# Is Snopes ever wrong? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 22, 2003, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-snopes-ever-wrong/203181 "2003-09-22T21:02:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![CurtC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ce73a5/32.png) [@CurtC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CurtC)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2003, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-snopes-ever-wrong/203181/21 "2003-09-23T01:08:40Z")
> [@](#): > > _x-ray vision wrote:_ > Sorry for the nitpick CurtC, but David P. Mikkelson is David P. Mikkelson, not Snopes. Maybe I just don’t understand what you’re saying. There is a person, named David P. Mikkelson, who has been using the _nom de keyboard_ “snopes” for the last 12 years at least. I’ve been involved in Internet discussions with him, on both alt.folklore.urban and alt.fan.cecil-adams. Several years ago, he started his own web site to document his and others’ research of urban legends. He and his wife Barbara do the research and write the articles for his site, [www.snopes.com](http://www.snopes.com). In light of all this, I think it’s justified to say that snopes is a person. If you’re trying to make some kind of existentialist distinction, sorry for missing it. I’ve never understood philosophy too well. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2003, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-snopes-ever-wrong/203181/22 "2003-09-23T01:18:29Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Berkut \* > \*\*He posts on USEnet using the name “snopes”, [as seen here.](http://tinyurl.com/oa90) \*\* Is USEnet in any way related to usenet (aka netnews)? 😉 **Marley23** : Which is really not germane to our discussion. If I used my real name as a trademark, I’d most certainly register it with the USPTO. Doesn’t make me any less real. **CurtC** : Maybe you could make the case that **snopes** is as much a character as a handle, and that Mikkelson is _portraying_ **snopes** on usenet. But I think **x-ray vision** is just wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Duderdude2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/cdc98d/32.png) [@Duderdude2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duderdude2)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2003, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-snopes-ever-wrong/203181/23 "2003-09-23T03:09:03Z")
Not to mention no pictures of Cecil have ever appeared except for good 'ol Ed ([http://www.ipass.net/whitetho/edcecil.htm](http://www.ipass.net/whitetho/edcecil.htm)). There just isn’t any evidence of Cecil existing, and only the ignorant would believe otherwise. It’s really an oxymoron of this site. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2003, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-snopes-ever-wrong/203181/24 "2003-09-23T03:15:07Z")
> [@](#): > > **Marley23** : Which is really not germane to our discussion. If I used my real name as a trademark, I’d most certainly register it with the USPTO. Doesn’t make me any less real. You obviously didn’t do the search, **Derleth**. For one, “Cecil Adams” was registered as a trademark _by the Chicago Reader_. If the name Cecil Adams was trademarked by Cecil Adams, I agree, you’d have a point. Secondly, and more importantly, the page says the following: > [@](#): > > **Other data** : CECIL ADAMS DOES NOT IDENTIFY ANY PARTICULAR INDIVIDUAL BUT WAS DEVISED AS A FANCIFUL NAME ---
**Author:** ![Duderdude2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/cdc98d/32.png) [@Duderdude2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duderdude2)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2003, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-snopes-ever-wrong/203181/25 "2003-09-23T03:24:28Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Marley23 \* > \*\*Secondly, and more importantly, the page says the following: \*\* Well, that’s a damn nice find. I think you just ended the debate. ---
**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:** [September 23, 2003, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-snopes-ever-wrong/203181/26 "2003-09-23T03:28:50Z")
Well, the 1895 Salina, KS, test article was updated and I was embarassed when I paraphrased parts that had been excised by the time I went back for the exact quote and couldn’t find it. Then I got treated like I was imagining things when I asked about it. ---
**Author:** ![Meeko](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e495f1/32.png) [@Meeko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meeko)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2003, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-snopes-ever-wrong/203181/27 "2003-09-23T03:38:19Z")
I like Snopes alot, and found SD through them. While I can’t argue if any article was ever “wrong”, Snopes made a good “move” with its coverage of “Hunting for Bambi”. (I just about had accepted the story myself) Snopes never claimed it to be “true” because it could not be verified. Then when we got the news we found out that Snopes was correct. For Snopes to have that much on the ball, I’m sure they would be among the first to correct any error of theirs. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2003, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-snopes-ever-wrong/203181/28 "2003-09-23T04:19:33Z")
I’ve yet to find a blatant falsehood or obvious error posted on Snopes. My only quibble with the operation is this: they often try too hard to make definitive pronouncements on subjects that are really a matter of interpretation and opinion. Example? Well, you’ve probably heard trivia buffs claim that John Hanson, and not George Washington, was the “real” first President of the U.S., because he was President under the Articles of Confederation. This, in my opinion, is not quite accurate, but it’s certainly not a falsehood or a myth. John Hanson WAS a real person, and he DID hold the title of President during the period when the U.S. was run under the Articles of Confederation. Now, was his job the same as that of George Washington? No. Was Hanson held in the same high regard as Washington? No. Did he wield the same kind of executive power that Presidents since Washington have? No. So, I don’t quite buy the idea that Hanson was the “real” first President… but I DO believe that the United States of America was a real, legitimate and independent nation from the moment of the Declaration of Independence, and don’t think the U.S. was just a temporary alliance of colonies until the Constitution was ratified. In other words, there’s DEFINITELY room for interpretation and argument on this issue. But Snopes doesn’t agree with me! THey give the story of John Hanson a red light, and scoff at the idea that the U.S. was a country before the ratification of the Constitution and at the idea that Hanson held a position of any importance. And THAT kind of thing, in my view, is both uncalled for and unrelated to the basic mission of Snopes- which is, as I see it, to provide facts, and let us make of those facts what we will. Snopes is very good (indeed, invaluable) at determining whether the Baby Ruth candy bar was named after a ballplayer or a PResidential daughter. But they’re on shakier ground when they try (as they too often do) to make categorical statements in areas that aren’t so black and white. ---
**Author:** ![Bob55](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Bob55](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bob55)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2003, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-snopes-ever-wrong/203181/29 "2003-09-23T05:27:31Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by astorian \* > \*\*they often try too hard to make definitive pronouncements on subjects that are really a matter of interpretation and opinion. Example? Well, you’ve probably heard trivia buffs claim that John Hanson, and not George Washington, was the “real” first President of the U.S., because he was President under the Articles of Confederation. > \*\* Weird, this was the exact example I was going to use - this question is definitely a matter of opinion, and I disagreed with Snopes in this occasion…I think John Hanson does qualify as President. ---
**Author:** ![MonkeyMensch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@MonkeyMensch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MonkeyMensch)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2003, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-snopes-ever-wrong/203181/30 "2003-09-23T05:53:05Z")
So what country was John Hanson president of? ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2003, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-snopes-ever-wrong/203181/31 "2003-09-23T05:58:14Z")
I didn’t find that myself. **schplebordnik** posted the info I quoted - although at least one poster commented he’d seen it before. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Bad\_Astronomer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f05b48/32.png) [@The\_Bad\_Astronomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Bad_Astronomer)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2003, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-snopes-ever-wrong/203181/32 "2003-09-23T06:11:37Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Trinopus \* > \*\*It has happened… It’s about as rare as it is for Cecil or The Bad Astronomer. > \*\* Pbbbt. I make plenty of mistakes. I just edit them out. This is the _web_, after all. Why admit when you can omit? Actually, when I make trivial errors on the site I just correct them. If they impact the content, I make sure I note them, or even keep the original linked so people can see the error. ---
**Author:** ![cletus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f08c70/32.png) [@cletus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cletus)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2003, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-snopes-ever-wrong/203181/33 "2003-09-23T06:14:07Z")
You mean Cecil’s not a real person? :eek: Although, that would explain alot… but still…:eek: As for the link provided by **Duderdude2** , is it just me or did the writer of the article just say Cecil (Ed?) looks like an idiot? **Duderdude2** , how reliable is that link? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Duderdude2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/cdc98d/32.png) [@Duderdude2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duderdude2)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2003, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-snopes-ever-wrong/203181/34 "2003-09-23T06:37:56Z")
Oh, beats the hell out of me. I just provided it for really no reason. Regardless, I think it’s fairly obvious that Cecil does not exist. I don’t see why people get so heartbroken over this, you never even knew the guy. ---
**Author:** ![Duderdude2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/cdc98d/32.png) [@Duderdude2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duderdude2)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2003, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-snopes-ever-wrong/203181/35 "2003-09-23T06:39:14Z")
“you” = the general sense, not specifically cletus or anyone else ---
**Author:** ![LtningBug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/73ab20/32.png) [@LtningBug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LtningBug)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2003, 7:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-snopes-ever-wrong/203181/36 "2003-09-23T07:34:49Z")
Wow, finding out that “Cecil Adams” is not a real person turns out to be bigger than the Santa secret. Any trademarks in this post are the property of their respective owners. ---
**Author:** ![NFlanders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a9adbd/32.png) [@NFlanders](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NFlanders)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2003, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-snopes-ever-wrong/203181/37 "2003-09-23T13:50:24Z")
For some odd reason I am disappointed. Yet at the same time, this means that one of us could be the next Cecil. Kind of like the Dread Pirate Roberts. ---
**Author:** ![Blown\_Injected](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a87d85/32.png) [@Blown\_Injected](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blown_Injected)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2003, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-snopes-ever-wrong/203181/38 "2003-09-23T14:23:16Z")
II HAVE SEEN THINGS THAT SNOOPS SAYS DOES NOT EXIST! ---
**Author:** ![Blown\_Injected](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a87d85/32.png) [@Blown\_Injected](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blown_Injected)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2003, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-snopes-ever-wrong/203181/39 "2003-09-23T14:23:21Z")
I HAVE SEEN THINGS THAT SNOOPS SAYS DOES NOT EXIST! ---
**Author:** ![CurtC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ce73a5/32.png) [@CurtC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CurtC)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2003, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-snopes-ever-wrong/203181/40 "2003-09-23T14:34:50Z")
Who is SNOOPS? And what are these things that you’ve seen? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-snopes-ever-wrong/203181.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-snopes-ever-wrong/203181.md?page=3)