Author Topic: Snopes.com is a Scam  (Read 5100 times)

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Offline CactusCarlos

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Snopes.com is a Scam
« on: February 11, 2013, 09:26:39 AM »
Quote
For the past few years www.snopes.com has positioned itself, or  others have  labeled it, as the 'tell all final word' on any comment, claim and email.   But for several years people tried to find out who exactly was behind  snopes.com.  Only recently  did Wikipedia get to the bottom of it - kinda  makes you wonder what they were hiding.  Well, finally we know. It  is run  by a husband and wife team - that's right, no big office of investigators  and researchers, no team of lawyers.  It's just a mom-and-pop  operation  that  began as a hobby.
 
David and Barbara Mikkelson in the San Fernando Valley of California started  the Website about 13 years ago - and they have no formal background  or  experience in investigative research.  After a few years it gained  popularity believing it to be unbiased and neutral, but over the  past couple  of years people started asking questions who was behind it and did  they have  a selfish motivation?  The reason for the questions - or skepticims  - is a  result of snopes.com claiming to have the bottom line facts to  certain  questions or issue when in fact they have been proven wrong.  Also,  there  were criticisms the Mikkelsons were not  really investigating and getting to  the 'true' bottom of various issues.  I can personally vouch for  that  complaint.  
 
A few months ago, when my State Farm agent Bud Gregg in Mandeville hoisted a  political sign referencing Barack Obama and made a big splash across  the  internet, 'supposedly' the Mikkelson's claim to have researched  this issue  before posting their findings on snopes.com.  In their statement  they  claimed the corporate office of State Farm pressured Gregg into  taking down  the sign, when in fact nothing of the sort 'ever' took place.


The rest:  http://www.fourwinds10.net/siterun_data/media/internet/news.php?q=1227232155
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Offline 17 Oaks

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Re: Snopes.com is a Scam
« Reply #1 on: February 11, 2013, 09:34:52 AM »
I write quite a bit and I write for a couple of newspapers.  I follow 3 rules:  1) Accurate, 2) Timely, 3) Relevant.

I am try to live by Reagan's old axe:  'trust but verify"

I use snopes often, but if you want to be a good writer and I pride myself, you check and cross check and check again before you call it a fact.  Snopes is often very wishy-washy, too many times the answer is well kinda, sorta, more or less true/false.

Snopes is worth a look, trust, BUT verify if you do not you will get burned by snopes
Don
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Offline CG6468

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Re: Snopes.com is a Scam
« Reply #2 on: February 11, 2013, 10:06:37 AM »
What's anyone's opinion of Truth or Fiction.com
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Offline 17 Oaks

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Re: Snopes.com is a Scam
« Reply #3 on: February 11, 2013, 10:10:31 AM »
From my vantage point and experience:  trust but verify, do that and you will not go wrong....
Don
Got here thru God, Guns and Guts, I speak John Wayne, Johnny Cash and John Deere; this make ME: Christian, Conservative, Capitalist, Constitutionalist...any questions?

Offline DumbAss Tanker

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Re: Snopes.com is a Scam
« Reply #4 on: February 11, 2013, 11:44:41 AM »
Jeeze, not this again.

The "Big secret' that took that writer weeks to track down is something most people could've dug up in 15 minutes on Google.  A lot of people have a boner for Snopes because they're fairly clear that they don't think buy into Creationism, so there has been a big effort from that end of the ideological spectrum to paint them as some kind of ueber-conspiracy tool to manipulate fragile internet minds.  Some people need to grow up and realize that you can't trust anything you find on the internet with unquestioning innocence.  Personally, I've found them to be more accurate than the vast majority of the crap out there, but not unerring by any means...like Wiki, a useful tool for getting a big picture and an idea for further directions to take in researching an issue.
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Offline 17 Oaks

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Re: Snopes.com is a Scam
« Reply #5 on: February 11, 2013, 11:49:04 AM »
Jeeze, not this again.

The "Big secret' that took that writer weeks to track down is something most people could've dug up in 15 minutes on Google.  A lot of people have a boner for Snopes because they're fairly clear that they don't think buy into Creationism, so there has been a big effort from that end of the ideological spectrum to paint them as some kind of ueber-conspiracy tool to manipulate fragile internet minds.  Some people need to grow up and realize that you can't trust anything you find on the internet with unquestioning innocence.  Personally, I've found them to be more accurate than the vast majority of the crap out there, but not unerring by any means...like Wiki, a useful tool for getting a big picture and an idea for further directions to take in researching an issue.
Wiki, the big drawback is that ANYONE can create a Wiki page for anything.  In fact I have personally put some up for clients, if you want to put up one, its easy....TIP on wiki:  the real gold in the hills is at the bottom of the page where they have links to REFS if any, if not be dubious at best.  If they have links follow them...
Don
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Offline DumbAss Tanker

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Re: Snopes.com is a Scam
« Reply #6 on: February 11, 2013, 11:57:55 AM »
Yeah, Oaks, exactly.  In fact the Refs will also tell you two things without even going to them - (1) if there aren't any, there's a 1% chance that the page was written by a true expert and a 99% chance it's pure bullshit; (2) if all or almost all of them are from a particular philosophical/political/theological school of thought, you are probably looking at a fairly-well-researched version of exactly ONE side of a much-more-complicated subject.
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Offline JohnnyReb

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Re: Snopes.com is a Scam
« Reply #7 on: February 11, 2013, 12:01:18 PM »
Well, while you're at it, tell me if this one is fact.....Marines in inauguration parade were marching with disabled rifles.

http://www.examiner.com/article/disabled-marine-rifles-at-inauguration-signal-shift-administration-policy?CID=examiner_alerts_article
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Offline NHSparky

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Re: Snopes.com is a Scam
« Reply #8 on: February 11, 2013, 12:03:23 PM »
Well, while you're at it, tell me if this one is fact.....Marines in inauguration parade were marching with disabled rifles.

http://www.examiner.com/article/disabled-marine-rifles-at-inauguration-signal-shift-administration-policy?CID=examiner_alerts_article

They were.  However, this is also nothing new.  Has happened going back at least to the Carter administration.
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Offline 17 Oaks

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Re: Snopes.com is a Scam
« Reply #9 on: February 11, 2013, 12:15:12 PM »
Well, while you're at it, tell me if this one is fact.....Marines in inauguration parade were marching with disabled rifles.

http://www.examiner.com/article/disabled-marine-rifles-at-inauguration-signal-shift-administration-policy?CID=examiner_alerts_article
Complex answer:
1)  According to the DHS report and the just released by West Point US military academy soldiers among others are prone to EXTREME RIGHT WING TERRORIST ACTS

2)  Those appear to be M 14's and many of them are ONLY used for Parade duty and are rendered in op, this is not rare and has been the case for many years.

3)  Finally, yes Obammy is not popular with ANYONE in the US that supports our Constitution, works for a living and is a maker not a taker so maybe they were removed just for this parade
Don
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Offline docstew

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Re: Snopes.com is a Scam
« Reply #10 on: February 13, 2013, 06:40:29 AM »
Complex answer:
1)  According to the DHS report and the just released by West Point US military academy soldiers among others are prone to EXTREME RIGHT WING TERRORIST ACTS

2)  Those appear to be M 14's and many of them are ONLY used for Parade duty and are rendered in op, this is not rare and has been the case for many years.

3)  Finally, yes Obammy is not popular with ANYONE in the US that supports our Constitution, works for a living and is a maker not a taker so maybe they were removed just for this parade

To reiterate:

They were.  However, this is also nothing new.  Has happened going back at least to the Carter administration.

Happened at an event that I participated in in 2008. GWB came to Ft Bragg for the 82d Division Review. All the troops standing on the field had bolts removed from rifles and springs and followers pulled from magazines.

Offline Ptarmigan

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Re: Snopes.com is a Scam
« Reply #11 on: March 05, 2013, 07:37:20 PM »
The only thing Snopes is good for is non-political urban legends.
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Offline Maxiest

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Re: Snopes.com is a Scam
« Reply #12 on: March 06, 2013, 12:08:56 AM »
It can actually be good at times.  You just have to verify the info.

I have used it to check those Bush, Obama, and Romney emails and Facebook post we see all the time, and it's accurate as any side research I did.

But that is just my 2 cents.
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Offline Tess Anderson

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Re: Snopes.com is a Scam
« Reply #13 on: March 12, 2013, 02:21:20 PM »
isn't this the group one of the many that have been directly linked to George Soros? Used to be even conservatives would cite snopes as a authorative source, but I rarely see that any more.


The only thing Snopes is good for is non-political urban legends.

Yes, and even worse, they ripped off the urban legends from that Utah professor's book.

Offline CactusCarlos

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Re: Snopes.com is a Scam
« Reply #14 on: March 12, 2013, 07:56:33 PM »
It can actually be good at times.  You just have to verify the info.

I agree.  To their credit, they mostly post sources to their info. 
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Offline Chris_

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Re: Snopes.com is a Scam
« Reply #15 on: March 12, 2013, 07:57:39 PM »
I agree.  To their credit, they mostly post sources to their info. 
So does Wikipedia.  :p
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Offline Maxiest

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Re: Snopes.com is a Scam
« Reply #16 on: March 13, 2013, 03:04:58 PM »
So does Wikipedia.  :p

Any studies have shown Wikipedia to be more accurate than printed books like US World Book and Britannica because of the on the fly editing that can be done.  Once a book is printed, you can't change it.

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Offline zeitgeist

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Re: Snopes.com is a Scam
« Reply #17 on: March 15, 2013, 03:00:38 PM »
Any studies have shown Wikipedia to be more accurate than printed books like US World Book and Britannica because of the on the fly editing that can be done.  Once a book is printed, you can't change it.



Until the next printing.  I remember once buying a set of old encyclopedia from the thirties.  Man has history changed, or at least the reporting of it.  It is one of the things I worry most about with the current reliance on the internet and cloud for information.  It can be changed or removed at a moments notice.  How would you ever know?  The Way Back Machine?   It may just sound like paranoia but sometimes folks really are out to get ya. :lol:
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Offline J P Sousa

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Re: Snopes.com is a Scam
« Reply #18 on: March 15, 2013, 03:15:05 PM »
Back during the 2010 election I was arguing with a liberal about FACTS regarding candidates. He would bring up a posting on Wiki and each time we went back to the posting it kept changing.

I think his mind was blown.   :lmao:
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Offline Dori

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Re: Snopes.com is a Scam
« Reply #19 on: March 15, 2013, 03:38:03 PM »
Back during the 2010 election I was arguing with a liberal about FACTS regarding candidates. He would bring up a posting on Wiki and each time we went back to the posting it kept changing.

I think his mind was blown.   :lmao:

I have watched Wiki wars before.   :-)

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Offline CG6468

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Re: Snopes.com is a Scam
« Reply #20 on: March 15, 2013, 03:48:51 PM »
Until the next printing.  I remember once buying a set of old encyclopedia from the thirties.  Man has history changed, or at least the reporting of it.  It is one of the things I worry most about with the current reliance on the internet and cloud for information.  It can be changed or removed at a moments notice.  How would you ever know?  The Way Back Machine?   It may just sound like paranoia but sometimes folks really are out to get ya. :lol:

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Offline Maxiest

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Re: Snopes.com is a Scam
« Reply #21 on: March 15, 2013, 08:19:20 PM »
I have watched Wiki wars before.   :-)

Is there any connection between Wikipedia and Wikileaks?   

No.
"The society that puts equality before freedom will end up with neither; the society that puts freedom before equality will end up with a great measure of both."

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Offline DefiantSix

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Re: Snopes.com is a Scam
« Reply #22 on: March 16, 2013, 01:10:40 AM »
...I think his mind was blown.   :lmao:

If he's an average leftist, that wouldn't take much.
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Offline Gratiot

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Re: Snopes.com is a Scam
« Reply #23 on: March 21, 2013, 12:06:44 AM »
Jeeze, not this again.

The "Big secret' that took that writer weeks to track down is something most people could've dug up in 15 minutes on Google.  A lot of people have a boner for Snopes because they're fairly clear that they don't think buy into Creationism, so there has been a big effort from that end of the ideological spectrum to paint them as some kind of ueber-conspiracy tool to manipulate fragile internet minds.  Some people need to grow up and realize that you can't trust anything you find on the internet with unquestioning innocence.  Personally, I've found them to be more accurate than the vast majority of the crap out there, but not unerring by any means...like Wiki, a useful tool for getting a big picture and an idea for further directions to take in researching an issue.

 :cheersmate:

It's more than a bit befuddling that this epic illuminati "secret" has been held for so long.... Oh, wait... everyone's who even asked or spent 20 seconds Googling has know from the beginning.  The couple post, or used to, on their own forum.  They were also quite open and transparent about their research about everything.  Hell, much of the "research" is a collaborative work of forum members there.

It was pretty humorous at times, back in the early 2000's or so when many of the fundamentalist creationist sites were trying to imply that Snopes was a freemason and devil worshipping site.  Sigh, old memories of the good ol' days of the internet.

I really 'heart' how that writer mentions the much more credible source of Wiki, as being an investigator as well... Sigh, I think they failed da interweb...