Snopes.com? Do you think they're reliable?
By debrakcarey
@debrakcarey (19887)
United States
July 21, 2009 12:56pm CST
Here is the link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snopes.com
Snopes.com is run by a husband and wife David and Barbara Mikkleson, who have no formal background in investigation. They began the site as a hobby 13 years ago and up until recently were the final word on internet rumors and urban legends.
I received a foward in my email containing the testimony of someone (wasn't able to track down the originator) that claimed Snopes lied on their website about contacting the State Farm Headquarters to verify that they pressured their agent Bud Gregg to take down the political sign in his yard.(made famous on the Internet) I cannot copy and paste the email..but it did make a point about the reliability of snopes.com. The originator of the email claims no one from snopes contacted either Bud Gregg or State Farm Ins. Headquarters to find out if he was forced by State Farm to remove his anti Obama sign, yet claimed they did on the web site. Now, after the BIRTH CERTIFICATE switch on Snopes and UPI, What do YOU think about snopes.com? Is it realiable or not?
1 person likes this
2 responses
@Destiny007 (5805)
• United States
22 Jul 09
I do not consider them... or any other single information source.... to be reliable.
Everyone has an agenda and an ideology, and care must be taken in order to ensure that accurate information is found.
These days that is becoming increasingly harder to do.
1 person likes this
@debrakcarey (19887)
• United States
23 Jul 09
Snopes apparently lied about investigating the State Farm agent who was supposedly made to take down his anti Obama sign. NO one at State Farm was contacted concerning this issue, and the agent never even was contacted either. Both the company and the agent deny that State Farm made him take down the sign. The accusation that Snopes is biased, due to the switch of 'the birth certificate' issue on their site remains as well. Where people once trusted them as the final say...now they are wondering if in matters of the political...they can be trusted? Neither one of the owners of the site are trained in investigation and began the site as a hobby debunking urban legends. In fact the email I received stated they started an urban legend themselves just to 'debunk' it on the newly created website. I did not investigate this myself...to verify it's truthfulness, but am relating it to you.
@dawnald (85146)
• Shingle Springs, California
22 Jul 09
I think it is reliable for certain types of things, specifically internet hoaxes. But this isn't the first time I have heard of something on Snopes being questionable. They're only as good as their sources and their research.
@debrakcarey (19887)
• United States
23 Jul 09
IN all things undertaken by humans it is always best to be a little sceptical. Especially when it is just two 'regular' people like you or I with no training or specific resources other than what you or I could do for ourselves. I asked Fran once on the other site....when she asked me if I checked with snopes...'who made them the experts?' That was before all this...and I was just being my 'sceptical' self. lol
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