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lateralread.bsky.social
lateralread
@lateralread.bsky.social
Get a lateral read on the news. 🕵️‍♂️ Spotting patterns and media techniques. 🚫 No lectures, no sides, just observations. Sun-Fri: Videos | Sat: Newsletter ➡️ http://lateralread.com
kristen stewart on directing and hollywood

The Times = people respect my brain now
News18 = actresses treated like puppets
Entertainment Weekly = actresses treated like s---
The Blast = slamming the boy club

same interview. different quotes tell different stories.

selective quoting in action.
February 13, 2026 at 1:00 AM
charli xcx's sundance premiere

AP = movie star moment
NBC = new queen of indie film
Daily Beast = The Moment flopped
World of Reel = vanity project bombed

star → queen → flop → bombed

they're using charli as emotional bait.

loaded language in action.

@lateralread
February 11, 2026 at 12:05 AM
who saved tiktok? grammar decides.

CNN = deal closed (passive voice - no actor)
CNBC = TikTok forms joint venture (corporate actor)
Politico = US and China sign off (diplomatic actors)
Fox = Trump-backed (political actor)

same deal, but outlets decide the hero through active vs passive voice.
February 10, 2026 at 12:05 AM
brooklyn beckham ig story coverage:

TMZ → goes nuclear
Fox → controlled for years
Entertainment Now → bravely opening up
E! → broke his silence

aggressor, victim, or survivor? same story, different character casting.

headline framing.

daily @lateralread
January 21, 2026 at 11:10 PM
screen time coverage: expert shopping in action

Tribune → asked teachers
PsyPost → blamed social media over gaming
Asia Business Daily → damages the brain
The Guardian → no evidence linking social media and mental health

different experts. different panics.

that is source selection.

@lateralread
January 20, 2026 at 11:00 PM
amy poehler won the first-ever golden globe for podcasting.

National Enquirer → victory over ex-husband
E! News → how he feels
Vanity Fair → inaugural award
Cracked → meta "even I couldn't stop myself"

they omitted the historic first to sell the divorce drama.

that is omission.

@lateralread
January 16, 2026 at 11:05 PM
BTS world tour coverage:

BBC → $1 billion payday
Korea Herald → 79 shows, 34 cities
Independent → eye-watering numbers
Financial Express → will it be bigger than Taylor Swift's?

three outlets reported the facts. one manufactured a rivalry.

that is a loaded question.

daily @lateralread
January 15, 2026 at 11:05 PM
proteinmaxxing is now federal policy

Business Insider = uses the slang, warns it could backfire
NY Post = $175 a week to eat like this
New Republic = america's too fat for war
CBS = just reading the press release

same pyramid. different angles.

headline framing.

daily @lateralread
January 14, 2026 at 11:10 PM
timothée + kylie class war at the golden globes

Radar → tacky and classless
Daily Mail → unlikely pairing
Hola! → finally found her place
People → his partner

gatekeeping hollywood or welcoming her to the A-list?

that is loaded language.

@lateralread
January 13, 2026 at 11:05 PM
google's "agentic shopping" announcement

Adweek = shape the future of retail
WSJ = business bet on ai-based shopping
Engadget = pushing the limits of consumerism
Financial Times = personalized shopping ads

three outlets sell innovation. one names it: ads.

appeal to novelty.

daily @lateralread
January 12, 2026 at 11:05 PM
ashley tisdale mom group drama = source selection masterclass

THR → husband's attack
People → Meghan Trainor promo
EW → Chelsea Handler vouching blind
ABC → Ashley Tisdale (Disney Channel alum sharing why)

source becomes the story

daily @lateralread
January 9, 2026 at 11:05 PM
stranger things made $25 million in theaters

comicbook.com → Netflix's boss is "totally wrong"
Gizmodo → won't change their minds
Guardian → people like leaving the house
Hypebeast → just the receipts

netflix bet on the bed rot. you showed up anyway.

headline framing.

daily @lateralread
January 8, 2026 at 11:06 PM
rent or ideology?

Fox News = sinister undertone to collectivism
Washington Examiner = fresh face of old and discredited ideas
CNN = job to fix New York's affordability crisis
NYT = visits building with collapsing ceilings

same mayor. different realities.

headline framing.

daily @lateralread
January 6, 2026 at 11:03 PM
gen z drinking coverage

Business Insider = zebra striping your way out of hangovers
Breitbart = trading beers for barbells
CNN = dry raves and morning dance parties
USA Today = gen z is already stepping away from alcohol

three personalities. one spreadsheet.

anecdote as data. daily @lateralread
January 5, 2026 at 11:05 PM
The media has a playbook. I’m here to leak the plays. 🏈✏️

I compare 4 headlines about the same story to track 50 manipulation techniques news outlets use to trigger outrage, fear and spin. That is a lateral read.

Once you see the pattern, you can’t unsee it. Don't let them play you.
January 4, 2026 at 11:10 PM
Updating my resume immediately. 🐺💅

#lateralread #mediaanalysis #heatedrivalry #hockeyromance #fandom #cosmo
January 2, 2026 at 11:01 PM
Entering 2026 with this exact energy. Be safe out there. 🦝🥂

#lateralread #mediaanalysis #newyearseve #2026 #raccoon #nypost #mood #relatable
December 31, 2025 at 11:01 PM
I don't want to be an Avenger, I just want a plot that makes sense. 🎬🤖

#lateralread #mediaanalysis #disney #openai #ai #marvel #sora #aiart #aislop
December 29, 2025 at 11:01 PM
In my villain era reading think-pieces about denim. 👖💀

#lateralread #mediaanalysis #sydneysweeney #americaneagle #popculture #thinkpiece
December 26, 2025 at 11:01 PM
Merry Christmas to everyone except the lawyer who had to type this phrase in a federal document. 🍌🎄

#lateralread #mediaanalysis #lizzo #lawsuit #popculture #banana #simulationglitch
December 24, 2025 at 11:01 PM
Thoughts and prayers for the journalist who had to write "heartache" with a straight face. 💀

#lateralread #mediaanalysis #traviskelce #chiefs #nfl #swifties
December 22, 2025 at 11:01 PM
Heated Rivalry coverage: demographic stereotypes.

CBC → women. Cosmo → feral. ELLE → straight. SELF → middle-aged.

same show. four different diagnoses.

that is hasty generalization.

they're judging the audience, not the art.

@lateralread

#lateralread #news #mediaanalysis #heatedrivalry
December 19, 2025 at 11:07 PM
travis kelce genre framing

The Sun = chokes back tears
GB News = toughest decision before taylor swift wedding
IB Times = should've retired already
NFL.com = it'll come to you with time

tragedy → romance → villain → reality

they're picking genres.

loaded language.

daily examples @lateralread
December 18, 2025 at 11:05 PM
lizzo "scores" legal victory vs. dancers "push" for trial

TMZ = drop fat-shaming fight
Complex = victory due to secret recording
IBT = she dodged the blow
Billboard = banana incident was not "creative expression"

technicality vs. toxicity.

omission in action.

daily examples @lateralread
December 17, 2025 at 11:05 PM
disney invests $1bn in openai for character licensing

Guardian = AI-generate yourself
Futurism = ghoulishly horrifying
Slate = lost in the slop
Kotaku = AI woodchipper

excited → horrified → contemptuous → violent

loaded language in action. daily @lateralread

#lateralread #disney #openai #ai
December 16, 2025 at 11:06 PM