I’ve read mutters-and-whispers to that effect on some messageboards (never this one). Mainly because Snopes is always debunking RW spam emails, like this. (Such emails, BTW, often come from a highly organized source.)
But I didn’t realize until recently how widespread and bitter and highly-developed was the meme. Just go on FreeRepublic and enter “snopes” in the search-box, you’ll be amazed. The idea is that Snopes is funded by, and a mouthpiece for, perennial RW bete noir George Soros.
Not wanting to visit FP for the sake of my blood pressure, but…
In what way do they suggest the bias is reflected? Do they dispute their facts? Do they say they pay more attention to debunking liberal-affecting falsehoods than conservative-affecting ones?
For the most part, the thread-starter simply asserts it and everyone agrees. Any mere instance of Snopes or FactCheck debunking some RW meme or a public statement by figure like Sarah Palin is enough to start a thread.
The problem is that whether intentional or just by random chance there is huge pipeline of anti-Obama, anti-democratic etc. stories and articles that circulate in emails, blogs, message boards and social media posted as factual information. If they are ambitious enough like the Birthers they will even push their claims into mainstream media.
There are numerous conservative venues where this stuff is a good chunk of their content. Given that the vast majority of political BS debunkings are of this river of Republican bullshit it’s only natural that when Snopes takes these things apart and shows they are BS they only option they have is to vilify the site doing this, and they only method they have to do this is to tell more lies (ie Snopes is liberal, funded by Soros etc.) .
But the real question is why we let Jews continue to run these fact-checking cites. Barbara and David? I mean, what do we look like??
They aren’t Jewish, btw, but a plug into Google shows it’s a common ‘complaint’.
Interesting: The Wiki link also suggests you check out The Straight Dope.
edit: If the majority of their time is devoted to debunking viral emails, perhaps it looks like it has a left tilt because right-wingers are more likely to blow up your inbox with junk. My personal opinion, of course.
I’ve never seen evidence of one. But I’ve seen them accused of bias plenty of times by people who were upset someone was tearing down their internet nonsense.
In my experience/opinion, rumours of “shocking” things with no evidence tend to gain better traction in the right wing community. I’d guess this is partly because in general left wing philosophy is less judgemental. Therefore you’re more likely to see chain mails and rumours etc. about Obama’s secret commie plots or the EU secretly trying to take over Britain. As a result the right provides more fuel for Snopes to debunk.
Also, again in my experience/opinion, the right tends to be quicker to claim “bias” if they don’t like what they read/hear anyway.
I have also seen more recent examples of e-myths that use Snopes to give you a false sense of security, there are emails that even end with lines like: "This is true!!! Snopes did confirm it!! Check it for your self!!!
Of course, when one does check we find that what the email claimed was pure baloney. Unfortunately many do not check, the creators of the email are counting on the laziness and gullibility of many to keep the emails circulating.
Well, they’ve deconstructed various misconceptions about Bush43, Bush41, Palin and Dan Quayle, as I recall. When a Republican next gets the White House, enough crap will be circulating about them to keep snopes busy.
The notion that there can be some kind or pure, entirely unbiased voice in any type of public discourse is fundamentally flawed, and when this idea is invoked, it usually is an ideologically driven conceit itself. Hence the knee-jerk term “liberal bias,” which doesn’t require any reference, as Brain Glutton points out above (post #6).
The utterance “liberal bias” alone is a self-sufficient proposition for negating anything one doesn’t like.
This suggest there’s an open niche in the marketplace of ideas - or, in this case, the marketplace of “ideas”.
RightFacts - the conservative alternative to Snopes. Unlike those liberal rumor sites, RightFacts doesn’t debunk conservative glurge. Instead, RightFacts confirms that these rumors are “true”.
I’d start the site up myself and probably make a fortune doing it. But then I think about the people I’d have to hang out with. So it’s not for me. But anyone else want to use this idea, go ahead and just mail me a share of the profits.
