"I have recently discovered that Snopes.com is owned by a flaming liberal and this man is in the tank for Obama," rants the latest politically-charged email to make the rounds.
"Many people still think Snopes.com is neutral and they can be trusted as factual," it continues. "We need to make sure everyone is aware that that is a hoax in itself." The message goes on to recommend rival fact-checking site Truth or Fiction as "the better source for verification."
Interestingly enough, TruthorFiction.com condemns the attack while lauding Snopes.com as an "excellent" and "authoritative" information source.
Methinks the anonymous emailer doth protest too much. Read the details...
Comments
Thanks for exposing the latest desperate attempt by right wing
supporters to eliminate truth in politics. I have received about 50 (forwarded) emails attacking “liberals” and of course Senator Obama since January – ALL have proven to be lies, distortions or “urban legends.” I use snopes.com, FactCheck.org most frequently but sometimes also use Google when enough specifics are known.
My question to Republican-faithful friends all year has been: If the Republicans have the greatest ideology and the best interest of Americans at heart: WHY do all of their statements contain lies and distortions (when examined). I’m sure they’ll buy into the attack on snopes because they clearly are groping for reasons to “explain it all away.”
Once again, an excellent article! Thank you for the information.
Neither the “right” nor the “left” has a corner on truth, slander or poor judgment.
Obviously no political party has a monopoly on indiscretion and libel. Today, a politician’s “character” is determined (or strategically altered) by poll, not actual integrity and conviction, I’m afraid.
Check it out yourself… Quit accepting everything you hear as truth..
http://www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/s/snopes.htm
WHY do all of their statements contain lies and distortions (when examined).
Firstly, Not ALL statements are thus however,
there are some very dumb ppl in this world. I hate to say it, I have friends who forward this kind of garbage with a look,look the sky is falling shout, but NEVER not EVER do any research themselves. No, they get junk mail and immediately forward thus making fools of themselves. In the example of Snopes, in the latest hoax email, the writer even says to go to TruthorFiction. Did the ppl (2) who sent it to me go there and check it out? Dah. Of course they didn’t. Will they now? Probably not. Morons. And I am not a Democrat. But I also hope I’m not that stupid and easily led.
The latest versions are now quoting two articles as examples:
Please compare these two entries
http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/ayers.asp
http://www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/o/obama-ayers.htm
Here’s another comparison of Snopes vrs. Truthorfiction’s treatment of the
email that has gone out regarding ‘Obama’s 50 lies’. Notice that Snopes
often adds editorial comments favoring Obama on unproven statements, or even
on proven ones where they say he is ‘taken out of context’.
http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/50lies.asp
You know, I just don’t know why conservative politics is being overrun by paranoid religious zealots and bigots. Maybe I should have been born during the Lincoln Republican era. I’m so sick of the ridiculous slander of Obama. I don’t like Obama’s politics particularly well, but I’m voting for him. I think he’s been exceptionally clean in his campaign though he has more than enough to bring up on McCain. I’ve received these ignorant emails many times that actually imply that Obama is LITERALLY THE ANTI-CHRIST. People are *literally* going to vote against Obama because they think he’s an evil religious figure of ancient prophecy fame. Wow. In 2008, in the United States of America, people are thinking this way. We’ve been to the Moon, guys. We have X-ray machines and planes and antibiotics and we’re still as superstitious as any third world country. And, not that Snopes is infallible but these emails are about all McCain supporters have anymore. Sadly, they might work.
The sad part is that these rumors have to be debunked in the first place. I saw a lot of video footage, and read a good deal of articles that literally scared the c*** out of me. How can people believe some of the garbage being spewed out by politically-funded “robocalls” – I guess they just want to believe, and that is truly pathetic.
Snopes is prone to a bit of gratuitous lefty pontification in the course of its explanations, which it’s no great burden to skip over. I’ve never known it to promote or ignore any outright falsehoods, whatever the political context.
When it comes to topics like the extent and significance of the Obama/Ayers relationship, I’d say it’s a mistake to think that one can treat it as a simple factual dispute and have any debunking website “settle” the matter — Do a little digging, visit several sources, and arrive at your own conclusion.
I know this is a false claim, ’cause I checked it out on Snopes, and they say it’s false!
(for those who may be slow on the uptake, that was a joke.
)
Snopes says Kagan is not involved with Obama concerning his birth certificate. Case # 09-724 filed 4/26/2010 names her as attorney of record.
Glenn,
Case #09-724 has nothing whatsoever to do with Obama’s birth certificate. Look it up.