rising rents, a minister replies: "What matters is that we have created the strongest job market in decades."

Job numbers do not answer whether rents are affordable.

"Why worry about this data leak when hackers attack big companies every day?"

The frequency of attacks elsewhere does not address this leak or its consequences.

How to spot it

After the reply, is the original question still open?
The topic shifts to something only loosely connected.
The new topic provokes a stronger reaction than the old one.

How to respond

Note the shift politely and repeat the original question.
Offer to discuss the new topic separately.
Keep a written list of the open questions in a debate.