"The understanding attained by critical reading of a text implies perceiving the relationship between text and context." -Paulo Freire

We are surrounded by information; not just text, but videos, podcasts, games, etc. To understand information, we must put it into context. Who created it? Who's promoting it? Who benefits from it? Knowing the answers to these questions are the key to putting text into context.

  • Dissecting Disinformation
    Here is an example where I have used my lateral reading skills to take apart an article from the New York Times and placed it’s components into context. Click the ⨁ symbol to get the background of each piece. The Just the Basics sections should give you enough background to get a general idea, but

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  • The Economics of Academic Journals
    Academic journals are big business. Journal publishers like Elsevier have profit margins that rival Apple and Google. But if scholars give away their articles for free, along with doing peer-review, where is all that money coming from? Here’s an infographic to help you understand:
  • TikTok Ban
    Why is the government trying to ban TikTok? Here’s a short video to help put it in context. [Based on March 2024 lecture]
  • Media Match Game
    Mainstream media figures are not like you and me. To get to where they are, they likely needed some sort of connection to get started. Play this game to match the media figure with how they got their start.
  • Putting Text into Context
    Understanding information is more than just being able to read a text in front you, it means being able to understand why that text exists in the form that it does. In other words, putting text into its context. Watch the video below to learn more and check out the Lateral Reading Basics by the

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