June 21, 2026・Issue #124
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: inspecting alleged link between Driscoll's strawberries and cancer
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, Reporting Fellow Aleksandra Wrona broke down how she investigated claims that Driscoll's strawberries contain "cancer-causing" chemicals.
In late May, Snopes investigated online posts warning users that Driscoll's strawberries were sprayed with "up to 371 chemical pesticides" and had been "directly tied to cancer." The posts spread across multiple social media platforms, often urging viewers not to buy conventional strawberries or to scan their food with a third-party app.
We traced the main claim about pesticide residue to a May article that said it tested one conventional Driscoll's strawberry sample and one USDA Organic sample. According to the article, the conventional sample contained 12 pesticide residues, while the organic sample came back "non-detect."
But the limited test didn't show all Driscoll's strawberries contained residues, that the berries were sprayed with hundreds of pesticides or that eating them caused cancer. Driscoll's told Snopes its berries are "safe to eat" and described the online rumors as "misinformation and non-scientific claims."
The "371 pesticides" number appeared to refer to laboratories testing for hundreds of possible residues — not finding hundreds of pesticides on strawberries. Read our full investigation to see how a limited test turned into unsupported claims about Driscoll's strawberries and cancer.
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2. Fact-checking highlight: data centers
To help you separate fact from fiction, our reporters are constantly unpacking rumors surrounding top headlines. Reporter Taija PerryCook rounded up claims we’ve investigated about AI data centers as construction skyrockets across the U.S.
As artificial intelligence has gone mainstream with the advent of OpenAI's ChatGPT and other generative programs, tech companies have scrambled to meet demand with hundreds of AI data centers emerging in rural, low-tax regions across the U.S.
From the effects of AI data centers on local water supply to raising greenhouse gas emissions amid the AI boom, here are seven claims related to data centers we’ve dug into:
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: "Melania's 'lesbian photo shoot' nearly did as well as Trump's fart, which really helped with our numbers >>>>"
— Web Producer/Production Editor Izz Scott LaMagdeleine
4. Since we last met: meet our summer investigative intern
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 introduces you to a new fact-checker in the newsroom, thanks to the Ida B. Wells Society for Investigative Reporting's summer internship program.
For the second consecutive summer, Snopes is partnering with the Ida B. Wells Society, a nonprofit that works to boost the careers of investigative journalists of color.
Along with 15 other newsrooms across the U.S. (The Washington Post, USA Today, the Los Angeles Times and ProPublica, to name a few), our newsroom is hosting a summer investigative intern through the organization. Meet Abiba Biao, a recent graduate of Southern Connecticut State University with a bachelor's degree in public health.
For 12 weeks, Biao will work with our team on daily fact checks, while investigating a particular misinformation trend for an enterprise project. We're open to your ideas for how she should spend her time with us. Use our tip line.
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.
Man helps baby moose get over highway divider - Reddit user u/thejeffroc
Duck wearing Mexico soccer jersey - Bluesky user @treblaw.bsky.social
Mother bird confronts farmer to protect unhatched eggs - Reddit user u/SageSharma
5. Snopes-worthy media
What Snopes is paying attention to across the web.
Scott Pelley on Bari Weiss and His Last Days at '60 Minutes'
— The Interview, The New York Times
Can a Chatbot Convince Conspiracy Theorists of the Truth?
— Question Everything, KCRW
Why Music Critics Have Olivia Rodrigo's New Album Backwards
— Jonathan Haynes, Money on the Left
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