Wikipedia:WikiProject Reference Investigation/Snopes
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This discussion is closed.
If you wish to start it again, bring up discussion on the talk page and make a note of it on Wikipedia:WikiProject Reference Investigation.
Final Decision:
Despite an abundance of advertising, which may jeopardize the accuracy on other websites, Snopes has explained to the WikiProject that advertisers have no interest in 'fixing' the websites for their interests. In addition, the policy stated by the advertising agency Snopes has enlisted has very broad rules, and in the event that an article from Snopes doesn't satisfy their policy, they will simply remove advertising from that page. In addition, Snopes manages to cite sources for their pages, and doesn't always have a "black and white" conclusion. While it is not 100% perfect, Snopes is ideal for Wikipedia coverage regarding folklore. We advise, however, to use Snopes along with other references to be extra safe.
copied from talk page
Snopes.com, otherwise known as the Urban Legend Reference Pages, is a well-known website devoted to debunking myths (or proving them true). Considering as they deal greatly with facts whose factiness is not generally known, the ability to verify the factuality of Snopes is important. Seeing as Snopes isn't an authority, that means they research their topics. We should investigate Snopes to make sure they are using viable sources and can be trusted as a source on Wikipedia. —MESSEDROCKER (talk) 00:57, 11 April 2006 (UTC)
From snopes.com's FAQ:
- Q: How do I know the information you've presented is accurate?
- A: We don't expect anyone to accept us as the ultimate authority on any topic, which is why our site's name indicates that it contains reference pages. Unlike the plethora of anonymous individuals who create and send the unsigned, unsourced e-mail messages that are forwarded all over the Internet, we show our work. The research materials we've used in the preparation of any particular page are listed in the bibliography displayed at the bottom of that page so that readers who wish to verify the validity of our information may check those sources for themselves.
[edit] Arguments
Note that the reasons to question and to trust are merely for discussion and testing, and are not used to determine for once and for all if the source is reliable.
[edit] Reasons to question Snopes's integrity
They use advertising as a source of revenue, therefore there is a small possibility they may have to change facts around to satisfy advertisersNote that this reason is explicitly stated as a possibility, and not necessarily likely. In addition, this reason to question Snopes's integrity is being investigated by the WikiProject.- After investigating and a couple of e-mails to Snopes, it appears that advertising seems to have little effect on the content. Even in the event that an article is not advertising-friendly, Snopes claims they will just remove advertising from that specific page.
- There appears to be no peer review process
- This does not automatically mean that the accuracy of the content is jeopardized; Snopes still does a great job of citing sources
- Few details are known about the subjects Snopes covers
[edit] Reasons to trust Snopes
- They cite sources on each of their articles
- They don't always come to a conclusion of true/false, therefore they're willing to admit they don't know (instead of simply dismissing something they're not sure of as "false")
- They have contact information for them
- They indicate when their website has been updated
- They accept credit in their name
