As Twitchy told you yesterday, Snopes hasn’t gotten around to debunking Erica Thomas race hoax yet, but they did find time to put their top men on the Babylon Bee’s satirical spin on it.
Sounds familiar, yet not. https://t.co/mvvHo7AJbu
— snopes.com (@snopes) July 24, 2019
Today, in response, the Babylon Bee re-upped this classic:
Snopes Launches New Website To Fact-Check Snopes Fact Checkshttps://t.co/wEBAfLqPrs
— The Babylon Bee (@TheBabylonBee) July 26, 2019
And posted this new one as well:
Snopes Rolls Out New Opinion Check Featurehttps://t.co/p24qBtL5ri
— The Babylon Bee (@TheBabylonBee) July 25, 2019
But they didn’t stop there:
Please read and share our founder's response to @snopes mischaracterization of us. https://t.co/Fo3wibghR8
— The Babylon Bee (@TheBabylonBee) July 25, 2019
Founder Adam Ford has seriously had enough of Snopes’ crap, and yesterday, he took them to the woodshed where they belong:
Thread:
So @snopes fact-checked @TheBabylonBee again. But this time it's particularly egregious and, well, kind of disturbing. And I'd like to talk about it.
Pack a lunch cuz this'll be a long one.
First off, here's their ridiculous article: https://t.co/SBugStUnfq
— Adam Ford (@Adam4d) July 25, 2019
And here is the Bee article they say they're "fact-checking": https://t.co/btfUocCdi5
/2
— Adam Ford (@Adam4d) July 25, 2019
Just in the subtitle of this "objective fact check" they've veered toward pronouncing a moral judgment, assigning motives, and presuming to dictate — to one of the most popular satire sites on the planet — what does and does not count as satire.
/4
— Adam Ford (@Adam4d) July 25, 2019
Onward: First two paragraphs. Does it seem like they might be leaving out a few very important details of the actual news story which would be relevant to explaining the satire piece? Maybe one or two?https://t.co/NApU4JyCoxhttps://t.co/iL7Ci1RoY4
— Adam Ford (@Adam4d) July 25, 2019
Next: The third paragraph … this paragraph! Just look at it!
An "apparent attempt to maximize the online indignation"? What a subjective and malicious statement!
This is a "fact check"?
— Adam Ford (@Adam4d) July 25, 2019
We "published a fictionalized version of the story"? That's certainly an interesting way of saying we satirized an absurd real-life event. You know, that thing that all satirical outlets do.
/7
— Adam Ford (@Adam4d) July 25, 2019
Also, imagine the type of ideological bubble one must live in to think that what Chick-fil-A is "known for" is "its CEO’s opposition to same-sex marriage." It's the most beloved fast-food chain in the country!
This is a "fact check"?
/8
— Adam Ford (@Adam4d) July 25, 2019
NEXT PARAGRAPH. Stay with me here.
"The Babylon Bee has managed to fool readers with its brand of satire in the past" — Doesn't that wording really make it sound as though the Bee is TRYING to fool readers? Like we INTEND to, and sometimes succeed?
— Adam Ford (@Adam4d) July 25, 2019
Onward:
Now this sentence is quite troubling. Describing the Bee article as a "ruse."
Let me define "ruse" for you: "an action intended to deceive someone."
Now that's an accusation.
/10 pic.twitter.com/LPic2QeN32
— Adam Ford (@Adam4d) July 25, 2019
What Snopes has written here is not a "fact-check" at all — it's an opinion piece. A hit piece. Which is very problematic coming from the site that, on its "About us" page, loudly declares itself "the internet’s definitive fact-checking resource." https://t.co/AG5MMT8dIQ
/11 pic.twitter.com/HF7roXHKVN
— Adam Ford (@Adam4d) July 25, 2019
They fundraise off of fear of misinformation and sell shirts emblazoned with "#facts," "Facts on facts," "Check your sources," and "Only you can prevent fake news." https://t.co/sEsSAbaDCE
/12 pic.twitter.com/Nnoo7Pspsn
— Adam Ford (@Adam4d) July 25, 2019
I searched "the Onion" on their site and here's one of the first ones that popped up: https://t.co/vwAbeZz16t
Why is this not "fanning the flames of controversy and muddying the details of a news story"? Why does this clearly meet their standard of acceptable satire?
/13 pic.twitter.com/k0qNdHtoGl
— Adam Ford (@Adam4d) July 25, 2019
They've ascribed dark motives to the Bee while laughing off Onion fact-checks like HAHAA GUYS, "of course" it's satire! OF COURSE! Some readers just got confused, y'know!
/14 pic.twitter.com/OJGMPcqGM6
— Adam Ford (@Adam4d) July 25, 2019
The real problem here is that Snopes (and sites like them) *advertise themselves as objective, trustworthy arbiters of truth — and important, influential people and media routinely use them as definitive indicators of truthfulness in ways that really affect people's lives.*
/15
— Adam Ford (@Adam4d) July 25, 2019
The Bee has been "Snoped" plenty of times before (and had to endure Facebook purgatory once because of it). But what they've written this time certainly seems like an attempt to delegitimize and demonize an important satirical outlet, and that is totally unacceptable.
/16
— Adam Ford (@Adam4d) July 25, 2019
A clumsy mistake or an incompetent writer are insufficient explanations for publishing something like this when you position yourself as an unbiased, stalwart arbiter of truth and presume to wield the influence that comes along with that title.
/17
— Adam Ford (@Adam4d) July 25, 2019
So @snopes: I suggest you fix this article, and I suggest you fix your operation.
/End
— Adam Ford (@Adam4d) July 25, 2019
Fact: Ford just dropped the mic on Snopes.
@snopes bias exposed – again.
Great breakdown on how today’s leftist propaganda is created.— TERRY ?? (@TerryDugue) July 26, 2019
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