GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Accessing information is as easy as it's ever been. Everything you need to know is right at your fingertips. However, so is everything you should avoid.
In a world filled with "fake news," there's a new tool to help you find a filter.
“We all want to be operating off the truth, but it's very hard to know what it is these days," said Megan Rydecki.
What we want is not always what we get. Rydecki saw that firsthand after this weekend's attempted assassination of former President Trump.
“Early accounts, so much of it was unsubstantiated," she said. "So much of it was rumor. So much of it had just not been documented well.”
Rydecki chose to separate herself from the flood of information until more facts came in. Others have taken a more extreme approach.
“I know people who are physically leaving the country during this season because it's simply too much," Rydecki said. "There's too much noise; there's too much news; there's too much strife, and we don't want people to feel that way.”
Rydecki is the director of the Hauenstein Center for Presidential Studies at Grand Valley State University.
Her team collaborated with other community partners, like WGVU Public Media and the Padnos/Sarosik Center for Civil Discourse, to provide an all-encompassing road map for election information.
“The People's Guide is really about creating a wellness guide for people during this election season," Rydecki said.
It has sections dedicated to voter registration, information gathering, civil discourse and election integrity.
Each tab has a group of blog entries that goes more in-depth on the accompanying topic. For example, the "misinformation" section takes you to a page that outlines three steps to help you detect and debunk what you see online: slow down, remove the frame and check the source.
“This one particularly is sourced from the News Literacy Project," Rydecki said, proving the platform's credibility.
The People's Guide soft launched on June 27 with the goal of making people feel comfortable about an unpredictable and hyper-delicate election process.
“I really feel bad for voters today, and for citizens," Rydecki said. "I think it's very difficult to be a well-informed individual these days.”
In light of recent events, this tool now becomes even more useful.
“[It's] to the extent that there's information in the world today that is causing people to resort to very unnecessary violence," Rydecki said. "I think that's proof enough that we need to be more mindful about what we're taking in, what we're sharing and how we go about this election season.”
Rydecki said the website will constantly get updated so voters can be sure they're reviewing the most recent and relevant information from trusted sources.
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