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Is Snopes polically biased?

SonOfLaertes

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SonOfLaertes
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Nov 18, 2005
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In a past life, I worked in Network Administration for my current employer. As E-mail was within my realm of responsibilities, I quickly developed a boiling hatred of chain mail, and all those who forward chain-mail for fun and "profit".

Snopes.com was my go-to source to try and debunk most chain mails. At the time (some years ago) I did some research and determined that Snopes was, in general, reliable and a-political. I used Snopes as a way to try to get my chain-mail sending friends to think before they click.

I was forwarded an e-mail today from one of my (very conservative) friends. He was crowing about the content, which painted Snopes in a very unfavorable light (biased to liberal opinions). Many of you have probably already received this e-mail.

I need some help here. Is Snopes biased? All the research I have done seems to indicate that they do the best they can, and while not infallible, they are a good starting place to begin a fact-finding search.

Opinions? What I am looking for in particular is statements or opinions on Snopes from reliable, well-known Conservatives. I have found many sites giving Snopes good grades but none of them are undeniably "right"-leaning.
 
Praktik said:
What does Snopes say about the anti-snopes forward?
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I don't believe they have responded to it yet; at least a Snopes search of some key phrases from the e-mail such as "Snopes--Eye Opener" didn't turn up any hits. I've concentrated on trying to find opinion from other sites, however.
 
If by "is Snopes liberally biased because they reveal the facts not convenient ideological spin" then, yes, it is liberally biased.
 
[cobert]
I think the real issue is that reality has a liberal bias
[/cobert]
 
Factcheck.org has basically debunked the e-mail but I don't think their opinion would be convincing to the doubters -

http://www .factcheck.org/2009/04/snopescom/
 
You could point out that Snopes doesn't have to be accepted on authority. The page debunking each legend gives the logic behind the debunking, the evidence supporting the debunking and sources for the evidence.

There are however people that don't respond to evidence and logic. Some dogmatic conservatives and liberals are simply authoritarian followers. Truth is defined as whatever their leaders say is true, even if it doesn't make sense.
 
As has been stated already, the non-partisan folks at FactCheck.org have already thoroughly debunked the email alleging liberal bias from Snopes. Of course, to someone who lives down the rabbit-hole of extreme rightwing ideology, this will mean nothing except that perhaps FactCheck.org is also part of said liberal conspiracy :rolleyes:
 
MattusMaximus said:
As has been stated already, the non-partisan folks at FactCheck.org have already thoroughly debunked the email alleging liberal bias from Snopes. Of course, to someone who lives down the rabbit-hole of extreme rightwing ideology, this will mean nothing except that perhaps FactCheck.org is also part of said liberal conspiracy :rolleyes:
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Exactly. That is why I'm searching for statements from somebody/some organization that the wing-nuts would have a hard time dismissing.

I'm hoping somebody remembers a source that would fit the bill.
 
I'd thought it was common knowledge the Barbara Snopes is liberal. Something like contributions to the democratic party, plus a bit of a slant to just a few articles. Things like participant numbers in one of the marches in D.C. ? Seems I remember some hoo-hoo a couple years back.

But most of their articles deal with historical facts. Not much room for political bias.

But every time I visit, I get a pop-under. So I keep my visits to the minimum.
 
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factcheck.org found no contributions to either party.

the husband was a registered republican in 2000
 
I haven't seen any "liberal bias" there. The Snopes article "Hanoi'd with Jane" is pretty harsh - one of the more overtly damning pieces I can recall having read there (scare quotes surrounding the words "apologized" and "apology", for example). That's the only biased Snopes article I know of. That article ticked off a couple of my more liberal friends, who then claimed Snopes had a conservative bias...
 
SonOfLaertes said:
<snip>

Opinions? What I am looking for in particular is statements or opinions on Snopes from reliable, well-known Conservatives. I have found many sites giving Snopes good grades but none of them are undeniably "right"-leaning.
Click to expand...

I consider myself to be undeniably right-leaning, and I love Snopes. I've been visiting their site for years and have never noticed any kind of liberal bias. I know you're looking for the opinion of well-known conservatives. Sorry, I'm working on it. ;)

I'm actually very famous; but not very many people know it yet.*

*not plagiarizing, just can't remember where I heard that line.
 
casebro said:
I'd thought it was common knowledge the Barbara Snopes is liberal. Something like contributions to the democratic party, plus a bit of a slant to just a few articles. Things like participant numbers in one of the marches in D.C. ? Seems I remember some hoo-hoo a couple years back.

But most of their articles deal with historical facts. Not much room for political bias.

But every time I visit, I get a pop-under. So I keep my visits to the minimum.
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Actually, a lot of their articles debunk widely circulated e-mails, many of which are political in nature. Debunking chain mail is, for me, Snopes' most valuable asset, and I would hate to lose this resource, politics aside.

Mikkelson may be a Democrat, but her husband was a Republican until 2000, at which point he became an independent, which sounds suspiciously like my own recent history.
 
Snopes has always come across as apolitical to me. I think the fact that Snopes has been shooting down the "ACLU to outlaw religion" and "Obama is evil" e-mails has some people ticked off and has created this attempted smear campaign.
 
I think I've seen an article or two there that may have been slightly biased towards the left (such as something directed against a liberal or Democrat being marked "False", when, after reading the evidence, I would put squarely in the "Undetermined" category). I'll see if I can find an example. But overall, I'd say Snopes is unbiased, useful, and often entertaining.
 
GStan said:
I consider myself to be undeniably right-leaning, and I love Snopes. I've been visiting their site for years and have never noticed any kind of liberal bias. I know you're looking for the opinion of well-known conservatives. Sorry, I'm working on it. ;)

I'm actually very famous; but not very many people know it yet.*

*not plagiarizing, just can't remember where I heard that line.
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Thanks for your help and opinoion, famous or not.
 
Barbara Mikkelson is a Canadian citizen and cannot register as a voter for either party in the U.S., nor can she contribute money to either party or campaigns.
 
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