April 26, 2026・Issue #122
Let’s talk about what’s going on with Snopes: the newsroom, the products, the people and everything and anything that makes Snopes, Snopes. Here‘s your exclusive behind-the-scenes look into what we do, available only for paying members of our fact-finding community:
1. Behind the Snopes: Incarcerated trans people ‘medical experimentation’ claim
Our fact checkers come to work ready to investigate whatever is on readers‘ minds, with a hint of skepticism and the highest degree of journalism ethics. From dangerous scientific falsehoods to celebrity conspiracy theories, the team scours niche corners of social media, conducts interviews, requests public records and more to set the record straight.
This month, Reporter Rae Deng unpacked their investigation into a rumor that the Trump administration admitted to “medically experimenting” on incarcerated trans people.
In mid-April, we published an in-depth look into a claim that the Trump administration had admitted to “medically experimenting” on transgender people in prison.
The rumor originated from an independent journalist’s analysis of the administration’s proposal to end gender-affirming care in prisons. However, that context was often lost in the claims circulating online.
Snopes readers reached out to ask about medical experimentation on trans people in prison, seemingly without realizing the rumor referenced a real plan to forcibly detransition trans prisoners by taking away their hormone treatments and social accommodations.
We sought to return facts to the narrative by breaking down the Trump administration’s proposal and speaking with experts in bioethics, psychiatry and medical care for trans patients.
The experts we spoke to disagreed on whether the policy amounted to medical experimentation, in part because proper research has stronger patient protections — but they all agreed the policy violates basic ethical principles of medical care.
Read our examination into the Trump administration’s proposal to end gender-affirming care in prisons here.
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2. Snopes-ing 101: Celebrity supplements scams
We know our readers are interested in how the team goes about investigating claims and rumors spreading online. This month, Reporting Fellow Aleksandra Wrona gave a peek behind the curtain about how we fact-checked a celebrity supplements scam fraudulently weaponizing Bill Gates‘ support for Alzheimer’s disease research.
For months, readers emailed us and searched our site after seeing ads claiming Bill Gates was connected to supposed Alzheimer’s remedies with names like “Brain Honey,” “Mind Boost” and “Memopezil.”
We started by asking what made the ads seem believable. Gates has publicly discussed Alzheimer’s research for years and personally invested in dementia-related science. Scammers appeared to exploit his real interest to make bogus products seem credible, framing them as breakthroughs that could cure or reverse Alzheimer’s disease, dementia and memory loss.
The deeper we looked, the more the campaigns followed a familiar pattern. A dramatic ad hooked readers with a famous name and led to a page styled to resemble a news story or interview. Only after a long emotional buildup did the real purpose come into view — selling an unproven supplement. But a legitimate medical breakthrough would show up in peer-reviewed research and credible medical coverage, not in a mysterious ad selling bottles of supplements online.
The Gates case is not an isolated one. It fits a broader pattern of scam supplement promotions that swap in different celebrity names and product labels while using the same basic sales strategy. We recently published an investigation looking into claims linking Oprah and Dr. Phil to “pink gelatin” weight loss products.
Have you seen a celebrity supplement ad that doesn’t add up? Send us a link.
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: “the real fact checks were the friends we made along the way”
— Senior Assignments Editor Tom Steele
4. Since we last met: Weekend fact-checking
We want to keep you in the loop on Snopes‘ growth, from hiring new employees to launching new tech features to partnering with other publishers to expand our fact-checking footprint.
Here, Executive Editor Jessica Lee pulls back the curtain on a new experiment in the newsroom that aims to help our readers around the clock: weekend fact-checking.
For years, the Snopes newsroom has primarily operated during business hours, Monday through Friday, across U.S. time zones. But, as we look to the future, we’re now playing around with the idea of having a seven-day newsroom.
A handful of fact-checkers and editors are testing whether weekend shifts could help us better fulfill our main promise to readers — that is, to provide facts during big breaking news events.
As an experiment, they’re on call on Saturdays and Sundays in case something major happens, whether it be war strikes, a wild weather event or news from the Trump administration. Their top-notch fact-finding skills are at the ready, no matter the day.
A few months from now, we’ll reflect on how the test system worked. As always, we’re open to your feedback.
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.
Groundhogs get their nails clipped - X account @FranceNews24
Istanbul soccer players revive seagull - Instagram account @washingtonpost
Seal who loves rubber ducks - X account @bbcworldservice
5. Snopes-worthy media
What Snopes is paying attention to across the web.
In the Room With Iran’s Social Media Savants
— Narges Bajoghli, Intelligencer
The Internet's Most Powerful Archiving Tool Is in Peril
— Kate Knibbs, WIRED
A Colorado newspaper fired a journalist for making up quotes. She changed her name, got back in the game — and now she’s facing prison.
— Sam Tabachnik, Denver Post
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