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Overview

Narrative Radar is your gateway to understanding current debates without the wait time or API costs of custom analysis. This guide covers how to effectively browse, filter, and explore the curated feed of pre-analyzed topics.
All Radar topics are fully analyzed before publication - you get instant access to complete argument blueprints, fallacy detection, and social pulse data.

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Accessing the Radar

1

Navigate to Radar

Click Narrative Radar in the main navigation menu, or visit /radar
2

Browse Feed

Scroll through the grid of curated topic cards
3

Apply Filters (Optional)

Use category tags, credibility filters, or search to narrow results
4

Select Topic

Click any card to open the full analysis view

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Understanding Topic Cards

Each Radar topic is presented in a comprehensive card:

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Card Anatomy

Thumbnail Image
  • Representative photo for the topic
  • Helps quick visual scanning
  • Often news imagery related to debate
Title
  • Clear, neutral phrasing of the debate
  • Typically phrased as question or “X vs Y”
  • Examples:
    • “Should AI-generated art be copyrightable?”
    • “Universal Basic Income: Economic necessity or fiscal fantasy?”
Description
  • 1-2 sentence summary of the controversy
  • Sets context without taking sides

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Category Filters

Narrow topics by category:

Politics

Electoral politics, policy debates, governance

Technology

AI, privacy, social media, crypto

Science

Climate, medicine, research ethics

Society

Social justice, education, culture

Economics

Fiscal policy, inequality, trade

Ethics

Bioethics, philosophy, morality
How to filter:
  • Click category badge on any card
  • Use category dropdown in header
  • Multiple categories can be selected (OR logic)

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Credibility Filter

Show only high-quality analyses: 
<Slider
  min={1}
  max={10}
  value={[minCredibility]}
  onValueChange={([value]) => setMinCredibility(value)}
  label="Minimum Credibility Score"
/>

// Results automatically filter
const filteredTopics = topics.filter(t => 
  t.credibilityScore >= minCredibility
);
Use cases:
  • Set to 7+ for research/academic work
  • Set to 5+ for general understanding
  • Leave at 1 to see everything (including weak arguments)

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Sort Options

Shows: Most recently updated topics at topBest for: Staying current with breaking news and evolving debatesLogic: sort((a, b) => b.updatedAt - a.updatedAt)

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Text Search

Search topics by keyword: 
const [searchQuery, setSearchQuery] = useState('');

const searchResults = topics.filter(topic => 
  topic.title.toLowerCase().includes(searchQuery.toLowerCase()) ||
  topic.description.toLowerCase().includes(searchQuery.toLowerCase()) ||
  topic.categories.some(c => c.toLowerCase().includes(searchQuery.toLowerCase()))
);
Tips:
  • Search title, description, AND categories
  • Partial matches work (“climate” finds “climate change”)
  • Not case-sensitive

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Exploring a Topic

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Opening Analysis

Click any topic card to view full analysis:
1

Route to Detail Page

Navigate to /radar/{topicId}
2

Load Analysis Data

System fetches pre-generated blueprint from Firestore
3

Render Full UI

Complete analysis view loads instantly (no wait time!)

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Analysis Components

Same rich interface as custom analyses:
  • Visualization Modes: All 6 modes available
  • Fallacy Detection: Expandable fallacy cards
  • Social Pulse: Twitter sentiment and top tweets
  • Export Options: PNG, SVG, JSON export
  • Ask More: AI chat about the topic
The only difference from custom analyses: Radar topics are read-only (you can’t edit them), but you can export and create your own variations.

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Use Cases

Scenario: You have 10 minutes to understand today’s big debateWorkflow:
  1. Open Radar (sorted by Newest)
  2. Scan top 3-4 topics
  3. Click most relevant one
  4. Read AI summary (30 seconds)
  5. Check credibility score and source count
  6. Scan fallacies for manipulation tactics
  7. Read Social Pulse for public sentiment
Result: Comprehensive understanding in minutes, not hours of research
Scenario: Teacher preparing debate activity for tomorrowWorkflow:
  1. Filter by category (e.g., “Society”)
  2. Sort by Highest Credibility (7+ scores)
  3. Choose age-appropriate, engaging topic
  4. Export visualization to PDF
  5. Create handout with fallacy examples
  6. Assign students to “For” and “Against” teams
Result: Pre-researched, balanced debate materials in under 10 minutes
Scenario: Uncle claims “everyone agrees” about controversial policyWorkflow:
  1. Search Radar for policy name
  2. Open analysis if available
  3. Show uncle the Balanced View
  4. Point to evidence on both sides
  5. Share fallacies if uncle used any (gently!)
Result: Civil, fact-based discussion instead of shouting match
Scenario: Journalist assigned story on unfamiliar topicWorkflow:
  1. Search Radar for topic
  2. Review analysis blueprint to identify:
    • Key stakeholders/perspectives
    • Main arguments and counterarguments
    • Gaps in existing coverage (questions without answers)
  3. Follow source URLs to read full articles
  4. Export JSON to extract source list
  5. Use as foundation for deeper reporting
Result: Rapid topic familiarization with built-in source list

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Radar vs Custom Analysis

When to use each:
Ideal for:
  • Topic is mainstream/newsworthy
  • You want instant results
  • You’re browsing for interesting debates
  • You want to conserve API credits
  • You trust editorial curation
Advantages:
  • Zero wait time
  • No API costs
  • Quality-controlled
  • Often higher credibility (more sources)

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Staying Updated

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Refresh Frequency

Update frequency: Every 2-6 hoursWhat changes:
  • New sources added to blueprint
  • Social Pulse refreshed with latest tweets
  • Fallacy detection re-run on new content
  • Credibility score may change
Indicator: “Updated 3 hours ago”

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Notification System (Future)

Planned features:

Category Alerts

Subscribe to categories, get notified of new topics

Topic Updates

Follow specific topic, get notified when re-analyzed

Custom Queries

Set keywords, get notified when matching topic appears

Digest Email

Daily/weekly email with top topics

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Best Practices

1

Start Broad, Then Filter

Browse all topics first to see what’s available, then apply filters
2

Check Timestamp

For time-sensitive topics, verify “Updated” time is recent
3

Read the Summary First

AI summary gives quick overview before diving into blueprint
4

Cross-Reference Credibility

Low score doesn’t mean false - check why (few sources? fallacies?)
5

Explore Multiple Views

Switch visualization modes to see different angles
6

Follow Source Links

Click through to read original articles for full context

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Troubleshooting

Cause: That category doesn’t have any curated topics yetSolution:
  • Try related categories
  • Use custom analysis for that topic
  • Check back later as feed grows
Cause: Firestore connection issue or deleted topicSolution:
  • Refresh page
  • Try different topic
  • Report issue if persists
Cause: Topic hasn’t been re-analyzed recentlySolution:
  • Check “Updated” timestamp
  • Run custom analysis on same topic for fresh data
  • Archived topics won’t update

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Next Steps

Creating Custom Analysis

Learn when and how to create your own analyses

Narrative Radar Feature

Deep dive into how Radar topics are curated

Credibility Scoring

Understand how topics are scored

Social Pulse

Master the social sentiment analysis

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