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{{Short description|Fact-checking website}}
{{for|the novels by William Faulkner|Snopes trilogy}} {{for|the novels by William Faulkner|Snopes trilogy}}
{{Italic title}}
{{short description|Website covering urban legends, Internet rumors, e-mail forwards, and other stories of unknown or questionable origin}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2017}} {{Use American English|date=August 2020}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2019}}
{{Infobox website {{Infobox website
| name = Snopes.com | name = ''Snopes.com''
| logo = Snopes logo.png | logo = Snopes logo.png
| logo_size = 237px | logo_size = 125px
| logo_alt = Snopes logo | logo_alt = Snopes logo
| screenshot = Snopes home page screenshot.png
| url = {{URL|snopes.com}}
| caption = A screenshot of Snopes home page in 2019
| url = {{URL|www.snopes.com|snopes.com}}
| commercial = Yes | commercial = Yes
| type = Reference pages | type = Reference pages
| registration = Required only on forums | registration = Required only on forums
| owner = {{plainlist| *]
| owner = {{Plainlist|
*]<ref name="yahoo" /><ref name="Disclosures" /> }}
*David P. Mikkelson<ref name=webby>{{cite web |url=http://webbyawards.com/lists/how-the-truth-set-snopes-free |website=] | title=How the Truth Set Snopes Free |access-date=December 10, 2018}}</ref>
| author = Barbara Mikkelson<br />David P. Mikkelson<ref name="webby" />
*Proper Media<ref name="NYT">{{cite news|last1=Streitfeld|first1=David|title=For Fact Checking Website Snopes, a Bigger Role Brings More Attacks|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/25/technology/for-fact-checking-website-snopes-a-bigger-role-brings-more-attacks.html?_r=0|access-date=December 27, 2016|work=The New York Times|date=December 25, 2016 |url-access=limited}}</ref>
| launch_date = {{start date and age|1994}} (as ''Urban Legends Reference Pages'')
}}
| current_status = Active
| author = Barbara Mikkelson<br>David P. Mikkelson<ref name=webby/>
| launch date = {{start date and age|1994}} (as Urban Legends Reference Pages)
| alexa = {{IncreaseNegative}} 2,573 (US 752) ({{as of|2018|12|03|alt=December 2018}})<ref name="alexa">{{cite web|url=http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/snopes.com|title= Snopes.com Site Info|website=]|access-date=December 3, 2018}}</ref>
| current status = Active
}} }}


'''Snopes''' {{IPAc-en|s|n|oʊ|p|s}}, formerly known as the '''Urban Legends Reference Pages''', is one of the first online ] websites.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4819108 |title=Snopes.com: Debunking Myths in Cyberspace] |website=] |date=August 27, 2005 |access-date=August 27, 2005}}</ref> It has been termed a "well-regarded source for sorting out myths and rumors" on the internet.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/77880145/ |first=Melissa |last=Allison |title=Companies Find Rumors Hard to Kill on Internet |work=Herald and Review |date= March 4, 2007}} (image 3).</ref><ref>Same article: {{cite web |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/359621651 |title=Corporations Combat Insistent Urban Legends on Internet |work=The Courier |date=March 4, 2007}} (image 7).</ref> It has also been seen as a source for validating and ] ]s and similar stories in ].<ref>{{cite book |last=Henry |first=Neil |title=American Carnival: Journalism Under Siege in an Age of New Media |publisher=University of California Press |year=2007 |p=285| quote="The most widely known resource for validating or debunking rumors, myths, hoaxes, and urban legends in popular American culture is the website run by Barbara and David P. Mikkelson at www.snopes.com..."}}</ref> '''''Snopes''''' ({{IPAc-en|'|s|n|oʊ|p|s}}), formerly known as the '''''Urban Legends Reference Pages''''', is a ] website.<ref name="bXXvq" /> It has been described as a "well-regarded reference for sorting out myths and rumors" on the Internet.<ref name="NwKqn" /><ref name="zqpch" /> The site has also been seen as a source for both validating and ] ]s and similar stories in ].<ref name="2qSrZ" />


==History== ==History==
In 1994,<ref name="tri">{{Cite web|url=https://twit.tv/shows/triangulation/episodes/343|title=Triangulation 343 David Mikkelson, Snopes.com |website=TWiT.tv|language=en-US|access-date=April 25, 2018}}</ref> David and Barbara Mikkelson created an urban ] web site that would become Snopes.com. Snopes was an early ] focused on urban legends, that mainly presented search results of user discussions. The site grew to encompass a wide range of subjects and became a resource to which Internet users began submitting pictures and stories of questionable veracity. According to the Mikkelsons, Snopes predated the ] concept where people could go to check facts by searches.<ref name="nyt100405">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/05/technology/05snopes.html|title=Debunkers of Fictions Sift the Net|author=]|date=April 4, 2010|work=The New York Times|access-date=April 5, 2010 |url-access=limited}}</ref> David Mikkelson had originally adopted the username "Snopes" (the name of a family of often unpleasant people in the works of ])<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.snopes.com/info/faq.asp#snopes |title=Frequently Asked Questions |quote=What are 'snopes'? |website=Snopes |access-date=June 9, 2006}}</ref><ref name="Chron">{{cite news |first=Paul |last=Bond |work=] |title=Web site separates fact from urban legend |url=http://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/article/Web-site-separates-fact-from-urban-legend-2800717.php |date=September 7, 2002 |access-date=July 17, 2012}}</ref> as a username in the ] newsgroup alt.folklore.urban.<ref name="Porter">{{cite book |last=Porter |first=David |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KQLaAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA48&lpg=PA48 |title=Internet Culture |chapter=Usenet Communities and the Cultural Politics of Information |publisher=] |year=2013 |page=48 |isbn=978-1-135-20904-9 |access-date=September 13, 2016 |quote=The two most notorious trollers in AFU, ] and snopes, are also two of the most consistent posters of serious research.}}</ref><ref name="Seipp" /><ref name="Chron" /><ref name="Seipp">{{cite news |first=Cathy |last=Seipp |authorlink=Catherine Seipp |work=] |title=Where Urban Legends Fall |url=http://www.nationalreview.com/seipp/seipp200407210830.asp |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20040812075515/http://www.nationalreview.com/seipp/seipp200407210830.asp |archivedate=August 12, 2004 |access-date=February 7, 2014 |date=July 21, 2004}}</ref>


=== 1990s ===
In 2002, the site had become well known enough that a ] called ''Snopes: Urban Legends'' was completed with American actor ] as host. However, it did not air on major networks.<ref name="Chron" /> ] and Drew Schoentrup later became owners with Mikkelson through a partnership with the founders of a company called Proper Media.<ref name="CNS_Bruno">{{cite news |last1=Bruno |first1=Bianca |title=Fact-Checker Snopes' Owners Accused of Corporate Subterfuge |url=https://www.courthousenews.com/fact-checker-snopes-owners-accused-corporate-subterfuge/ |website=] |date=May 10, 2017}}</ref> By mid-2014, Barbara had not written for the site "in several years"<ref name="webby" /> and David hired employees to assist him from Snopes.com's message board. The Mikkelsons divorced around that time, and Barbara no longer has an ownership stake in Snopes.com.<ref name="webby"/><ref name="Madrigal_Atlantic">{{cite news |last1=Madrigal |first1=Alexis C. |title=Snopes Faces an Ugly Legal Battle |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2017/07/the-ugly-dispute-threatening-snopes/534708/ |work=] |date=July 24, 2017}}</ref>
In 1994,<ref name="tri" /><ref name="W4pKe" /><ref name="U3B0T" /> David and Barbara Mikkelson created an urban ] web site that would become ''Snopes.com''. ''Snopes'' was an early ] focused on urban legends, which mainly presented search results of user discussions based at first on their contributions to the ] newsgroup alt.folklore.urban (AFU) where they'd been active.<ref name="UfNsE" /> The site grew to encompass a wide range of subjects and became a resource to which Internet users began submitting pictures and stories of questionable veracity. According to the Mikkelsons, ''Snopes'' predated the ] concept of fact-checking via search results.<ref name="nyt100405" /> David Mikkelson had originally adopted the username "Snopes" (the name of ] in the works of ]) in AFU.<ref name="SrJjD" /><ref name="Chron" /><ref name="Porter" /><ref name="Seipp" />


=== 2000s ===
On March 9, 2017, David Mikkelson terminated a brokering agreement with Proper Media, the company that provides Snopes with ], ], and ] support.<ref name="WaPoLegal2017">{{cite news|last1=Farhi|first1=Paul|title=Is Snopes.com, the original Internet fact-checker, going out of business?|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/is-snopescom-the-original-internet-fact-checker-going-out-of-business/2017/07/24/8a03d196-708d-11e7-8839-ec48ec4cae25_story.html|work=The Washington Post|date=July 24, 2017}}</ref> This prompted Proper Media to stop remitting advertising revenue and to file a lawsuit in May. In late June, Bardav—the company founded by David and Barbara Mikkelson in 2003 to own and operate snopes.com—started a ] campaign to raise money to continue operations.<ref name="NYTLegal2017">{{cite news|last1=Victor|first1=Daniel|title=Snopes, in Heated Legal Battle, Asks Readers for Money to Survive |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/24/business/media/snopes-crowdfunding-proper-media.html |work=The New York Times |date=July 24, 2017 |url-access=limited}}</ref> They raised $500,000 in 24 hours.<ref>{{cite web |title=Snopes Meets $500K Crowdfunding Goal Amid Legal Battle |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-07-25/snopes-launches-online-fundraiser-amid-legal-battle |website=] |date=July 25, 2017 |access-date=December 18, 2017 |agency=]}}</ref> Later, in August, a judge ordered Proper Media to disburse advertising revenues to Bardav while the case was pending.<ref name="WiredSnopes">{{cite news|last1=Dean|first1=Michelle|title=Snopes and the Search for Facts in a Post-Fact World|url=https://www.wired.com/story/snopes-and-the-search-for-facts-in-a-post-fact-world? |date=September 20, 2017 |work=] |access-date=December 10, 2018}}</ref>
In 2002, the site had become known well enough that a ] by writer-director Michael Levine called ''Snopes: Urban Legends'' was completed with American actor ] as host. However, it did not air on major networks.<ref name="Chron" />

=== 2010s ===
By 2010, the site was attracting seven million to eight million unique visitors in an average month.<ref name="ZYklr" /><ref name="RXQhb" />
By mid-2014, Barbara had not written for ''Snopes'' "in several years"<ref name="webby" /> and David hired users from ''Snopes.com''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s message board to assist him in running the site. The Mikkelsons divorced around that time.<ref name="webby" /><ref name="so2d3" /> ] and ] became part owners in July 2016 with the purchase of Barbara Mikkelson's share by the internet media management company Proper Media.<ref name="CNS_Bruno" />

On March 9, 2017, David Mikkelson terminated the brokering agreement with Proper Media, which was also the company that provided ''Snopes'' with ], ], and ] support.<ref name="8XEZo" /> The move prompted Proper Media to stop remitting advertising revenue and to file a lawsuit in May. In late June, Bardav—the company founded by David and Barbara Mikkelson in 2003 to own and operate ''snopes.com''—started a ] campaign to raise money to continue operations.<ref name="fcs4Q" /> They raised $500,000 in 24 hours.<ref name="Hw4f0" /> Later, in August, a judge ordered Proper Media to disburse advertising revenues to Bardav while the case was pending.<ref name="4EDNC" />

In July 2018, ''Snopes'' abruptly terminated its contract with Managing Editor Brooke Binkowski, with no explanation.{{huh?|date=July 2024}} By the time ''Snopes'' co-founder and CEO David Mikkelson confirmed the termination to her, the situation was still not clear.<ref name="jgajb" />

In early 2019, ''Snopes'' announced that it had acquired the website '']'', and is "hard at work modernizing its extensive archives".<ref name="xpUaQ" /> ''OnTheIssues'' is a website that seeks to "present all the relevant evidence, assess how strongly each piece supports or opposes a position, and summarize it with an average" in order to "provide voters with reliable information on candidates' policy positions".<ref name="TCJes" />

In 2018 and 2019, ''Snopes'' fact-checked several articles from '']'', a satirical website, rating them "False". The decision resulted in Facebook adding warnings to links to those articles shared on its site.<ref name="FgmcC" /><ref name="nyt2019aug2" /><ref name="buzzfeed" /> ''Snopes'' added a new rating called "Labeled Satire" to identify satirical stories.<ref name="gsgc0" />

In 2019, ''Snopes'' was embroiled in legal disputes with ], with a ] scheduled for spring 2020. By then Proper Media had become a co-owner of Bardav through acquiring Barbara Mikkelson's half-interest share, intending to take overall ownership of Snopes for its own "portfolio of media sites". The move failed as David Mikkelson had no intention to sell his share.<ref name="LBCSi" />

=== 2020s ===
==== COVID-19 pandemic and misinformation ====
{{Main article|COVID-19 misinformation}}
As the ] started in 2020, many people tried to "educate themselves on the coronavirus" and find "any comfort, certainty, or hope for a cure ".<ref name="Ys1hw" />{{Primary source inline|date=August 2022}} ''Snopes'' has around 237 COVID-related fact-checking articles.<ref name="wmBAB" />{{Year needed|date=January 2023}}

==== Plagiarism by co-founder David Mikkelson ====

On August 13, 2021, '']'' published an investigation by reporter Dean Sterling Jones that showed David Mikkelson had used plagiarized material from different news sources in 54 articles between 2015 and 2019 in an effort to increase website traffic.<ref name="Ron Lyons, Jr." /><ref name="HA5X5" /><ref name="lfTgN" /> Mikkelson also published plagiarized material under a pseudonym, "Jeff Zarronandia".<ref name="Ron Lyons, Jr." /> The ''BuzzFeed'' inquiry prompted ''Snopes'' to launch an internal review of Mikkelson's articles and to retract 60 of them the day the ''BuzzFeed'' story appeared. Mikkelson admitted to committing "multiple serious copyright violations" and apologized for "serious lapses in judgment."<ref name="auto" /> He was suspended from editorial duties during the investigation, but remains an officer and stakeholder in the company.<ref name="N8AtM" /><ref name="auto" />

==== Change of ownership ====
On September 16, 2022, David Mikkelson stepped down as CEO and was succeeded by shareholder and board member ].<ref name="yahoo" /> Richmond and fellow shareholder Drew Schoentrup together acquired 100% of the company, ending the ownership dispute which began in 2017.<ref name="yahoo" />


==Main site== ==Main site==
Snopes aims to debunk or confirm widely spread urban legends. The site has been referenced by news media and other sites, including ],<ref>{{cite news |last=Nissen |first=Beth |url=http://www.cnn.com/2001/US/10/03/rec.false.rumors/index.html |title=Hear the rumor? Nostradamus and other tall tales |website=] |date=October 3, 2001 |access-date=June 7, 2009}}</ref> ],<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.nbcnews.com/id/17798063/ |title=Urban Legends Banned-April Fools'! |website=] |date=April 1, 2007 |access-date=June 7, 2009}}</ref> '']'', '']'', and '']''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/muslim.asp |title=Urban Legends Reference Pages: Who Is Barack Obama? |date=August 24, 2008 |website=Snopes |access-date=January 22, 2008}}</ref> By March 2009, the site had more than 6 million visitors per month.<ref>{{cite web |last=Hochman |first=David |url=http://www.rd.com/your-america-inspiring-people-and-stories/rumor-detectives-true-story-or-online-hoax/article122216.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090318123647/http://www.rd.com/your-america-inspiring-people-and-stories/rumor-detectives-true-story-or-online-hoax/article122216.html |archive-date=March 18, 2009 |date=March 2009 |website=] |title=Rumor Detectives: True Story or Online Hoax? |access-date=March 29, 2016 |deadurl=yes |df=mdy-all }}</ref> Mikkelson runs the website out of his home in ].<ref>{{cite news |last=Lacitis |first=Erik |date=October 10, 2018 |title=Lies, lies and more lies. Out of an old Tacoma house, fact-checking site Snopes uncovers them |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/lies-lies-and-more-lies-out-of-an-old-tacoma-house-fact-checking-site-snopes-uncovers-them/ |work=] |access-date=November 6, 2018}}</ref> Snopes aims to debunk or confirm widely spread urban legends. The site has been referenced by news media and other sites, including ],<ref name="64jjH" /> ],<ref name="wlXsT" /> '']'', '']'', and '']''.<ref name="cTalM" /> By March 2009, the site had more than six million visitors per month.<ref name="OUfpj" /> David Mikkelson ran the website from his home in ].<ref name="YdEuC" />


Mikkelson has stressed the ''reference'' portion of the name ''Urban Legends Reference Pages'', indicating that their intention is not merely to dismiss or confirm misconceptions and rumors but to provide evidence for such debunkings and confirmation as well.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.snopes.com/info/faq.asp |title=Urban Legends Reference Pages: Frequently Asked Questions |website=Snopes |quote=How do I know the information you've presented is accurate? |access-date=June 9, 2006}}</ref> Where appropriate, pages are generally marked "undetermined" or "unverifiable" when there is not enough evidence to either support or disprove a given claim.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.snopes.com/crime/warnings/roundrock.asp |title=Urban Legends Reference Pages: Round Rock Gangs |date=July 21, 2011 |website=Snopes |access-date=May 3, 2009}}</ref> Mikkelson has stressed the ''reference'' portion of the name ''Urban Legends Reference Pages'', indicating that the intention is not merely to dismiss or confirm misconceptions and rumors but to provide evidence for such debunkings and confirmation as well.<ref name="5VQan" /> Where appropriate, pages are generally marked "undetermined" or "unverifiable" when there is not enough evidence to either support or disprove a given claim.<ref name="1vYfv" />


In an attempt to demonstrate the perils of over-reliance on the Internet as authority, ''Snopes'' assembled a series of fabricated urban folklore tales that it termed "The Repository of Lost Legends".<ref name="yiitx" /> The name was chosen for its acronym, T.R.O.L.L., a reference to the definition of the word '']'', meaning an internet ] intended to be deliberately provocative or incendiary.<ref name="Porter" />
==Lost legends==
In an attempt to demonstrate the perils of over-reliance on the internet as authority, Snopes assembled a series of fabricated urban folklore tales that it terms "The Repository of Lost Legends".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.snopes.com/lost/lost.htm |title=Urban Legends Reference Pages: Lost Legends |website=Snopes |access-date=June 9, 2006}}</ref> The name was chosen for its acronym, T.R.O.L.L., a reference to the early 1990s definition of the word '']'', meaning an Internet prank, of which David Mikkelson was a prominent practitioner.<ref name=Porter/>


In 2009, '']'' reviewed a sample of ''Snopes''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s responses to political rumors regarding ], ], and ], and found them to be free from bias in all cases.<ref name="FactCheck" /><ref name="gMMvx" /> In 2012, '']'' reported that '']''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s urban legends researcher found a "consistent effort to provide even-handed analyses" and that Snopes' cited sources and numerous reputable analyses of its content confirm its accuracy.<ref name="ZuMCn" />
==Accuracy==
], a ] who has written a number of books on urban legends and modern folklore, considered the site so comprehensive in 2004 that he decided not to launch one of his own to similarly discuss the accuracy or various legends and rumors.<ref name="Seipp"/>


Mikkelson has said that the site receives more complaints of liberal bias than conservative bias, but added that the same debunking standards are applied to all political urban legends.<ref name="FactCheck" />
In 2012, ] reviewed a sample of Snopes' responses to political rumors regarding ], ], and ], and found them to be free from bias in all cases.<ref name="FactCheck"/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.networkworld.com/article/2235277/data-center/fact-checking-the-fact-checkers--snopes-com-gets-an--a-.html |title=Fact-checking the fact-checkers: Snopes.com gets an 'A' |website=] |date=April 13, 2009}}</ref> In 2012, '']'' reported that ]'s urban legends researcher found a "consistent effort to provide even-handed analyses" and that Snopes' cited sources and numerous reputable analyses of its content confirm its accuracy.<ref>{{cite news |first=Carole |last=Fader |title=Fact Check: So who's checking the fact-finders? We are |url=http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2012-09-28/story/fact-check-so-whos-checking-fact-finders-we-are |work=] |date=September 28, 2012 |access-date=July 20, 2016}}</ref> Mikkelson has said that the site receives more complaints of liberal bias than conservative bias, but added that the same debunking standards are applied to all political urban legends.<ref name="FactCheck">{{cite web |url=http://www.factcheck.org/2009/04/snopescom/ |title=Ask FactCheck: Snopes.com |website=] |date=April 10, 2009 |access-date=November 4, 2011}}</ref>


== Funding == == Funding ==
Critics of the site have falsely asserted that it is funded by ] and ] ], or linked sites.<ref name="NYT"/> Snopes said in 2016 that its revenue was derived from advertising. In 2016, it also received an award of $75,000 from the ], an organization formed to debunk paranormal claims. In 2017, it raised approximately $700,000 from a crowd-sourced GoFundMe effort and received $100,000 from Facebook as a part of a fact-checking partnership.<ref>{{cite web |title=Disclosures |url=https://www.snopes.com/disclosures/ |website=Snopes.com |access-date=24 August 2018}}</ref> In 2016, ''Snopes'' said that the entirety of its revenue was derived from advertising.<ref name="NYT" /> In the same year it received an award of $75,000 from the ], an organization formed to debunk paranormal claims. In 2017, it raised approximately $700,000 from a crowd-sourced ''GoFundMe'' effort and received $100,000 from Facebook as a part of a fact-checking partnership.<ref name="Disclosures" /> ''Snopes'' also offers a premium membership that disables ads.<ref name="ud3Mt" />


On February 1, 2019, ''Snopes'' announced that it had ended its fact-checking partnership with Facebook. ''Snopes'' did not rule out the possibility of working with Facebook in the future but said it needed to "determine with certainty that our efforts to aid any particular platform are a net positive for our online community, publication and staff". ''Snopes'' added that the loss of revenue from the partnership meant the company would "have less money to invest in our publication—and we will need to adapt to make up for it".<ref name="U8ZOT" /><ref name="aIf9H" />
==Traffic and users==

As of December 2017, Snopes.com's web traffic rank in the world stood at 3,798 with approximately 72% originating from the U.S. with web traffic declining from previous months.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.similarweb.com/website/snopes.com|title=snopes.com Traffic Statistics|website=SimilarWeb|language=en|access-date=January 29, 2018}}</ref> {{as of|April 2017}}, Snopes.com's ] was 1,794. Approximately 80% of its visitors originate from within the ]. In 2017, the site attracted 20 million unique visitors in one month.<ref name="Stelter_Brian">{{cite news |last=Stelter |first=Brian |title=Debunkers of Fictions Sift the Net |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/05/technology/05snopes.html |access-date=March 19, 2013 |newspaper=] |date=April 4, 2010 |url-access=limited}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.quantcast.com/snopes.com?country=US|title=Snopes.com Audience Insights |website=Quantcast |url-access=registration <!-- Do we need this restricted-access citation? -->}}</ref>
''Snopes'' publishes a yearly summary detailing expenses and sources of income.<ref name="Disclosures" />


==See also== ==See also==
{{Portal|Internet}} {{Portal|Internet}}
* {{annotated link|TruthOrFiction.com}} * {{Annotated link|List of fact-checking websites}}
* {{annotated link|FactCheck.org}} ** {{Annotated link|FactCheck.org}}
* {{Annotated link|Hoax}}
* {{annotated link|The Straight Dope|''The Straight Dope''}}
* {{Annotated link|List of common misconceptions}}
* {{annotated link|The Skeptic's Dictionary|''The Skeptic's Dictionary''}}
* {{annotated link|MythBusters|''Mythbusters''}}
* {{annotated link|List of common misconceptions}}


== References == == References ==
{{reflist|30em}} {{reflist|refs=
<ref name="webby">{{cite web
| url = http://webbyawards.com/lists/how-the-truth-set-snopes-free
| website = ]
| title = How the Truth Set Snopes Free
| date = October 19, 2016
| access-date = December 10, 2018
| archive-date = December 17, 2016
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20161217025540/http://webbyawards.com/lists/how-the-truth-set-snopes-free/
| url-status = live
}}</ref>
<ref name="tri">{{Cite web
| url = https://twit.tv/shows/triangulation/episodes/343
| title = Triangulation 343 David Mikkelson, Snopes.com
| website = TWiT.tv
| language = en-US
| access-date = April 25, 2018
| archive-date = April 26, 2018
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180426075955/https://twit.tv/shows/triangulation/episodes/343
| url-status = live
}}</ref>
<ref name="nyt100405">{{cite news
| author = Stelter
| first = Brian
| author-link = Brian Stelter
| date = April 4, 2010
| title = Debunkers of Fictions Sift the Net
| work = The New York Times
| url = https://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/05/technology/05snopes.html
| url-status = live
| url-access = subscription
| access-date = April 5, 2010
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230422071500/https://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/05/technology/05snopes.html
| archive-date = April 22, 2023
}}</ref>
<ref name="Chron">{{cite news
| last = Bond
| first = Paul
| date = September 7, 2002
| title = Web site separates fact from urban legend
| work = ]
| url = http://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/article/Web-site-separates-fact-from-urban-legend-2800717.php
| access-date = July 17, 2012
| archive-date = August 5, 2018
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180805112819/https://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/article/Web-site-separates-fact-from-urban-legend-2800717.php
| url-status = live
}}</ref>
<ref name="Porter">{{cite book
| last = Porter
| first = David
| chapter-url = https://books.google.com/books?id=KQLaAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA48
| title = Internet Culture
| chapter = Usenet Communities and the Cultural Politics of Information
| publisher = ]
| year = 2013
| page = 48
| isbn = 978-1135209049
| access-date = September 13, 2016
| quote = The two most notorious trollers in AFU, ] and snopes, are also two of the most consistent posters of serious research.
| archive-date = July 16, 2023
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230716164036/https://books.google.com/books?id=KQLaAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA48
| url-status = live
}}</ref>
<ref name="Seipp">{{cite news
| first = Cathy
| last = Seipp
| author-link = Catherine Seipp
| work = ]
| title = Where Urban Legends Fall
| url = http://www.nationalreview.com/seipp/seipp200407210830.asp
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20040812075515/http://www.nationalreview.com/seipp/seipp200407210830.asp
| archive-date = August 12, 2004
| access-date = February 7, 2014
| date = July 21, 2004
}}</ref>
<ref name="CNS_Bruno">{{cite news
| last1 = Bruno
| first1 = Bianca
| title = Fact-Checker Snopes' Owners Accused of Corporate Subterfuge
| url = https://www.courthousenews.com/fact-checker-snopes-owners-accused-corporate-subterfuge/
| website = ]
| date = May 10, 2017
| access-date = June 20, 2018
| archive-date = June 21, 2018
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180621020544/https://www.courthousenews.com/fact-checker-snopes-owners-accused-corporate-subterfuge/
| url-status = live
}}</ref>
<ref name="nyt2019aug2">{{Cite news
| last = Chokshi
| first = Niraj
| date = August 3, 2019
| title = Satire or Deceit? Christian Humor Site Feuds With Snopes
| language = en-US
| work = ]
| url = https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/03/us/snopes-babylon-bee.html
| url-status = live
| access-date = August 16, 2019
| issn = 0362-4331
| archive-date = August 13, 2019
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190813030030/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/03/us/snopes-babylon-bee.html
}}</ref>
<ref name="buzzfeed">{{Cite web
| last = Broderick
| first = Ryan
| date = July 31, 2019
| title = A Christian Satire Site Says Fact-Checkers Are Helping De-Platform Conservatives
| url = https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/ryanhatesthis/a-christian-satire-site-is-pushing-a-conspiracy-that-fact
| url-status = live
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190813030036/https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/ryanhatesthis/a-christian-satire-site-is-pushing-a-conspiracy-that-fact
| archive-date = August 13, 2019
| access-date = August 16, 2019
| website = ]
| language = en
}}</ref>
<ref name="Ron Lyons, Jr.">{{cite news
| last1 = Lyons
| first1 = Ron Jr.
| date = August 13, 2021
| access-date = August 16, 2021
| title = The CEO of fact-checking site Snopes was caught plagiarizing dozens of articles
| language = en-AU
| work = Business Insider Australia
| url = https://www.businessinsider.com/ceo-of-snopes-plagiarized-dozens-of-articles-2021-8?r=US&IR=T
| archive-date = August 13, 2021
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210813205530/https://www.businessinsider.com.au/ceo-of-snopes-plagiarized-dozens-of-articles-2021-8?r=US&IR=T
| url-status = live
}}</ref>
<ref name="auto">{{Cite news
| last = Murphy
| first = Heather
| date = 2021-08-13
| title = Snopes Retracts 60 Articles Plagiarized by Co-Founder: 'Our Staff Are Gutted'
| language = en-US
| work = The New York Times
| url = https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/13/business/media/snopes-plagiarism-David-Mikkelson.html
| access-date = 2021-08-14
| issn = 0362-4331
| archive-date = August 14, 2021
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210814185659/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/13/business/media/snopes-plagiarism-David-Mikkelson.html
| url-status = live
}}</ref>
<ref name="yahoo">{{Cite news
| title = Snopes Co-Owners Acquire All Remaining Shares of the Company, Bringing Total Stake to 100%
| url = https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/snopes-co-owners-acquire-remaining-140000348.html
| access-date = 2022-09-23
| website = www.yahoo.com
| language = en-US
| archive-date = September 23, 2022
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220923232402/https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/snopes-co-owners-acquire-remaining-140000348.html
| url-status = live
}}</ref>
<ref name="FactCheck">{{cite web
| url = http://www.factcheck.org/2009/04/snopescom/
| title = Ask FactCheck: Snopes.com
| website = ]
| date = April 10, 2009
| access-date = November 4, 2011
| archive-date = January 4, 2022
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220104205504/https://www.factcheck.org/2009/04/snopescom/
| url-status = live
}}</ref>
<ref name="NYT">{{cite news
| last1 = Streitfeld
| first1 = David
| title = For Fact Checking Website Snopes, a Bigger Role Brings More Attacks
| url = https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/25/technology/for-fact-checking-website-snopes-a-bigger-role-brings-more-attacks.html?_r=0
| access-date = December 27, 2016
| work = The New York Times
| date = December 25, 2016
| url-access = limited
| archive-date = December 28, 2016
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20161228150636/http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/25/technology/for-fact-checking-website-snopes-a-bigger-role-brings-more-attacks.html?_r=0
| url-status = live
}}</ref>
<ref name="Disclosures">{{cite web
| title = Disclosures
| url = https://www.snopes.com/disclosures/
| website = Snopes.com
| access-date = March 3, 2021
| archive-date = October 31, 2021
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20211031102121/https://www.snopes.com/disclosures/
| url-status = live
}}</ref>
<ref name="bXXvq">{{cite news
| url = https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4819108
| title = Snopes.com: Debunking Myths in Cyberspace
| website = ]
| date = August 27, 2005
| access-date = August 27, 2005
| archive-date = September 11, 2005
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20050911101109/http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4819108
| url-status = live
}}</ref>
<ref name="NwKqn">{{cite web
| url = https://www.newspapers.com/image/77880145/
| first = Melissa
| last = Allison
| title = Companies Find Rumors Hard to Kill on Internet
| work = Herald and Review
| date = March 4, 2007
| access-date = June 9, 2018
| archive-date = June 12, 2018
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180612142922/https://www.newspapers.com/image/77880145/
| url-status = live
}} (image 3).</ref>
<ref name="zqpch">Same article: {{cite web
| url = https://www.newspapers.com/image/359621651
| title = Corporations Combat Insistent Urban Legends on Internet
| work = The Courier
| date = March 4, 2007
| access-date = June 9, 2018
| archive-date = June 12, 2018
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180612170002/http://www.newspapers.com/image/359621651/
| url-status = live
}} (image 7).</ref>
<ref name="2qSrZ">{{cite book
| last = Henry
| first = Neil
| title = American Carnival: Journalism Under Siege in an Age of New Media
| url = https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780520243422
| url-access = registration
| publisher = University of California Press
| year = 2007
| page =
| isbn = 978-0520243422
| quote = The most widely known resource for validating or debunking rumors, myths, hoaxes, and urban legends in popular American culture is the website run by Barbara and David P. Mikkelson at www.snopes.com... .
}}</ref>
<ref name="W4pKe">{{Cite web
| title = About Us
| url = https://www.snopes.com/about/
| access-date = 2023-06-03
| website = Snopes
| archive-date = June 3, 2023
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230603142507/https://www.snopes.com/about/
| url-status = live
}}</ref>
<ref name="U3B0T">{{Cite web
| last1 = Tattoli
| first1 = Chantel
| last2 = Jones
| first2 = Dean Sterling
| date = June 6, 2023
| title = Inside Snopes: the rise, fall, and rebirth of an internet icon
| url = https://www.fastcompany.com/90901113/inside-snopes-the-rise-fall-and-rebirth-of-an-internet-icon
| access-date = 3 June 2023
| website = ]
| archive-date = June 3, 2023
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230603094532/https://www.fastcompany.com/90901113/inside-snopes-the-rise-fall-and-rebirth-of-an-internet-icon
| url-status = live
}}</ref>
<ref name="UfNsE">{{Cite book
| last1 = Aspray
| first1 = William
| last2 = Cortada
| first2 = James W.
| title = From Urban Legends to Political Fact-Checking: Online Scrutiny in America, 1990-2015
| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=oeeoDwAAQBAJ&q=From+Urban+Legends+to+Political+Fact-Checking%3A+Online+Scrutiny+in+America
| access-date = 2023-06-03
| website = ]
| date = August 12, 2019
| publisher = ]
| page = 24
| language = en
| publication-place = Cham, Switzerland
| publication-date = 2019
| isbn = 978-3-030-22951-1
| archive-date = July 16, 2023
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230716164026/https://books.google.com/books?id=oeeoDwAAQBAJ&q=From+Urban+Legends+to+Political+Fact-Checking%3A+Online+Scrutiny+in+America
| url-status = live
}}</ref>
<ref name="SrJjD">{{cite web
| url = http://www.snopes.com/info/faq.asp#snopes
| title = Frequently Asked Questions
| quote = What are 'snopes'?
| website = Snopes
| access-date = June 9, 2006
| archive-date = October 31, 2021
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20211031124010/http://www.snopes.com/info/faq.asp#snopes
| url-status = live
}}</ref>
<ref name="ZYklr">{{cite news
| last = Stelter
| first = Brian
| title = Debunkers of Fictions Sift the Net
| url = https://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/05/technology/05snopes.html
| access-date = March 19, 2013
| newspaper = ]
| date = April 4, 2010
| url-access = limited
| archive-date = April 6, 2010
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100406221442/http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/05/technology/05snopes.html
| url-status = live
}}</ref>
<ref name="RXQhb">{{cite web
| url = https://www.quantcast.com/snopes.com?country=US
| title = Snopes.com Audience Insights
| website = Quantcast
| url-access = registration <!-- Do we need this restricted-access citation? -->
| access-date = January 19, 2018
| archive-date = October 13, 2017
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20171013174232/https://www.quantcast.com/snopes.com?country=US
| url-status = live
}}</ref>
<ref name="so2d3">{{cite news
| last1 = Madrigal
| first1 = Alexis C.
| title = Snopes Faces an Ugly Legal Battle
| url = https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2017/07/the-ugly-dispute-threatening-snopes/534708/
| work = ]
| date = July 24, 2017
| access-date = June 20, 2018
| archive-date = May 12, 2019
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190512043759/https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2017/07/the-ugly-dispute-threatening-snopes/534708/
| url-status = live
}}</ref>
<ref name="8XEZo">{{cite news
| last1 = Farhi
| first1 = Paul
| title = Is Snopes.com, the original Internet fact-checker, going out of business?
| url = https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/is-snopescom-the-original-internet-fact-checker-going-out-of-business/2017/07/24/8a03d196-708d-11e7-8839-ec48ec4cae25_story.html
| newspaper = The Washington Post
| date = July 24, 2017
| access-date = January 19, 2018
| archive-date = July 27, 2017
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170727164116/https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/is-snopescom-the-original-internet-fact-checker-going-out-of-business/2017/07/24/8a03d196-708d-11e7-8839-ec48ec4cae25_story.html
| url-status = live
}}</ref>
<ref name="fcs4Q">{{cite news
| last1 = Victor
| first1 = Daniel
| title = Snopes, in Heated Legal Battle, Asks Readers for Money to Survive
| url = https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/24/business/media/snopes-crowdfunding-proper-media.html
| work = The New York Times
| date = July 24, 2017
| url-access = limited
| access-date = January 19, 2018
| archive-date = July 25, 2017
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170725000615/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/24/business/media/snopes-crowdfunding-proper-media.html
| url-status = live
}}</ref>
<ref name="Hw4f0">{{cite web
| title = Snopes Meets $500K Crowdfunding Goal Amid Legal Battle
| url = https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-07-25/snopes-launches-online-fundraiser-amid-legal-battle
| website = ]
| date = July 25, 2017
| access-date = December 18, 2017
| agency = ]
| archive-date = December 22, 2017
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20171222104911/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-07-25/snopes-launches-online-fundraiser-amid-legal-battle
| url-status = live
}}</ref>
<ref name="4EDNC">{{cite magazine
| last1 = Dean
| first1 = Michelle
| title = Snopes and the Search for Facts in a Post-Fact World
| url = https://www.wired.com/story/snopes-and-the-search-for-facts-in-a-post-fact-world?
| date = September 20, 2017
| magazine = ]
| access-date = December 10, 2018
}}</ref>
<ref name="jgajb">{{cite web
| url = https://www.poynter.org/fact-checking/2018/snopes-fired-its-managing-editor-%C2%97-and-she-doesnt-know-why/
| title = Snopes fired its managing editor and she doesn't know why
| publisher = ]
| date = July 31, 2018
| accessdate = August 24, 2021
| archive-date = August 13, 2021
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210813211920/https://www.poynter.org/fact-checking/2018/snopes-fired-its-managing-editor-%C2%97-and-she-doesnt-know-why/
| url-status = live
}}</ref>
<ref name="xpUaQ">{{Cite web
| url = https://www.snopes.com/ontheissues-coming-soon/
| title = Snopes Acquires On The Issues
| website = Snopes
| access-date = April 13, 2019
}}{{dead link|date=May 2021}}</ref>
<ref name="TCJes">{{Cite web
| url = https://washingtonmonthly.com/2016/11/04/why-its-so-hard-to-find-out-where-the-candidates-stand/
| title = Why It's So Hard to Find Out Where the Candidates Stand
| last = Potash
| first = Eric
| date = November 4, 2016
| website = Washington Monthly
| access-date = April 4, 2019
| archive-date = April 13, 2019
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190413112948/https://washingtonmonthly.com/2016/11/04/why-its-so-hard-to-find-out-where-the-candidates-stand/
| url-status = live
}}</ref>
<ref name="FgmcC">{{Cite news|last=Wemple|first=Erik|date=March 5, 2018|title=Opinion {{!}} Facebook working on approach to classifying satirical news pieces|newspaper=]|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/erik-wemple/wp/2018/03/05/facebook-working-on-approach-to-classifying-satirical-news-pieces/|url-status=live|access-date=December 28, 2020|archive-date=July 31, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190731011826/https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/erik-wemple/wp/2018/03/05/facebook-working-on-approach-to-classifying-satirical-news-pieces/}}</ref>
<ref name="gsgc0">{{Cite web
| last =
| first =
| date = August 16, 2019
| title = Let's Make Fact-Checking Even Better
| url = https://www.snopes.com/make-fact-checking-better/
| url-status = live
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210615031155/https://www.snopes.com/2019/08/16/make-fact-checking-better/
| archive-date = June 15, 2021
| access-date = August 17, 2019
| website = Snopes
| language = en-US
}}</ref>
<ref name="LBCSi">{{cite web
| url = https://www.seattletimes.com/business/tacoma-based-snopes-debunker-of-fake-news-is-locked-in-a-nasty-legal-dispute/
| title = Tacoma-based Snopes, debunker of fake news, is locked in a nasty legal dispute
| publisher = ]
| date = June 4, 2019
| accessdate = August 27, 2021
| archive-date = August 27, 2021
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210827143253/https://www.seattletimes.com/business/tacoma-based-snopes-debunker-of-fake-news-is-locked-in-a-nasty-legal-dispute/
| url-status = live
}}</ref>
<ref name="Ys1hw">{{Cite web
| date = 2020-03-21
| title = Snopes on COVID-19 Fact-Checking
| url = https://www.snopes.com/2020/03/20/snopes-on-covid-19-fact-checking/
| access-date = 2022-01-15
| website = Snopes.com
| language = en-US
| archive-date = January 15, 2022
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220115185655/https://www.snopes.com/2020/03/20/snopes-on-covid-19-fact-checking/
| url-status = live
}}</ref>
<ref name="wmBAB">{{Cite web
| title = The Coronavirus Collection: Snopes Fact Checks About COVID-19
| url = https://www.snopes.com/collections/new-coronavirus-collection/
| access-date = 2022-01-15
| website = Snopes.com
| date = February 28, 2020
| language = en-US
| archive-date = January 15, 2022
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220115185655/https://www.snopes.com/collections/new-coronavirus-collection/
| url-status = live
}}</ref>
<ref name="HA5X5">{{cite news
| last1 = Lyons
| first1 = Kim
| date = August 13, 2021
| title = Go read this report about a Snopes editor who plagiarized other news sites
| language = en
| work = The Verge
| url = https://www.theverge.com/2021/8/13/22623442/buzzfeed-snopes-plagiarism-fact-check-report
| access-date = August 13, 2021
| archive-date = August 13, 2021
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210813203714/https://www.theverge.com/2021/8/13/22623442/buzzfeed-snopes-plagiarism-fact-check-report
| url-status = live
}}</ref>
<ref name="lfTgN">{{Cite web
| title = The Cofounder Of The Fact-Checking Site Snopes Was Writing Plagiarized Articles Under A Fake Name
| url = https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/deansterlingjones/snopes-cofounder-plagiarism-mikkelson
| access-date = 2021-08-14
| website = BuzzFeed News
| language = en
| archive-date = August 13, 2021
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210813175422/https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/deansterlingjones/snopes-cofounder-plagiarism-mikkelson
| url-status = live
}}</ref>
<ref name="N8AtM">{{cite news
| last1 = Jones
| first1 = Dean Sterling
| date = August 13, 2021
| title = The Cofounder Of The Fact-Checking Site Snopes Was Writing Plagiarized Articles Under A Fake Name
| language = en
| work = ]
| url = https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/deansterlingjones/snopes-cofounder-plagiarism-mikkelson
| access-date = August 13, 2021
| archive-date = August 13, 2021
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210813175422/https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/deansterlingjones/snopes-cofounder-plagiarism-mikkelson
| url-status = live
}}</ref>
<ref name="64jjH">{{cite news
| last = Nissen
| first = Beth
| url = http://www.cnn.com/2001/US/10/03/rec.false.rumors/index.html
| title = Hear the rumor? Nostradamus and other tall tales
| website = ]
| date = October 3, 2001
| access-date = June 7, 2009
| archive-date = August 25, 2004
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20040825220942/http://www.cnn.com/2001/US/10/03/rec.false.rumors/index.html
| url-status = live
}}</ref>
<ref name="wlXsT">{{cite news
| url = http://www.nbcnews.com/id/17798063/
| title = Urban Legends Banned-April Fools'!
| website = ]
| date = April 1, 2007
| access-date = June 7, 2009
| archive-date = October 13, 2013
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131013122153/http://www.nbcnews.com/id/17798063/
| url-status = dead
}}</ref>
<ref name="cTalM">{{cite web
| url = http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/muslim.asp
| title = Urban Legends Reference Pages: Who Is Barack Obama?
| date = August 24, 2008
| website = Snopes
| access-date = January 22, 2008
}}</ref>
<ref name="OUfpj">{{cite web
| last = Hochman
| first = David
| url = http://www.rd.com/your-america-inspiring-people-and-stories/rumor-detectives-true-story-or-online-hoax/article122216.html
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090318123647/http://www.rd.com/your-america-inspiring-people-and-stories/rumor-detectives-true-story-or-online-hoax/article122216.html
| archive-date = March 18, 2009
| date = March 2009
| website = ]
| title = Rumor Detectives: True Story or Online Hoax?
| access-date = March 29, 2016
| url-status = dead
}}</ref>
<ref name="YdEuC">{{cite news
| last = Lacitis
| first = Erik
| date = October 10, 2018
| title = Lies, lies and more lies. Out of an old Tacoma house, fact-checking site Snopes uncovers them
| url = https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/lies-lies-and-more-lies-out-of-an-old-tacoma-house-fact-checking-site-snopes-uncovers-them/
| work = ]
| access-date = November 6, 2018
| archive-date = November 6, 2018
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20181106132323/https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/lies-lies-and-more-lies-out-of-an-old-tacoma-house-fact-checking-site-snopes-uncovers-them/
| url-status = live
}}</ref>
<ref name="5VQan">{{cite web
| url = http://www.snopes.com/info/faq.asp
| title = Urban Legends Reference Pages: Frequently Asked Questions
| website = Snopes
| quote = How do I know the information you've presented is accurate?
| access-date = June 9, 2006
| archive-date = October 31, 2021
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20211031124010/http://www.snopes.com/info/faq.asp
| url-status = live
}}</ref>
<ref name="1vYfv">{{cite web
| url = http://www.snopes.com/crime/warnings/roundrock.asp
| title = Urban Legends Reference Pages: Round Rock Gangs
| date = July 21, 2011
| website = Snopes
| access-date = May 3, 2009
| archive-date = April 4, 2022
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220404005349/http://www.snopes.com/crime/warnings/roundrock.asp
| url-status = live
}}</ref>
<ref name="yiitx">{{cite web
| url = http://www.snopes.com/lost/lost.htm
| title = Urban Legends Reference Pages: Lost Legends
| website = Snopes
| access-date = June 9, 2006
}}</ref>
<ref name="gMMvx">{{cite web
| url = http://www.networkworld.com/article/2235277/data-center/fact-checking-the-fact-checkers--snopes-com-gets-an--a-.html
| title = Fact-checking the fact-checkers: Snopes.com gets an 'A'
| website = ]
| date = April 13, 2009
| url-status = dead
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140707092627/http://www.networkworld.com/article/2235277/data-center/fact-checking-the-fact-checkers--snopes-com-gets-an--a-.html
| archive-date = July 7, 2014
}}</ref>
<ref name="ZuMCn">{{cite news
| first = Carole
| last = Fader
| title = Fact Check: So who's checking the fact-finders? We are
| url = http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2012-09-28/story/fact-check-so-whos-checking-fact-finders-we-are
| work = ]
| date = September 28, 2012
| access-date = July 20, 2016
| archive-date = July 15, 2016
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160715173436/http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2012-09-28/story/fact-check-so-whos-checking-fact-finders-we-are
| url-status = live
}}</ref>
<ref name="ud3Mt">{{cite news
| last1 = Izadi
| first1 = Elahe
| date = 15 April 2020
| title = There are so many coronavirus myths that even Snopes can't keep up
| newspaper = The Washington Post
| url = https://www.washingtonpost.com/media/2020/04/15/coronavirus-misinformation-snopes/
| access-date = 3 May 2020
| archive-date = April 23, 2020
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200423062314/https://www.washingtonpost.com/media/2020/04/15/coronavirus-misinformation-snopes/
| url-status = live
}}</ref>
<ref name="U8ZOT">{{cite web
|last1 = Green
|first1 = Vinny
|last2 = Mikkelson
|first2 = David
|title = A Message to Our Community Regarding the Facebook Fact-Checking Partnership
|url = https://www.snopes.com/snopes-fb-partnership-ends/
|archive-url = https://archive.today/20190426162131/https://www.snopes.com/snopes-fb-partnership-ends/
|url-status = dead
|archive-date = April 26, 2019
|website = Snopes.com
|access-date = 2 February 2019
|date = 1 February 2019
}}</ref>
<ref name="aIf9H">{{cite web
| url = https://www.theverge.com/2019/2/1/18207285/snopes-facebook-fact-checking-program-exit
| title = Snopes says nope to Facebook's money and leaves fact-checking program
| publisher = ]
| date = February 1, 2019
| accessdate = February 22, 2021
| archive-date = February 24, 2021
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210224215207/https://www.theverge.com/2019/2/1/18207285/snopes-facebook-fact-checking-program-exit
| url-status = live
}}</ref>
}}


==External links== ==External links==
* {{Official website}} * {{Official website}}


{{Sovrn}}
{{Urban Legends}} {{Urban Legends}}
{{Disinformation}}


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Latest revision as of 06:19, 21 December 2024

Fact-checking website For the novels by William Faulkner, see Snopes trilogy.

Snopes.com
Snopes logo
A screenshot of Snopes home page in 2019
Type of siteReference pages
Owner
Created byBarbara Mikkelson
David P. Mikkelson
URLsnopes.com
CommercialYes
RegistrationRequired only on forums
Launched1994; 30 years ago (1994) (as Urban Legends Reference Pages)
Current statusActive

Snopes (/ˈsnoʊps/), formerly known as the Urban Legends Reference Pages, is a fact-checking website. It has been described as a "well-regarded reference for sorting out myths and rumors" on the Internet. The site has also been seen as a source for both validating and debunking urban legends and similar stories in American popular culture.

History

1990s

In 1994, David and Barbara Mikkelson created an urban folklore web site that would become Snopes.com. Snopes was an early online encyclopedia focused on urban legends, which mainly presented search results of user discussions based at first on their contributions to the Usenet newsgroup alt.folklore.urban (AFU) where they'd been active. The site grew to encompass a wide range of subjects and became a resource to which Internet users began submitting pictures and stories of questionable veracity. According to the Mikkelsons, Snopes predated the search engine concept of fact-checking via search results. David Mikkelson had originally adopted the username "Snopes" (the name of a family of often unpleasant people in the works of William Faulkner) in AFU.

2000s

In 2002, the site had become known well enough that a television pilot by writer-director Michael Levine called Snopes: Urban Legends was completed with American actor Jim Davidson as host. However, it did not air on major networks.

2010s

By 2010, the site was attracting seven million to eight million unique visitors in an average month. By mid-2014, Barbara had not written for Snopes "in several years" and David hired users from Snopes.com's message board to assist him in running the site. The Mikkelsons divorced around that time. Christopher Richmond and Drew Schoentrup became part owners in July 2016 with the purchase of Barbara Mikkelson's share by the internet media management company Proper Media.

On March 9, 2017, David Mikkelson terminated the brokering agreement with Proper Media, which was also the company that provided Snopes with web development, hosting, and advertising support. The move prompted Proper Media to stop remitting advertising revenue and to file a lawsuit in May. In late June, Bardav—the company founded by David and Barbara Mikkelson in 2003 to own and operate snopes.com—started a GoFundMe campaign to raise money to continue operations. They raised $500,000 in 24 hours. Later, in August, a judge ordered Proper Media to disburse advertising revenues to Bardav while the case was pending.

In July 2018, Snopes abruptly terminated its contract with Managing Editor Brooke Binkowski, with no explanation. By the time Snopes co-founder and CEO David Mikkelson confirmed the termination to her, the situation was still not clear.

In early 2019, Snopes announced that it had acquired the website OnTheIssues.org, and is "hard at work modernizing its extensive archives". OnTheIssues is a website that seeks to "present all the relevant evidence, assess how strongly each piece supports or opposes a position, and summarize it with an average" in order to "provide voters with reliable information on candidates' policy positions".

In 2018 and 2019, Snopes fact-checked several articles from The Babylon Bee, a satirical website, rating them "False". The decision resulted in Facebook adding warnings to links to those articles shared on its site. Snopes added a new rating called "Labeled Satire" to identify satirical stories.

In 2019, Snopes was embroiled in legal disputes with Proper Media, with a court case scheduled for spring 2020. By then Proper Media had become a co-owner of Bardav through acquiring Barbara Mikkelson's half-interest share, intending to take overall ownership of Snopes for its own "portfolio of media sites". The move failed as David Mikkelson had no intention to sell his share.

2020s

COVID-19 pandemic and misinformation

Main article: COVID-19 misinformation

As the COVID-19 pandemic started in 2020, many people tried to "educate themselves on the coronavirus" and find "any comfort, certainty, or hope for a cure ". Snopes has around 237 COVID-related fact-checking articles.

Plagiarism by co-founder David Mikkelson

On August 13, 2021, BuzzFeed News published an investigation by reporter Dean Sterling Jones that showed David Mikkelson had used plagiarized material from different news sources in 54 articles between 2015 and 2019 in an effort to increase website traffic. Mikkelson also published plagiarized material under a pseudonym, "Jeff Zarronandia". The BuzzFeed inquiry prompted Snopes to launch an internal review of Mikkelson's articles and to retract 60 of them the day the BuzzFeed story appeared. Mikkelson admitted to committing "multiple serious copyright violations" and apologized for "serious lapses in judgment." He was suspended from editorial duties during the investigation, but remains an officer and stakeholder in the company.

Change of ownership

On September 16, 2022, David Mikkelson stepped down as CEO and was succeeded by shareholder and board member Chris Richmond. Richmond and fellow shareholder Drew Schoentrup together acquired 100% of the company, ending the ownership dispute which began in 2017.

Main site

Snopes aims to debunk or confirm widely spread urban legends. The site has been referenced by news media and other sites, including CNN, MSNBC, Fortune, Forbes, and The New York Times. By March 2009, the site had more than six million visitors per month. David Mikkelson ran the website from his home in Tacoma, Washington.

Mikkelson has stressed the reference portion of the name Urban Legends Reference Pages, indicating that the intention is not merely to dismiss or confirm misconceptions and rumors but to provide evidence for such debunkings and confirmation as well. Where appropriate, pages are generally marked "undetermined" or "unverifiable" when there is not enough evidence to either support or disprove a given claim.

In an attempt to demonstrate the perils of over-reliance on the Internet as authority, Snopes assembled a series of fabricated urban folklore tales that it termed "The Repository of Lost Legends". The name was chosen for its acronym, T.R.O.L.L., a reference to the definition of the word troll, meaning an internet persona intended to be deliberately provocative or incendiary.

In 2009, FactCheck.org reviewed a sample of Snopes's responses to political rumors regarding George W. Bush, Sarah Palin, and Barack Obama, and found them to be free from bias in all cases. In 2012, The Florida Times-Union reported that About.com's urban legends researcher found a "consistent effort to provide even-handed analyses" and that Snopes' cited sources and numerous reputable analyses of its content confirm its accuracy.

Mikkelson has said that the site receives more complaints of liberal bias than conservative bias, but added that the same debunking standards are applied to all political urban legends.

Funding

In 2016, Snopes said that the entirety of its revenue was derived from advertising. In the same year it received an award of $75,000 from the James Randi Educational Foundation, an organization formed to debunk paranormal claims. In 2017, it raised approximately $700,000 from a crowd-sourced GoFundMe effort and received $100,000 from Facebook as a part of a fact-checking partnership. Snopes also offers a premium membership that disables ads.

On February 1, 2019, Snopes announced that it had ended its fact-checking partnership with Facebook. Snopes did not rule out the possibility of working with Facebook in the future but said it needed to "determine with certainty that our efforts to aid any particular platform are a net positive for our online community, publication and staff". Snopes added that the loss of revenue from the partnership meant the company would "have less money to invest in our publication—and we will need to adapt to make up for it".

Snopes publishes a yearly summary detailing expenses and sources of income.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Snopes Co-Owners Acquire All Remaining Shares of the Company, Bringing Total Stake to 100%". www.yahoo.com. Archived from the original on September 23, 2022. Retrieved September 23, 2022.
  2. ^ "Disclosures". Snopes.com. Archived from the original on October 31, 2021. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
  3. ^ "How the Truth Set Snopes Free". Webby Awards. October 19, 2016. Archived from the original on December 17, 2016. Retrieved December 10, 2018.
  4. "Snopes.com: Debunking Myths in Cyberspace". NPR. August 27, 2005. Archived from the original on September 11, 2005. Retrieved August 27, 2005.
  5. Allison, Melissa (March 4, 2007). "Companies Find Rumors Hard to Kill on Internet". Herald and Review. Archived from the original on June 12, 2018. Retrieved June 9, 2018. (image 3).
  6. Same article: "Corporations Combat Insistent Urban Legends on Internet". The Courier. March 4, 2007. Archived from the original on June 12, 2018. Retrieved June 9, 2018. (image 7).
  7. Henry, Neil (2007). American Carnival: Journalism Under Siege in an Age of New Media. University of California Press. p. 285. ISBN 978-0520243422. The most widely known resource for validating or debunking rumors, myths, hoaxes, and urban legends in popular American culture is the website run by Barbara and David P. Mikkelson at www.snopes.com... .
  8. "Triangulation 343 David Mikkelson, Snopes.com". TWiT.tv. Archived from the original on April 26, 2018. Retrieved April 25, 2018.
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  11. Aspray, William; Cortada, James W. (August 12, 2019). From Urban Legends to Political Fact-Checking: Online Scrutiny in America, 1990-2015. Cham, Switzerland: Springer Nature (published 2019). p. 24. ISBN 978-3-030-22951-1. Archived from the original on July 16, 2023. Retrieved June 3, 2023. {{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help)
  12. Stelter, Brian (April 4, 2010). "Debunkers of Fictions Sift the Net". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 22, 2023. Retrieved April 5, 2010.
  13. "Frequently Asked Questions". Snopes. Archived from the original on October 31, 2021. Retrieved June 9, 2006. What are 'snopes'?
  14. ^ Bond, Paul (September 7, 2002). "Web site separates fact from urban legend". SFGATE. Archived from the original on August 5, 2018. Retrieved July 17, 2012.
  15. ^ Porter, David (2013). "Usenet Communities and the Cultural Politics of Information". Internet Culture. Routledge. p. 48. ISBN 978-1135209049. Archived from the original on July 16, 2023. Retrieved September 13, 2016. The two most notorious trollers in AFU, Ted Frank and snopes, are also two of the most consistent posters of serious research.
  16. Seipp, Cathy (July 21, 2004). "Where Urban Legends Fall". National Review. Archived from the original on August 12, 2004. Retrieved February 7, 2014.
  17. Stelter, Brian (April 4, 2010). "Debunkers of Fictions Sift the Net". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 6, 2010. Retrieved March 19, 2013.
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  20. Bruno, Bianca (May 10, 2017). "Fact-Checker Snopes' Owners Accused of Corporate Subterfuge". Courthouse News. Archived from the original on June 21, 2018. Retrieved June 20, 2018.
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  53. Green, Vinny; Mikkelson, David (February 1, 2019). "A Message to Our Community Regarding the Facebook Fact-Checking Partnership". Snopes.com. Archived from the original on April 26, 2019. Retrieved February 2, 2019.
  54. "Snopes says nope to Facebook's money and leaves fact-checking program". The Verge. February 1, 2019. Archived from the original on February 24, 2021. Retrieved February 22, 2021.

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