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  • Snopes Digest Issue #105: Snopes 2024 recap, top 10 fact checks — and more

Snopes Digest Issue #105: Snopes 2024 recap, top 10 fact checks — and more

Here's what's happening inside the Snopes newsroom

Author

Izz LaMagdeleine
December 25, 2024

Dec. 25, 2024・Issue #105

1. Since We Last Met: Snopes 2024 in Review

Let's talk about what's going on with Snopes: the newsroom, the products, the people, and everything and anything that makes Snopes, Snopes. This month, executive editor/managing editor Doreen Marchionni gives a Snopes 2024 recap and discusses what our goals are going into the new year.

Season's greetings, friends. This is the first time our members-only newsletter comes to you on Christmas Day. It also comes with my gratitude for your support throughout this calendar year. And this year has been a doozy, from a presidential election that included not one but two assassination attempts on the Republican candidate to the actual assassination of an insurance CEO on the streets of Manhattan. We worked hard this year to push out our content on syndication services, including Yahoo, and nearly doubled the newsroom staff to help make that happen. In 2025, we hope to add yet more staff to the newsroom, revenue permitting, and plan to systematically track goals and promises of the incoming administration of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump. More to come on this in the weeks ahead. Huzzah!

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2. Fact-Checking Spotlight: Snopes' Top 10 Fact Checks in 2024

From Web Producer/Production Editor Izz Scott LaMagdeleine:

While the 2024 presidential election dominated American news headlines in 2024, a lot more than just politics captured Snopes readers' attention. 

Based on our site's traffic analytics, more people read fact checks about sports stars like Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, Brittney Griner and Aaron Rodgers than any others. Readers also gravitated to pages about high-profile celebrities such as Sean "Diddy" Combs and Elon Musk, as well as rumors about a giant sea creature and musicians' concert tours. Make sure to check out the full list.

3. Overheard at Snopes

We look into a lot of weird stuff at Snopes. We imagine it's very interesting to be a fly on the wall, so we wanted to give you a look at some of the things we have to say when fact-checking.

Overheard: i am become brain rot, consumer of slop

— Reporter Jack Izzo

4. Snopesing 101: How to Identify an Image's Legitimacy

Fact-check like a pro. Here, we’ll give you a peek behind the newsroom curtain by highlighting a recent fact check or sharing some of our tips and tricks for navigating the web. This week, freelance Reporter Madison Dapcevich shares tips for determining whether an image is genuine.

Many images circulating on social media are the product of digital manipulation or artificial intelligence software. Meanwhile, some photos are real, though people are sharing them without important context or accurate descriptions. Learn how to decipher for yourself whether an image is real or not by asking these questions:

  • Who took or posted the photo? Are they a polarizing character? Do they have an agenda to promote by sharing the image? If so, the photo may not have been presented in the most accurate way.

  • What was the context in which the photo was posted? Was it shared in an attempt to evoke emotion, spark discord or otherwise troll online users? That may indicate something suspicious going on.

  • Where was the photo taken? And, sometimes more importantly, where was it posted online? Has a reputable, well-known institution or organization corroborated the image?

  • When was it captured, and when did it first appear online? For images that depict recent real-world events, these dates are typically the same. If the image purports to show something historical but only surfaced online recently, you should be skeptical.

After answering the above questions, scan for any possible signs of AI generation. If there are people in the image, how many fingers do they have? Do any parts of the image suspiciously repeat? The Snopes newsroom applied this checklist numerous times throughout 2024. Take a look back at some of the images we fact-checked this year.

Mental Health Break

Snopes investigates some grim and depressing claims, so we know how important it is to your mental health to see something silly, funny, or just plain heartwarming. Here are some links that made us smile.

5. Snopes-worthy Reads

What Snopes is reading across the web.

— Maria Ramirez Uribe & Amy Sherman, PolitiFact

— Ryan Haas, Oregon Public Broadcasting

— Bill Grueskin, Columbia Journalism Review

Thanks for reading this edition of the Snopes Digest. We send new issues of the newsletter every month, so please add this email address to your white list and keep an eye out for the next issue.

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