Overview
Narrative Radar is Argument Cartographer’s “Head-Up Display” for the information ecosystem - a curated feed of high-impact, trending topics that have been pre-analyzed for logical integrity and public sentiment.Key Benefit: Explore complex debates instantly without waiting for AI processing or consuming your API quota.
Curated Topics
Expert-selected controversial debates and breaking news
Pre-Generated
Analyses ready instantly - no wait time
Always Fresh
Updated daily as news develops
Free Access
Available to all users without API costs
How Narrative Radar Works
Topic Curation
Editorial team or automated algorithms identify trending topics based on:
- News velocity (rapid coverage growth)
- Social engagement (Twitter discussion volume)
- Public interest (search trends)
- Controversy level (polarized viewpoints)
Pre-Analysis
Before topics appear in Radar, they’re fully analyzed:
- Web search across trusted sources
- Argument blueprint generation
- Fallacy detection
- Social pulse gathering
- Credibility scoring
Publication
Completed analyses are published to the Radar feed with metadata:
- Title and description
- Thumbnail image
- Credibility score preview
- Source count
- Last updated timestamp
Radar Feed Interface
The Radar page (/radar) displays a grid of topic cards:
Topic Card Components
- Visual Elements
- Metrics
- Actions
- Thumbnail - Representative image for the topic
- Title - Clear, neutral phrasing of the debate
- Description - 1-2 sentence summary
- Badges - Category tags (Politics, Technology, Science, etc.)
- Freshness Indicator - “Updated 2 hours ago”
Topic Selection Criteria
Not every news story makes it to the Radar. Topics are selected based on:Controversy Level
Public Impact
- Relevance: Affects large populations
- Timeliness: Currently in the news cycle
- Searchability: People are actively seeking information
Source Availability
- Coverage Depth: At least 8-10 quality sources available
- Diversity: Sources span ideological spectrum
- Recency: Fresh articles (< 30 days old for most topics)
Example Good Topics:
- “Should AI art be copyrightable?”
- “Universal Basic Income: Economic solution or fiscal disaster?”
- “COVID-19 vaccine mandates: Public health vs personal freedom”
- “Is murder wrong?” (no genuine debate)
- “My neighbor’s fence dispute” (not public interest)
- “The 2015 dress color debate” (trivial)
Categorization System
Radar topics are tagged with multiple categories for easy filtering:- Politics
- Technology
- Science
- Society
- Economics
- Ethics
- Electoral politics
- Policy debates
- Governance issues
- International relations
Filtering & Search
Users can filter the Radar feed:- Category - Show only specific categories
- Credibility - Minimum score threshold (1-10)
- Freshness - Last 24h, Last week, Last month
- Sort - Newest, Highest credibility, Most engagement
Update Frequency
Radar topics are dynamic and evolve:- Breaking News
- Ongoing Debates
- Historical Archives
Update frequency: Every 2-6 hoursFast-moving stories are re-analyzed as new sources emerge:
- New articles incorporated
- Social sentiment refreshed
- Fallacies re-evaluated
Data Structure
Radar topics are stored in Firestore:/radarTopics/{topicId}
Radar topics are publicly readable (unlike user analyses) to enable sharing and SEO.
Benefits for Users
Zero Wait Time
Analyses load instantly - no 30-second processing delay
API Credits Saved
Exploring Radar doesn’t consume your Firecrawl/Twitter quota
Quality Curation
Editorial oversight ensures important, well-sourced topics
Educational Value
See how current events map to logical structures
Use Cases
Breaking News Analysis
Breaking News Analysis
When major news breaks, Radar provides instant logical breakdown before misinformation spreads.Example: Within hours of a policy announcement, users can explore:
- Official justifications
- Expert criticisms
- Historical precedents
- Potential fallacies in political rhetoric
Classroom Education
Classroom Education
Teachers can assign Radar topics for critical thinking exercises:
- “Analyze the fallacies in this debate”
- “Compare the strength of evidence on each side”
- “Track how the narrative evolved over time”
Research Starting Point
Research Starting Point
Journalists and researchers use Radar as a launchpad:
- Identify key sources quickly
- See what questions haven’t been answered
- Find gaps in existing coverage
Personal Decision-Making
Personal Decision-Making
Users facing important choices (voting, career, investments) can:
- See both sides of relevant debates
- Evaluate evidence quality
- Identify manipulative rhetoric
Curation Workflow
For administrators managing Radar content:Topic Selection
Identify trending topics via:
- News aggregators (Google News, AllSides)
- Social listening (Twitter trending)
- User requests/votes
Quality Review
Human reviewer checks:
- Blueprint accuracy
- Fallacy detection validity
- Source diversity
- Neutrality of summary
Metadata Addition
Add:
- Thumbnail image
- Category tags
- Featured flag (if high priority)
- Description text
Future Enhancements
Planned features for Narrative Radar:User Voting
Community votes to prioritize which topics get analyzed next
Custom Alerts
Subscribe to categories and get notified of new analyses
Comparative Timeline
See how arguments evolved as events unfolded
Debate Forecasting
Predict which narratives will gain traction based on patterns
Next Steps
Using the Radar
Detailed guide to exploring Radar topics
Social Pulse
Understand Twitter sentiment integration
Credibility Scoring
Learn how topics are scored
Creating Analyses
Create your own custom analyses
