Supercharging Snopes for 2020

Snopes has been squashing misinformation since 1994, and in the 25 years since then we have grown to become a household name in fact-checking and, for some, a verb (“Did you snopes that?”).

It turns out this tiny labor of love dedicated to debunking was years ahead of its time. Today, despite an abundance of facts at our fingertips, even discerning readers can get lost in the fog of falsehoods. As we enter the next election cycle — and a new decade — we need to supercharge Snopes to light the way for more readers: hire additional fact-checkers and developers, upgrade our website, and bolster our unique expertise to catch and crush rumors at scale.

And we need your help to do it.

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Your Role

Snopes is not a big crew — only 15 people work in our newsroom — but your support has propelled us to become one of the top sites on the web and the go-to source for everyday myth-busting. But newsrooms like ours around the world are struggling.

To effectively fight against those who manufacture misinformation, and to maintain our fierce independence, Snopes needs a broad base of sustaining support. In other words: To help us grow, we need readers like you to become members.

We’re up against Goliaths. We need your help to fight misinformation.

Your Rewards

For those who would like a keepsake, we’re offering high-quality Snopes rewards including tees, stickers, and all sorts of cool swag.

Because we cover the cost of the rewards and all shipping and processing fees for your convenience, just about half your purchase price will go toward funding the Snopes’ mission directly. If you want your contribution to go furthest in supporting our mission, please make an unconditional contribution at the top of the page.

Most important, some rewards offer exclusive, deeply discounted Founding Memberships for those who wish to join our community of truth-seekers. Some benefits are available right away — our members newsletter will kick off immediately — while others, such as an ad-free Snopes and community spaces, are coming soon. This is the only time you can become a Founding Member, so act now.

Learn more about each item in the FAQ tab above.

Any Questions?

We’ve got you covered. Many of your questions are answered in the FAQ tab above.

What We’ll Make Together

Misinformation peddlers are like weeds — they’re constantly finding new ways and places to sprout and grow. But Snopes is developing tools and tactics that, with your support, can root them out.

A People-Powered Snopes

Readers rely on Snopes to debunk suspicious rumors, investigate propagandists and trolls, and bring dark corners of the internet to light. But with literally thousands of inquiries pouring into our inbox every week, we can’t keep up. We need your help to build tools and resources to identify and counter false claims on a massive scale.

We’re building tools like a browser extension, a web app, and redesigned submission forms so you can effortlessly flag questionable content when you see it.

Formidable Investigating Power

In 2019, Snopes identified hundreds of inauthentic Facebook accounts spreading questionable content to millions of followers; we investigated how Islamophobic hate spreads online; and we unmasked a clandestine network of 24 Facebook pages spreading hate and conspiracy theories. In the crucial 2020 election year, your support is needed to ensure Snopes can continue these efforts to unearth coordinated disinformation campaigns.

Snopes launched the Dive Team, an investigative unit dedicated to digging deeper into rough corners of the internet and rooting out bad actors.

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Recent Dives

• If Facebook Is Dealing with Deceptive ‘BL’ Network, It’s Not Working
  
• Disguising Hate: How Radical Evangelicals Spread Anti-Islamic Vitriol on Facebook
  
• Hiding in Plain Sight: PAC-Connected Activists Set Up ‘Local News’ Outlets
  
• Popular ‘USA’ Facebook Page Run by Ukrainians Targeted Older Americans
  

Un-Meddling Our Elections

The lesson of the 2010s is that internet disinformation campaigns are now a depressingly common tactic of elections around the world — and already storm clouds are gathering on the horizon. It’s our mission to uncover bad actors, root out election meddling, and give voters the resources they need, like On The Issues, to make informed decisions at the ballot box.

A Better Snopes

The power of Snopes fact-checking depends on powerful tech. We are in the process of building brand new features such as sophisticated crowdsourcing and fact-checking tools and an expert-curated news feed, which will act as counterweights to algorithm-driven echo chambers. We’re also updating our search engine and amplifying our distribution capabilities.

And we are building much of this ourselves, instead of relying so heavily on third parties. The more we invest in ourselves, the more fiercely independent Snopes will remain.

Our Team

Who is Snopes? We’re a scrappy crew of news junkies who value the truth. Where is Snopes? That’s more interesting. We’re a fully remote newsroom spread across eight states — we have no headquarters, which helps keep overhead low. By supporting this project, you can help us hire more staff in more places.