What is Lateral Reading?
Lateral reading is an evaluation strategy used by professional fact-checkers. It goes beyond superficial elements of an information source by moving away from the original source to explore what other resources say about the source and its contents. People who practice lateral reading usually have multiple browser tabs or windows open as they search for additional information about a piece of information. This practice provides a more complete picture of the credibility of a source by reviewing multiple external references than just relying on only the characteristics of the original information source.
This video provides a basic introduction to lateral reading by comparing it to more traditional source evaluation techniques.
University of Louisville Libraries CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
SIFT: A Strategy for Lateral Reading
SIFT is a fast, easy way to discover if website and social media content is accurate. It is a great method to check information created by AI (artificial intelligence).
SIFT (The Four Moves) by Mike Caulfield
Make it a habit to always check your sources for accuracy, even if you think they are correct.
When you first see something on the Internet...
Stop reading
Stop reacting
Do not read or share the article until you verify that it comes from a reliable source.
Ask...
- Who is behind the website or social media post?
- What is their agenda/ bias?
- When was it published?
- Can you trust this source?
If you ever feel overwhelmed when using the SIFT method, stop and remind yourself of the reason you are fact-checking.
The best way to answer the questions list in the "stop" step is to do lateral reading or search the internet to learn what other people say about the source.
Know what you’re reading before you read it.
Strategies you can use:
- Let's hover!: in social media hover the mouse over the users name to find out who they are.
- Just Add Wikipedia: look for a Wikipedia article about the website/ author to learn more about them.
- Control + F: Save time by searching for words on a website. Using a Mac? Command + F
Disregard the source you are getting the information from and look for articles from trusted sources that discuss the topic.
Research the claim, not the source.
Strategies you can use:
- News search cross-check: check other news organizations to see if they are reporting the same story.
- Use fact-checking sites: save time by checking if the claim has already been investigated by a professional fact checker.
- Reverse image search: When researching a claim, sometimes it is more efficient to search for specific images.
On the Internet, information can be reused so many times the original meaning is forgotten. Look for where this information started to understand the original purpose of the claim, quote, or media.
Information out of context can be interpreted differently from the original meaning.
Strategies you can use:
- Click through and find: An easy way to find the original article the author cites is by clicking on the hyperlink to the article.
- Check the date: Older stories can contain outdated information, and you might interpret the information differently if it is recent news vs older news.
- Trace an image to the original source: The fastest way to discover if a photo is either being used out of context or photoshopped is to use a reverse image search to find the original photo.
Beware of
- Stories with no sources: When articles or social media posts make a claim without telling readers where they found the information or studies to support the claim.
- False context: When a person links to a legitimate article but summarizes it in a way that misleads people.