The Verge56%

The Guardian’s Carter Sherman fondly remembers being terrified by Ocarina of Time 5%

By Terrence O'Brien58%

7/18/2026, 2:30:00 PM

BS Summary: This article contains 14 faulty reasoning types, including Appeal to Authority, Optimism Bias, and Anecdotal, with Self-Serving Bias as the most egregious example at 11% saturation with 56 hits. Analysis detected 340 faulty-reasoning hits from 510 analyzed words, generating a BS Score of 19.7% and a BS Rank of 5% (20,906 of 21,887 articles). This article is better (less manipulative) than 95.50% of the article peer group.

Carter Sherman has been covering sex, gender, and the complex personal and national politics that accompany them for years. 
She was a senior reporter for Vice and has written for Elle, Ms. magazine, and Los Angeles magazine as well. 
Along the way, she’s garnered a Scripps Howard Award, a National Press Club Journalism Award, and four Emmy nominations. 
She’s also the author of The Second Coming: Sex and the Next Generation’s Fight Over Its Future. 
That book looks at how the internet and our polarized political landscape have changed sex and relationships, from school board battles over sex ed to abortion access. 
These days she finds herself at The Guardian, where she’s the cohost of Stateside with Kai and Carter. 
Sherman was kind enough to tell us about her reliance on coffee and the collection of quotes she keeps for when she needs inspiration. 
What is your most indispensable tool? 
My French press. 
I’m from Seattle, so I like to think that I come by my coffee snobbery honestly. 
How many tabs do you have open right now? 
The limit does not exist. 
What game do you have the fondest memories of? 
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. 
As a kid, I was terrified of the music that soundtracked the Deku Tree dungeon(s). 
What is one thing you wish you had created? 
The “Happy Birthday” song. 
Think of the royalties. 
What creation are you most proud of? 
I’m incredibly proud of my book, The Second Coming: Sex and the Next Generation’s Fight Over Its Future. 
To report it out, I interviewed more than 100 people under 30 about their experiences of and thoughts on sex following #MeToo, the pandemic, and the overturning of Roe v. 
Wade. 
I was honored that so many people felt comfortable with me and were willing to open up about such an intimate topic. 
I spent a decade covering reproductive health, gender, and sexuality as a print and video reporter, and The Second Coming really felt like the culmination of that reporting. 
What is your current obsession? 
Rick and Morty. 
I devoured the first eight seasons of that show in, like, two weeks. 
What do you do when you’re feeling stuck? 
Whenever I come across a particularly evocative piece of writing, I add it to a list that I keep in my Notes app. 
Then, when I feel stuck, I scroll through that list. 
Sometimes, the phrases will spark an idea; always, it reminds me that good writing  the process of trying to figure out what, exactly, you are trying to say  is worth the work. 
(Some recent additions to my list: “little runs of laughter,” courtesy of Shirley Jackson; “with a glance like a lasso,” courtesy of Carson McCullers; “her voice was warmed through with nostalgia,” courtesy of Katie Kitamura.) 
What do you think is worth splurging on? 
Concert tickets. 
What would the tagline for your biopic be? 
At least she tried. 
What’s the last GIF or meme you used? 
Article reasoning-pattern comparisonThis article: 0.0%Terrence O'Brien: 4.3%The Verge: 3.6%Confirmation Bias0.0%This article: 0.0%Terrence O'Brien: 0.1%The Verge: 1.3%Anchoring Bias0.0%This article: 0.0%Terrence O'Brien: 3.8%The Verge: 3.8%Availability Heuristic0.0%This article: 0.0%Terrence O'Brien: 0.8%The Verge: 1.3%Representativeness Heuristic0.0%This article: 0.0%Terrence O'Brien: 1.1%The Verge: 0.7%Hindsight Bias0.0%This article: 1.0%Terrence O'Brien: 0.8%The Verge: 1.7%Overconfidence Bias1.0%This article: 5.3%Terrence O'Brien: 8.9%The Verge: 6.2%Framing Effect5.3%This article: 0.8%Terrence O'Brien: 0.6%The Verge: 0.9%Loss Aversion0.8%This article: 0.0%Terrence O'Brien: 0.3%The Verge: 0.5%Status Quo Bias0.0%This article: 5.5%Terrence O'Brien: 0.3%The Verge: 0.4%Sunk Cost Effect5.5%This article: 6.7%Terrence O'Brien: 2.1%The Verge: 4.0%Optimism Bias6.7%This article: 0.0%Terrence O'Brien: 1.8%The Verge: 2.4%Pessimism Bias0.0%This article: 0.0%Terrence O'Brien: 12.1%The Verge: 9.7%Negativity Bias0.0%This article: 11.0%Terrence O'Brien: 1.0%The Verge: 1.5%Self-Serving Bias11.0%This article: 0.0%Terrence O'Brien: 0.4%The Verge: 0.8%Fundamental Attribution Error0.0%This article: 0.0%Terrence O'Brien: 0.3%The Verge: 0.2%Actor-Observer Bias0.0%This article: 0.0%Terrence O'Brien: 0.7%The Verge: 0.6%In-Group Bias0.0%This article: 0.0%Terrence O'Brien: 1.5%The Verge: 0.4%Out-Group Homogeneity Bias0.0%This article: 3.7%Terrence O'Brien: 2.9%The Verge: 2.8%Halo Effect3.7%This article: 0.0%Terrence O'Brien: 0.6%The Verge: 0.2%Horn Effect0.0%This article: 0.0%Terrence O'Brien: 0.0%The Verge: 0.0%Dunning-Kruger Effect0.0%This article: 2.5%Terrence O'Brien: 1.3%The Verge: 1.8%Recency Bias2.5%This article: 5.5%Terrence O'Brien: 0.9%The Verge: 0.4%Primacy Effect5.5%This article: 0.0%Terrence O'Brien: 0.0%The Verge: 0.1%Blind-Spot Bias0.0%This article: 0.0%Terrence O'Brien: 3.4%The Verge: 1.1%Ad Hominem0.0%This article: 0.0%Terrence O'Brien: 1.0%The Verge: 0.3%Straw Man0.0%This article: 7.1%Terrence O'Brien: 6.1%The Verge: 4.0%Appeal to Authority7.1%This article: 0.0%Terrence O'Brien: 1.1%The Verge: 1.6%False Dilemma0.0%This article: 0.0%Terrence O'Brien: 1.6%The Verge: 1.2%Slippery Slope0.0%This article: 0.0%Terrence O'Brien: 0.4%The Verge: 0.2%Circular Reasoning0.0%This article: 0.0%Terrence O'Brien: 5.9%The Verge: 6.8%Hasty Generalization0.0%This article: 0.0%Terrence O'Brien: 0.4%The Verge: 0.2%Red Herring0.0%This article: 0.0%Terrence O'Brien: 1.3%The Verge: 0.7%Bandwagon0.0%This article: 0.0%Terrence O'Brien: 6.6%The Verge: 4.2%Appeal to Emotion0.0%This article: 0.0%Terrence O'Brien: 1.5%The Verge: 1.1%Begging the Question0.0%This article: 0.0%Terrence O'Brien: 3.5%The Verge: 2.3%Post Hoc (False Cause)0.0%This article: 0.0%Terrence O'Brien: 0.3%The Verge: 0.2%Tu Quoque0.0%This article: 0.0%Terrence O'Brien: 0.5%The Verge: 0.8%Burden of Proof0.0%This article: 0.0%Terrence O'Brien: 0.0%The Verge: 0.3%Appeal to Nature0.0%This article: 0.0%Terrence O'Brien: 0.2%The Verge: 0.3%Composition/Division0.0%This article: 6.7%Terrence O'Brien: 2.7%The Verge: 3.6%Anecdotal6.7%This article: 0.0%Terrence O'Brien: 0.1%The Verge: 0.1%No True Scotsman0.0%This article: 1.0%Terrence O'Brien: 2.6%The Verge: 2.2%Ambiguity (Equivocation)1.0%This article: 0.0%Terrence O'Brien: 0.0%The Verge: 0.0%Gambler’s Fallacy0.0%This article: 0.0%Terrence O'Brien: 0.1%The Verge: 0.1%Middle Ground0.0%This article: 0.0%Terrence O'Brien: 0.2%The Verge: 0.1%Personal Incredulity0.0%This article: 0.0%Terrence O'Brien: 0.0%The Verge: 0.2%Special Pleading0.0%This article: 0.0%Terrence O'Brien: 0.2%The Verge: 0.2%Genetic Fallacy0.0%This article: 4.7%Terrence O'Brien: 3.2%The Verge: 2.6%Unattributed Quote4.7%This article: 0.0%Terrence O'Brien: 2.9%The Verge: 1.4%Quote-first Misdirection0.0%This article: 0.0%Terrence O'Brien: 11.4%The Verge: 10.8%Biased Writer Voice0.0%This article: 0.0%Terrence O'Brien: 2.0%The Verge: 1.1%Indoctrination0.0%This article: 5.3%Terrence O'Brien: 3.5%The Verge: 1.6%Politically Left Leaning Bias5.3%This article: 0.0%Terrence O'Brien: 0.1%The Verge: 0.1%Politically Right Leaning Bias0.0%This article: 0.0%Terrence O'Brien: 3.7%The Verge: 4.2%Attempt to Sell a Product or S…0.0%

510 words analyzed.

Speakers

1speaker57%attributed speech221writer words
Voice mapSelect a segment to jump to its words
Carter Sherman • 12 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 19 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 20 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 19 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 17 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 27 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 18 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 24 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 6 words • 0.0% coverageCarter Sherman • 3 words • 0.0% coverageCarter Sherman • 16 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 9 words • 0.0% coverageCarter Sherman • 5 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 9 words • 0.0% coverageCarter Sherman • 7 words • 0.0% coverageCarter Sherman • 15 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 9 words • 0.0% coverageCarter Sherman • 4 words • 0.0% coverageCarter Sherman • 4 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 7 words • 0.0% coverageCarter Sherman • 18 words • 0.0% coverageCarter Sherman • 30 words • 0.0% coverageCarter Sherman • 1 words • 0.0% coverageCarter Sherman • 22 words • 0.0% coverageCarter Sherman • 28 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 5 words • 0.0% coverageCarter Sherman • 3 words • 0.0% coverageCarter Sherman • 13 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 8 words • 0.0% coverageCarter Sherman • 23 words • 0.0% coverageCarter Sherman • 10 words • 0.0% coverageCarter Sherman • 34 words • 0.0% coverageCarter Sherman • 35 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 8 words • 0.0% coverageCarter Sherman • 2 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 8 words • 0.0% coverageCarter Sherman • 4 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 8 words • 0.0% coverage
Selected voice

Carter Sherman

48%flagged-word coverage
289 attributed words100% of attributed speech39% writer coverage
0%7.5%15.0%Politically Left Leaning B-12.2 ptsWriter: 12.2%Carter Sherman: 0.0%0.0%Unattributed Quote-10.9 ptsWriter: 10.9%Carter Sherman: 0.0%0.0%

Attribution is sentence-level. Pattern percentages are calculated only from words assigned to that voice.

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Analysis

Hover over highlighted words in the article to view the associated bias or fallacy analysis.