Communication Studies

Why Should You Try Lateral Reading

Reading a text in isolation can be dangerous. Thinking about evaluating sources as "good" or "bad" is misleading. There is a lot of grey and information is all about CONTEXT.

The way information is created today is interconnected and complicated; context is the key to understanding the credibility of the source. When you incorporate lateral reading into your process of evaluating a source, it encourages you to dig deeper to see the bigger picture and to wonder about how this source is interconnected with others. When you're properly evaluating a source, you're not just wandering around looking for an article to use for your paper, you're wondering about uncovering any bias within the source and how it fits within context of your knowledge, research, and purpose.

How Do I Practice Lateral Reading?

Lateral reading means you spend less time on the source you're thinking of using and more time searching for information about the source. Instead of going to the About Us page of a website to learn about the organization you've never heard of (vertical reading), you'd open up a new tab and search for other sources about the organization, it's founders, and it's reputation (lateral reading).

There are plenty of organizations that have a veneer of authenticity and neutrality as a disguise for advocacy or lobbying and plenty of publishers that have leaning agendas that won't ever run a story that doesn't support the narrative they want to portray. Lateral reading encourages you to ask many of the 5 W's (especially who, what, why) with the underlying goal of discovering "what sort of public memory does this information invoke?". These steps help you understand the context of the source, uncover nuances and subtle signaling that only are revealed through critical thinking.

Instead of asking whether this is a "good source" or a "bad source" ... you're asking "why would I use this source" and making your decision based on the context you've uncovered.

Sources:

Civic Online Reasoning (n.d.). Curriculum. https://cor.stanford.edu/curriculum/

Wineburg, S., & McGrew, S. (2017). Lateral reading: Reading less and learning more when evaluating digital information. Stanford History Education Group Working Paper No. 2017-A1, Oct. 9, 2017.

When looking at an information source, consider using the SIFT Method:

Stop: Understand who created this information and why

• Ask yourself
  • Do you know the website or source of the information?
  • What is the reputation of both the claim and the website?
• Use the next 3 steps to help you answer the questions (if needed)
• Don’t read it, use it or share it until you can answer those questions
• As you're answering those questions, if you feel like you're going down a rabbit hole learning more about the creator and the reputation of the creator and the claim, STOP and refocus your search

Investigate the Source: Know what you are reading before you read it

• Ask yourself
  • What is the expertise and agenda of the source?
  • How might that expertise and agenda impact your interpretation of what they say?
• Taking sixty seconds to figure out where media is from before reading will help you decide if it is worth your time, and if it is, help you to better understand its significance and trustworthiness.

Find Better or Other Coverage: Look for other reporting or analysis on the claim

• Ask yourself
  • Are multiple sources making the same claim?
  • Does there seem to be consensus around this claim or is there a chance you're uncovering bias from the creator?
• Find the best source you can on this topic
• Scan multiple sources and see what the expert consensus seems to be
• Understanding the context and history of a claim will help you better evaluate it and form a starting point for future investigation

Trace Quotes, Media and Claims to Original Source: Understand the original context

• Ask yourself
  • What is the full context of the original source?
  • How might that quote, media or claim been taken out of context?
• Trace the claim, quote, or media back to the original source or primary research study, so you can see it in its original context and get a sense if the version you saw was accurately presented

Sources:

• Caulfield, M. (2019). SIFT (The Four Moves). https://hapgood.us/2019/06/19/sift-the-four-moves/
• Caulfield, M. (2021). Web Literacy for Student Fact-Checkers ... and other people who care about facts. Pressbooks. https://webliteracy.pressbooks.com/

What is BEAM?

There are many methods for critically considering information resources. One is Joseph Bizup's BEAM model.

The BEAM method is especially helpful when deciding how to use a resource.

B: Background Background information is general information or factual evidence used to provide context

E: Exhibit Exhibit or Evidence are materials you can analyze or interpret

A: Argument Argument information comes from critical views from other scholars and experts. You can engage with these claims to become part of the scholarly conversation. You can refute, refine, extend, build upon, or affirm them.

M: Method Method information refers to the methods or theories used by the author to analyze and interpret the evidence. You can use these to adopt a concept, a work process, or a manner of thinking. 

Learn more on our guide to Evaluating Information with BEAM

When looking at an information source, try asking yourself the Five W's. 

• Who? Who wrote this? Can you even tell? Are they an authority in this topic? Credentials are important, but first-hand accounts are also important. Most importantly, who stands to benefit if you believe this source?
• What? What kind of resource is this? Is it an advertisement? Newspaper article? Scholarly research article? Also, what kind of information does it present? Does the content match up with what you already know about this topic? Are there a bunch of advertisements, either related or unrelated to the topic of the article?
• When? How up to date is the information? And how soon after the event was this published? (We've all seen false reports and misinformation happen shortly after major events like school shootings.) Also, how up to date do you need the information to be? Looking for reviews of classic movies that came out shortly after the cinematic debut versus critical acclaim that came years later can make a big difference.
• Where? Country of origin?  How different is the information provided by CNN versus BBC versus Al-Jazeera? Also, where is this information in relation to the structure of the website? Is it on the front page? Is it buried?
• Why? What's the purpose of the source? Is it trying to sell you something? Convince you of something? Also, why are you looking at this source? Entertainment? Medical research? Academic need?