Lateral reading means that you are checking for accuracy as you read
What does this look like?
- Finding background information on the source of what you are reading
- Verifying that other articles are saying the same thing
Here are some questions to ask from the News Literacy Project:
- Who funds or sponsors the site where the original piece was published? What do other authoritative sources have to say about that site?
- When you do a search on the topic of the original piece, are the initial results from fact-checking organizations?
- Have questions been raised about other articles the author has written?
- Does what you’re finding elsewhere contradict the original piece?
- Are credible news outlets reporting on (or perhaps more important, not reporting on) what you’re reading?
