Snopes discredited ( pizzagate )

submitted by Kacey

The post about debunking Snopes Pizzagate debunking is great. Snopes has also attempted to debunk some stories of sex trafficking http://www.snopes.com/cargo-container-women-savannah/ and http://www.snopes.com/tampa-target-trafficking-warning/ I put a comment on that earlier thread, but I think the character of the man who runs Snopes deserves a new thread. The owner of Snopes is a disreputable character who is now married to a porn star. He is being sued by his ex wife for embezzlement. He might be qualified to discredit some viral urban legend. In fact I think that discrediting such stuff is how he establishes credibility so that he is believed when discrediting real stories. He might also pick some sex trafficking story that is false and debunk it to set the tone that all such sex trafficking stories are untrue. However I don't think he has been able to discredit the stories of his messy divorce, the claims of his ex-wife, or the fact that he is married to a porn star/sex worker.

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2016-12-22/snopes-co-founder-embezzles-98000-drops-weight-leaves-fat-wife-and-marries-actual-wh

http://dailycaller.com/2016/12/21/snopes-co-founder-accused-of-embezzling-company-money-spending-it-on-prostitutes/ "The founder of mythbusting website Snopes, which was recently tapped by Facebook as one of four “fact-check” organizations patrolling the site for “fake news,” embezzled $98,000 in company funds before spending it on “himself and the prostitutes he hired,” according to legal documents filed by his ex-wife reviewed by the Daily Mail.

After divorcing from his first wife, Barbara Mikkelson, David Mikkelson married Elyssa Young, a former porn star and current escort who now works for Snopes as an administrator, according to the Daily Mail.

The Daily Mail also revealed that top Snopes “fact-checker” Kim LaCapria claimed on her personal blog that she has “posted to Snopes” after smoking marijuana. "

azamber

I don't like Snopes as much as the rest of ya, but who the hell cares that he is married to a sex worker? That says nothing about his credibility.

azamber

...or hers for that matter.

JesusRules

are they chosen ones?

peacebringer

snopes has some shady people involved for sure!

RweSure

Snopes has also attempted to debunk some stories of sex trafficking http://www.snopes.com/cargo-container-women-savannah/ and http://www.snopes.com/tampa-target-trafficking-warning/

Those stories are fake. They are precisely the sort of urban legends Snopes was creating to look into.

Are you saying they shouldn't debunk fake stories? Or claiming they only debunked these stories because of the subject matter?

What's your issue with these two Snopes articles?

Kacey

Yes because as far as I can tell snopes has not reported on any stories of trafficking that they find credible, although they report a few stories on other matters that are true. The selection would lead one to think all trafficking stories are hoaxes. https://youtu.be/2wDUlV4C1L0

RweSure

The selection would lead one to think all trafficking stories are hoaxes.

No, it wouldn't. That's quite an unreasonable and overly defensive conclusion.

as far as I can tell snopes has not reported on any stories of trafficking that they find credible, They are not a news site. They are not simply reporting the news. Generally there has to be curiousity or controversy about a story for them to get involved.

This means they are more likely to write a story about whether Bigfoot exists and not about whether kittens exist. It doesn't make them anti-kitten. You can read about how they choose topics here. http://www.snopes.com/topic-selection/

Kacey

This means they are more likely to write a story about whether Bigfoot exists and not about whether kittens exist. It doesn't make them anti-kitten. You can read about how they choose topics here. http://www.snopes.com/topic-selection/

That kittens exist is a know fact to everyone. That sex trafficking exists is NOT a known fact to everyone. Therefore your analogy does not work. Bigfoot and kittens are not like things whereas sex trafficking and sex trafficking are like things. Again your analogy does not work. You do understand that comparing apples to oranges is not the same thing as comparing oranges to oranges....yes? On top of that, knowing whether sex trafficking is occurring is an important, I would say vital piece of information for people to keep their children safe. Responsible reporting would indicate that while some trafficking stories might be false, trafficking is very very real. If a Bigfoot story leaves the impression that all Bigfoot stories are false, so what. The number of people ever alleged to be harmed by Bigfoot is what? Wiki says "According to the Department of State's statistics from 2000, there are approximately 244,000 American children and youth that are at risk for sex trafficking each year." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_trafficking_in_the_United_States Parents who don't understand the risk to their children can't take appropriate action to protect them. It doesn't matter what Snopes says their policy for selection is. Having become widely read and trusted they shoulder a responsibility for what impressions they may create in the public. They don't get out of that social responsibility by posting how they choose topics.

RweSure

whereas sex trafficking and sex trafficking are like things.

That's an eye opening argument. You completely miss my analogy. The look into specific claims that have generated curiosity or controversy

It doesn't matter what Snopes says their policy for selection is. Having become widely read and trusted they shoulder a responsibility for what impressions they may create in the public. No they don't Maybe they are widely read and trusted because they audience likes and, more importantly, understands what they do. Your whole argument is basically Snopes need to change what they do because you want them to some sort of advocacy organization.
That sex trafficking exists is NOT a known fact to everyone.

I bet they understand their audience and they don't need to explain this.

By the way, check out foot note 20 of that Wikipedia article, that "at risk" figure is really not supported by facts.

UPDATE: A 2016 study, funded by the U.S. Department of Justice, produced a figure of youth in the sex trade that appears significantly lower than previous estimates. The researchers, led by Rachel Swaner of New York University, concluded that the total number of juveniles in the sex trade in the United States was about 9,000 to 10,000. To be cautious, given the limitations in the data, the study said that range could be as low as 4,500 or as high as 21,000.

Solentgreenispeople

What about showing snopes this article about Dojo Pizza that was arrested for producing child porn http://www.riverfronttimes.com/newsblog/2016/04/07/breaking-dojo-pizzas-loren-copp-arrested-on-child-pornography-charges

Solentgreenispeople

Yoichi Shimatsu wrote interesting things about Snopes you might want to check out. he states the following:

http://www.rense.com/general96/strangedayspizza.htm

The Demimonde of Fact Checkers

In contrast to Mrs. Gutch’s due diligence, Snopes.com is a shining model of “sex workers being the best fact-checkers.” Doing double duty as dominatrices specializing in role reversal with their male clients, these cleverest debunkers of urban folklore are vouchsafed by no less than Facebook, the Poynter Institute for Media Studies, the National Endowment for Democracy, the Gates Foundation, the Omidyar Network, and the Open Society Institute. An archive search of The New York Times and The Washington Post comes up with dozens of their articles citing Snopes.com as the unparalleled authority on “truth”, which in hindsight is doublespeak for the baldfaced lies that protect a devious and deviant Establishment.

The sick puppies of the mainstream press and politicized “philanthropy” seem to have an insatiable demand for punishment. In this “post-truth era”, the Marquis de Sade sets the standard for discussion of media ethics: “Conversation, like certain portions of the anatomy, always runs more smoothly when lubricated.” That parallel certainly applies to the “vibrating wand that drive the boys crazy,” as put by Snopes’ chief fact-checker and content manager Kim LaCapra, also known as the domme ViceVixen.

For this study of the backside of mainstream media, we travel to Mistress Kimberley’s wacky world at the Amityville house of horrors for whores, and along the way shall meet colorful characters, including a takeover artist known as Fast Eddy, an Indian guru from the Cialis cult, the false flagger of the Boston Marathon, the Craiglist Ripper and, of course, Monsieur J’aime les Enfantes. So boys and girls, roll up for the mystery tour that’s coming to take you away. - See more at: http://www.rense.com/general96/strangedayspizza.htm#sthash.l4HojwjP.dpuf

Laskar

Great comment. Yoshi Shimatsu has done great work. Example: https://voat.co/v/pizzagate/1767291

Although this article dates from 2012, but Shimatsu makes a strong case based on the activities of MIT's Media Lab, which is an offshoot of DARPA and MKUltra, regarding CP (and child exploitation in Cambodia).

I, for one never believed Schwartz was murdered because MIT does not have any proprietary right to JSTOR. The whole thing always seemed weird, and a smokescreen for the real reason he was killed, never mind the ridiculous story that he could hang himself with a 30" belt.

http://rense.com/general95/swartz.html

Although the article is interesting in itself, can we look further into MIT? Is the murder of that security guard in 2013 related to this?

scotchfor1

With some easy digging, last year I found George Soros linked to Snopes as board member. I can't find it anymore.

anonOpenPress

Thanks for your follow up. You should edit in a link to /v/pizzagate/1838110 or /v/pizzagatejournalism/1838043 to comply with rules 1 and 2, as your post currently misses the sourced connection to the pizzagate. You might also be interested on http://www.snopes.com/john-podesta-spirit-cooking/ (btw i haven't checked any of these three Snopes articles, two linked by you, on their accuracy)

Littleredcorvette

David Brock's Media Matters discusses snopes.

Dec 2016 http://archive.is/lNvRy

UnicornsAndSparkles

You guys are like information ninjas!