Lateral reading: Reading less and learning more when evaluating digital information

The Internet has democratized access to information but in doing so has opened the floodgates to misinformation, fake news, and rank propaganda masquerading as dispassionate analysis.

“The Internet has democratized access to information but in doing so has opened the floodgates to misinformation, fake news, and rank propaganda masquerading as dispassionate analysis.”

Fact checkers had a strong understanding of the structures underlying how information is served online, including knowledge of how search results are optimized and presented.

“They additionally had a strong understanding of the structures underlying how information is served online, including knowledge of how search results are optimized and presented.”

Historians and students used trust metrics that could be easily gamed or manipulated (e.g., look of a website, domain names, logos), whereas professional fact checkers left the website to quickly research its validity.

“They found that while historians and students used trust metrics that could be easily gamed or manipulated (e.g., look of a website, domain names, logos), professional fact checkers would leave the website to quickly research its validity.”

Technologies and media systems evolve quickly and often in ways opaque to the public.

“given that technologies and media systems evolve quickly and often in ways opaque to the public”

Wineburg and McGrew argue that checklists for evaluating websites, often used in media literacy education, are outdated and actually impair determinations of credibility, are time-consuming and can be easily gamed.

“Wineburg and McGrew argue that checklists for evaluating websites, often used in media literacy education, are outdated and actually impair determinations of credibility, they are time-consuming and can be easily gamed.”

Professional fact checkers more correctly identified trustworthy political information than PhD historians and undergraduates, and in a fraction of the time.

“Professional fact checkers more correctly identified trustworthy political information in a fraction of the time of PhD historians and undergraduates.”

Fact checkers initially spent minimal time on a page, instead leaving it to evaluate its credibility.

“Fact checkers initially spent minimal time on a page, instead leaving it to evaluate its credibility.”

When students looked for outside sources, they favored the top search results from search engines and clicked on higher-ranked results, even if those results were less credible or relevant.

“For instance, when students looked for outside sources, they favored the top search results from search engines and clicked on higher-ranked results, even if those results were less credible or relevant (Bhatt & Mackenzie, 2019;Wineburg & McGrew, 2017).”

Students' research habits made them vulnerable to algorithmic ranking and filtering.

“Other studies have suggested that students' research habits made them vulnerable to algorithmic ranking and filtering.”