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Journalism & Media vocabulary · Fact-Checking and Verification

Lateral reading

Meaning in journalism & media, with examples

nounAdvanced term

In journalism & media, lateral reading means: Evaluating an online source by leaving it to consult independent information about it.

In Turkish: yanal okuma

How it is used

Open other sources to investigate ownership, expertise and reputation instead of relying only on a site's own claims.

Example sentences

  1. Lateral reading revealed that the health website was operated by the seller of the treatment.

    Outside information can reveal interests hidden by a site's presentation.

  2. Before sharing the chart, she used lateral reading to examine the institute behind it.

    The method checks the producer's credibility before engaging with the claim in depth.

Common collocations

  • practise lateral reading
  • lateral reading strategy
  • teach lateral reading
  • verifyTo check carefully that information, a photo, a video or a source is real and true before you use or publish it.
  • sourceA person, document or organisation that gives a journalist information for a story; also the place where a piece of information comes from.

More terms: Fact-Checking and Verification

Practise with graded reading

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