# Does Snopes.com have a liberal bias? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [May 13, 2012, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-snopes-com-have-a-liberal-bias/621796 "2012-05-13T19:39:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![gamerunknown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6bbea6/32.png) [@gamerunknown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gamerunknown)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2012, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-snopes-com-have-a-liberal-bias/621796/81 "2012-05-16T04:38:40Z")
> [@wevets](#): > > And what evidence do you have to support your opinion? They care about objective reality? ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2012, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-snopes-com-have-a-liberal-bias/621796/82 "2012-05-16T05:17:19Z")
> [@gamerunknown](#): > > They care about objective reality? Well, that is just another variation on “the truth having a liberal bias”. To me it is more likely that the truth is a good number of times on the side of the “left” because of a fluke of history, if we could move the timelines of the presidents, I could see the Teddy Roosevelt administration not just thinking about defenestrating the current robber barons. Roosevelt would see the current well to do owners of energy companies giving money to outfits that just exist to seed doubt about our current environmental problems and take no prisoners IMHO. > **[WordsDay: Merchants of Doubt](https://scholarsandrogues.com/2010/07/08/merchants-of-doubt/)** > > What do the following things all have in common: tobacco safety and the dangers of secondhand smoke, the Strategic Defense Initiative, acid rain, the ozone hole, global warming, and the recent atta… And, to be on point, Snopes also took on FOX news regarding their shoddy coverage on the subject of Global Warming, just that alone is enough for many on the right to declare Snopes liberal it seems. > **[Global Warming Activist Freezes to Death in Antarctica](https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/deep-freeze/)** > > A global warming activist froze to death in Antarctica? ---
**Author:** ![Bozuit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/edb3f5/32.png) [@Bozuit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bozuit)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2012, 11:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-snopes-com-have-a-liberal-bias/621796/83 "2012-05-16T11:46:29Z")
> [@GIGObuster](#): > > Well, that is just another variation on “the truth having a liberal bias”. To me it is more likely that the truth is a good number of times on the side of the “left” because of a fluke of history, if we could move the timelines of the presidents, I could see the Teddy Roosevelt administration not just thinking about defenestrating the current robber barons. I don’t think it would be an unreasonable argument to make (not that I’m saying it’s true necessarily) that the right is often more appealing to those with the least interest in “facts” (especially in countries where “morality” is a big part of the right) and so the politics of many countries is often slightly to the right of where it “should” be if you could somehow objectively compare all facts and use it to obtain the optimal balance of right and left. I always assumed the quotation was intended as a joke but maybe there’s some logic to it. Mind you, I only thought about this for about 10 seconds. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2012, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-snopes-com-have-a-liberal-bias/621796/84 "2012-05-16T12:40:28Z")
> [@Bozuit](#): > > I always assumed the quotation was intended as a joke but maybe there’s some logic to it. Believe it or not it originated from a right-wing comment that said basically “you liberals always whine about the facts are this and the facts are that, while we on the right wing don’t have to care as much about the facts because we are in power, so our policies are _creating_ facts, new facts that you liberals will whine about.” ---
**Author:** ![Fotheringay-Phipps](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/d9b06d/32.png) [@Fotheringay-Phipps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fotheringay-Phipps)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2012, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-snopes-com-have-a-liberal-bias/621796/85 "2012-05-16T12:58:46Z")
> [@tomndebb](#): > > Does Snopes have a front page? > Does Snopes have any method of “burying” Pro-Right wing stories or Anti-Left wing stories? That was an example, and one which was apropriate for the NYT that Astorian referenced. The general point is that it’s possible to be technically accurate about each individual story but be slanted overall. I gave a different example WRT Snopes specifically above (though as I mentioned at the time, it’s just a perception, and could be off.) > [@](#): > > Claiming that someone might possibly slant their stories is not the same as providing evidence that they have. True. Now what? > [@](#): > > Without that evidence, I am more likely to accept the testimony of a self-proclaimed conservative such as Astorian than the mutterings from Freepers. What’s this about? Are you in the habit of basing your opinion on matters of this sort on the weight of testimony from Astorian and Freepers? (And if you are, then what’s it worth?) ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2012, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-snopes-com-have-a-liberal-bias/621796/86 "2012-05-16T18:58:47Z")
> [@tomndebb](#): > > You can post. Just remember that printed text is not always a good medium for irony. I have seen Jeeves ironing Bertie Wooster’s morning paper and if ironing the printed page is good enough for Jeeves, especially as played by Stephen Fry, it is good enough for me. ---
**Author:** ![Buck\_Godot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buck_godot/32/6573_2.png) [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2012, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-snopes-com-have-a-liberal-bias/621796/87 "2012-05-16T19:36:50Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > Believe it or not it originated from a right-wing comment that said basically “you liberals always whine about the facts are this and the facts are that, while we on the right wing don’t have to care as much about the facts because we are in power, so our policies are _creating_ facts, new facts that you liberals will whine about.” Here is the[original quote](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reality-based_communityhttp://) from a GW Bush aide possibly Karl Rove. > [@](#): > > The aide said that guys like me were “in what we call the reality-based community,” which he defined as people who “believe that solutions emerge from your judicious study of discernible reality.” … “That’s not the way the world really works anymore,” he continued. "We’re an empire now, and when we act, we create our own reality. And while you’re studying that reality—judiciously, as you will—we’ll act again, creating other new realities, which you can study too, and that’s how things will sort out. We’re history’s actors…and you, all of you, will be left to just study what we do. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2012, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-snopes-com-have-a-liberal-bias/621796/88 "2012-05-16T20:24:47Z")
I did at one time think I notice an anti-Christian bias there, which some (the religious right) might call liberal. Later I noticed a pro-Jesus article and realized I was wrong. Also. I’ve gotten scam emails that would tell you to ask customer support if it were real, giving the real contact info. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2012, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-snopes-com-have-a-liberal-bias/621796/89 "2012-05-16T20:52:44Z")
> [@Buck\_Godot](#): > > Here is the[original quote](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reality-based_communityhttp://) from a GW Bush aide possibly Karl Rove. Good Grief, the neocons are _Nietzscheans_? :eek::rolleyes: I’d worry more if such things as the murder of Bobby Franks, the invasion of Poland, and Gulf War II didn’t show that the world is good at finding ways to kick would-be ubermensches in the balls. ---
**Author:** ![Bozuit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/edb3f5/32.png) [@Bozuit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bozuit)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2012, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-snopes-com-have-a-liberal-bias/621796/90 "2012-05-16T23:39:27Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > I did at one time think I notice an anti-Christian bias there, which some (the religious right) might call liberal. Later I noticed a pro-Jesus article and realized I was wrong. > > Also. I’ve gotten scam emails that would tell you to ask customer support if it were real, giving the real contact info. It’s got to be hard to not come across as anti-Christian if you’re an American website that examines the facts behind popular myths… ---
**Author:** ![IntelliQ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e99b99/32.png) [@IntelliQ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IntelliQ)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2012, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-snopes-com-have-a-liberal-bias/621796/91 "2012-05-16T23:59:42Z")
I had detected a little bit of center left attitude on a couple occasions at Snopes but no harm no foul. Everyone has some biases and no one (including Cecil on the SD) can keep it completely hidden when you do that much writing over the years. Snopes and SD both tilt a bit left but it doesnt bother me at all. I feel their research is done in a sincere effort to answer questions or debunk myths and the results arent tainted (with the exceptional unnecessary jabs by Cecil). The SDMB on the other-hand is mostly comprised of a pack of rabid extremists, in my humblest opinion… 😃 ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2012, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-snopes-com-have-a-liberal-bias/621796/92 "2012-05-17T00:09:35Z")
> [@Bozuit](#): > > It’s got to be hard to not come across as anti-Christian if you’re an American website that examines the facts behind popular myths… Looking at the religious section, most of the debunked religious myths are at the level of Jack Chick tracks, I think that even believers in the SDMB would shake their heads at those who believe in them. [http://www.snopes.com/religion/religion.asp](http://www.snopes.com/religion/religion.asp) Outside the SDMB however, there are still a good number of the faithful in America that do become insulted when they see those myths debunked. (even one of the “true” ones, on the weight of souls, showed that the one doing the experiments did not follow proper procedures. It was true that some one made experiments to weight souls but that was only half of the history. [Aside: I wonder if that is why we do not see QI in America, those fun explanations of the bible myths by Stephen Fry would generate a lot of complains.] ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2012, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-snopes-com-have-a-liberal-bias/621796/93 "2012-05-17T00:30:28Z")
> [@Lumpy](#): > > Good Grief, the neocons are _Nietzscheans_? :eek::rolleyes: “What would you like, Dick?” “The usual, Karl. Hundreds of grandchildren, utter domination of known space and the pleasure of hearing that all of my enemies have died in terrible, highly improbable accidents that cannot be connected to me. And you?” [laughs] “The usual.” ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2012, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-snopes-com-have-a-liberal-bias/621796/94 "2012-05-17T01:35:45Z")
> [@Fotheringay-Phipps](#): > > True. Now what?What’s this about? Are you in the habit of basing your opinion on matters of this sort on the weight of testimony from Astorian and Freepers? (And if you are, then what’s it worth?) A persistent theme in all the various “liberal press” threads around here is the presentation of opinion polls to establish the validity of the complaints. Given that basis, if I find a real live conservative noting that he finds little bias, I will weigh that more heavily than the whining of the sillies on th Far Right. Of course, I would prefer actual evidence, but when I encounter dark hints that there is a good chance of bias but that it is just cleverly hidden, (instead of actual evidence), then I will fall back on the opinions of those on the Far Right, at which time I will select the opinions of legitimate conservatives over hysterical partisans. ---
**Author:** ![What\_the](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f4b2a3/32.png) [@What\_the](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_the)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2012, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-snopes-com-have-a-liberal-bias/621796/95 "2012-05-17T13:49:28Z")
Since **Brainy G** has extended a special invite (twice I think), here are my two cents … Answer: I don’t know but here’s what I’d look at if I was interested: 1. Do the answers address the question thoroughly? Do they leave out any facts that render their answers incomplete and one-sided? 2. Has Snopes changed it’s “mission” such that they address “urban legends” that tend to be politically one-sided rather than other things that might constitute an “urban legend”. Fun fact…I’ve used Snopes two or three times to reply-all to FWDs with corrections. I’d do it more often but I don’t even bother to read most of them. ---
**Author:** ![What\_the](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f4b2a3/32.png) [@What\_the](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_the)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2012, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-snopes-com-have-a-liberal-bias/621796/96 "2012-05-17T13:56:31Z")
> [@What\_the](#): > > Since **Brainy G** has extended a special invite (twice I think), here are my two cents … > > Answer: I don’t know but here’s what I’d look at if I was interested: > > 1. Do the answers address the question thoroughly? Do they leave out any facts that render their answers incomplete and one-sided? > > 2. Has Snopes changed it’s “mission” such that they address “urban legends” that tend to be politically one-sided rather than other things that might constitute an “urban legend”. > > Fun fact…I’ve used Snopes two or three times to reply-all to FWDs with corrections. I’d do it more often but I don’t even bother to read most of them. I forgot to add… if a large majority of main players at Snopes were pretty clearly liberal or Democrat, I’d suggest that there was significant potential for bias and I’d wonder if there was a good reason why the main players didn’t span the political spectrum. One thing I wouldn’t wonder about is the excuses I’d here in response from most posters. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2012, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-snopes-com-have-a-liberal-bias/621796/97 "2012-05-17T14:53:30Z")
> [@Bozuit](#): > > A couple of years ago I read a piece on the BBC website[…]. It was asking why so many low-income Americans were so against Obama’s healthcare policies (to the point of hatred) when they were the ones set to gain the most from it. Essentially the conclusion was that a lot of people prefer “stories” to facts, and they feel talked down to when someone comes up with statistics saying how much better something is. In the end a lot of people prefer anecdotal evidence to hard facts, and the right tends to be better at catering to those people. I can’t help but think if we could change this the world would be a much, much better place. You would probably have to kill God. Good luck with _that_. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2012, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-snopes-com-have-a-liberal-bias/621796/98 "2012-05-17T15:06:49Z")
> [@IntelliQ](#): > > I had detected a little bit of center left _attitude_ … > > Everyone has some _biases_ … > > Snopes and SD both _tilt a bit left_ … Would you distinguish between (1) someone who has liberal beliefs or opinions, which can sometimes be detected in his or her work and (2) someone whose work reflects liberal bias? ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2012, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-snopes-com-have-a-liberal-bias/621796/99 "2012-05-17T15:11:22Z")
Now I’m curious: can someone link to a particularly egregious example of Snopes’ alleged liberal bias? ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2012, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-snopes-com-have-a-liberal-bias/621796/100 "2012-05-17T15:30:03Z")
> [@What\_the](#): > > I forgot to add… if a large majority of main players at Snopes were pretty clearly liberal or Democrat, I’d suggest that there was significant potential for bias and I’d wonder if there was a good reason why the main players didn’t span the political spectrum. The two “main players” are a Canadian and a dude who was been known to vote Republican. Does that set your mind at rest? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-snopes-com-have-a-liberal-bias/621796.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-snopes-com-have-a-liberal-bias/621796.md?page=6)