Fisking

Fisking is a term used online to describe point-by-point criticism that highlights perceived errors or other problems in a statement, article, essay or blog entry. Fisking is similar to the line-by-line method in policy debate, where a debater addresses each point sequentially. It is different from flaming in that it attacks logical and factual errors in the statement, rather than making personal attacks on the writer. The term is named after Robert Fisk, a British journalist who was a frequent early target of such treatment.