>>>
>>> BEFORE THERE WAS BIG NEWS, THERE WAS SNOPES, THE ORIGINAL
FACT CHECKING WEBSITE IS A GO
TO FOR ANYONE WHO WANTS TO KNOW
IF WHAT WE HEAR IS TO PUT
FACEBOOK PRIVACY SCAMS, THE
DEADLIEST FIGHTERS TO POLITICAL
RUMORS, SNOPES SAID THAT RECORD
STRAIGHT.
STRAIGHT.
STRAIGHT. THE IDEA CAME FROM DAVID
MIKKELSON'S HOME.
MIKKELSON'S HOME. AT THE TACOMA MAN BEHIND SNOPES,
DAVID MIKKELSON'S.
DAVID MIKKELSON'S. THIS IS THRILLING FOR ME TO
MEET THE SNOPES GUY.
YOU ARE NOT A MYTH.
>> I AM NOT.
>> THAT'S GOOD.
TELL US THE HISTORY OF THIS THE
WEBSITE THAT'S BEEN AROUND
SINCE 1994?
SINCE 1994? HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?
IT WAS MOSTLY A HOBBY ON APEC --
GONE AMOK. WE WERE ON THE
INTERNET BEFORE MOST PEOPLE.
SO IT WAS KIND OF LIKE ONE OF
THE FIRST -- WHEN THE WEB
STARTED.
STARTED.
STARTED. CHRONICLING URBAN LEGENDS AND
IT KIND OF TOOK A TURN FROM
THERE.
THERE.
THERE. >>
THERE. >> IT'S WORKED OUT WELL,
THOUGH, RIGHT?
THOUGH, RIGHT? >> YEAH.
>> YEAH.
>> YEAH. >> HOW DOES IT EXACTLY WORK?
DESCRIBE WHAT FAKE NEWS IS TO
YOU.
YOU.
YOU. >>
YOU. >> WE KIND OF USE THE TERM JUNK
NEWS NOW.
NEWS NOW.
NEWS NOW. NOT ALL OF THE STUFF IS FAKE.
YOU CAN BE VERY MISLEADING AND
STILL BE 100% ACCURATE.
EVERYTHING WE C MEANS, NEW
STORIES, RUSSIAN TROLLS.
PUSHING FAKE NEWS.
>> THIS STORY HERE, HOW DO YOU
DEBUNK SOMETHING LIKE THIS.
HOW DO YOU FLUSH IT OUT?
>> WELL, IT KIND OF DEFENSE
WHAT THE SUBJECT MATTER IS.
LIKE THE SPIDER ONE.
JUST LOOKING AT PICTURES.
THAT'S AN ORDINARY SPECIES OF
SPIDER.
SPIDER.
SPIDER. YOU KNOW, COUPLED WITH THE FACT
THAT NO ONE IS REPORTING DYING
FROM THE SPIDER BITES.
YOU TRACK IT BACK TO THE SOURCE.
>> SO THAT'S KIND OF HOW YOU
GET INTO THE DETAILS.
ONE PERSON THAT YOU KIND OF
TRACE IT BACK TO THAT PERSON.
>> A DEADLY ASTEROID IS GOING TO
SMASH INTO THE EARTH AND
OBLITERATE ALL LIFE.
YOU ARE NOT GOING TO BE READING
ABOUT IT ON COUSIN LARRY'S
OBSCURE BLOG.
OBSCURE BLOG. >> ARE YOU SAYING WE SHOULDN'T
TRUST COUSIN LARRY?
DON'T TRUST ANY OF MY COUSINS.
SO TELL US ABOUT THE FACT
CHECKING YOU DO.
WHY CAN WE TRUST YOU?
>> WELL, WE'VE BEEN DOING THIS
FOR 20 SOMETHING YEARS.
SO IF WE DIDN'T HAVE A WELL-
ESTABLISHED REPETITION FOR
BEING ACCURATE, THEN WE WOULD
NOT HAVE THE REPUTATION.
SO LIKE OTHER FACT CHECKING
ENTITIES, WE SHOW ARTWORK.
YOU CAN SEE THE SOURCES WE USE.
WE EXPLAIN HOW WE TRACK THINGS.
YOU CAN LOOK FOR YOURSELF.
>> HOW HAS IT CHANGED FROM WHEN
YOU STARTED DECADES AGO TO NOW?
>> WELL, IT'S CHANGED IN THE
WAY THINGS HAVE SPREAD.
WE STARTED, PEOPLE WERE
AFFORDING CHUNKS OF TEXT BEFORE
SOCIAL MEDIA.
SOCIAL MEDIA. SINCE THEN, NO THINGS ARE
SPREAD -- NOW THINGS ARE SPREAD
LIKE SOCIAL MEDIA.
MOSTLY IN MEME OR GRAPHIC FORM.
THE PERSON ALSO SPREADS A LOT
FASTER AND FARTHER. LIKE THE
KID THAT NOW BEFORE THINGS TOOK
SEVERAL WEEKS TO GO VIRAL, NOW
SOMEONE PUT SOMETHING OUT THERE
ON FACEBOOK AND 30 MINUTES
LATER, THERE'S A HEADLINE IN
THE NEW YORK POST.
>> THE SPEED IS AMAZING.
HOW ABOUT THE CURRENT POLITICAL
CLIMATE?
CLIMATE?
CLIMATE? HOW HAS THAT CHANGED THINGS?
>> DELETE POLITICS TOOK OVER
AND OBLITERATED THINGS.
KIND OF THE LAST ELECTION, IT
TOOK A DIFFERENT TERM WITH
PEOPLE DISCOVERING THAT THEY
CAN DO THIS FOR MONETARY
PURPOSES.
PURPOSES.
PURPOSES. THEY DIDN'T NECESSARILY CARE
ABOUT ETIOLOGY AND WHO WON.
THAT WAS A BIG FACTOR IN WHAT
KIND OF STUFF WE'RE SEEING.
>> ARE THERE SOME STORIES THAT
JUST WILL NOT DIE?
>> YES, MANY ZOMBIE STORIES
THAT WILL NOT DIE.
>> I THINK WE JUST WANT TO
BELIEVE IN ZOMBIES.
IT'S -- IS THAT WHAT'S GOING ON?
>> YOU KNOW, THERE'S A LOT OF
THINGS THAT WE'VE BEEN TRACKING
FOR SO MANY YEARS LIKE ENTER
YOUR PIN IN REVERSE.
IT'S NEVER BEEN TRUE WITH -- WE
DEBUNKED IT 15, 20 YEARS AGO.
SOMETIMES YOU WONDER BECAUSE IT
NEVER GOES AWAY.
HOW ARE THERE PEOPLE STILL ON
THE INTERNET WHO HAVE NEVER
COME ACROSS THIS BEFORE?
>> HOW ABOUT THIS ONE?
SOMETHING ABOUT RAT URINE ON
SODA CANS.
SODA CANS. I WANT TO MAKE SURE THIS IS NOT
TRUE.
TRUE.
TRUE. >>
TRUE. >> NO, MOSTLY NOT TO PUT IT'S
NOT LIKE COMPLETELY OUTSIDE THE
REALM OF POSSIBILITY.
LIKELIHOOD YOU ARE GOING TO
CATCH SOME DEADLY DISEASE FROM
RAT URINE ON A SODA CAN BUT
IT'S EXCEEDINGLY LOW, LIKE THE
-- BELOW THE MARGIN THAT YOU
SHOULD BE WORRIED ABOUT THIS.
>> I CAN CROSS THAT OFF MY
LIST.
LIST.
LIST. HOW
LIST. HOW DID YOU FIGURE OUT THAT
THAT WAS NOT TRUE?
WAS THAT EASY?
>> AGAIN, IT'S LOOKING INTO
WHAT'S CLAIMED. WHAT IS THIS
DISEASE, AND HOW IS IT SPREAD?
AND HOW ARE SODA CANS HANDLED
IN THE SHIPPING ARENA?
CAN THIS DISEASE THAT THE
THINGS THAT SPREAD IT REALLY
LIVE IN THIS ENVIRONMENT?
>> YOU MAY CALL A SCIENTIST.
WE ARE TALKING TO DAVID
MICKELSON. IT'S SO COOL THAT
YOU DID THIS.
ASKED SOMEONE IN MEDIA, I NEED
TO MAKE SURE THAT THINGS ARE
TRUE.
TRUE.
TRUE. WE
TRUE. WE DO USE YOU AS A SOURCE FOR
SURE, NOT THE ONLY SOURCE.
TELL ME ABOUT THE FACEBOOK
PRIVACY THING.
PRIVACY THING. >> THERE WAS LIKE THE FACEBOOK
-- FACEBOOK IS GOING TO CLAIM
COPYRIGHT TO EVERYTHING YOU
POST ON FACEBOOK.
IT'S ONE OF THOSE ONES THAT HAS
BIG SURGES LIKE THE 8:06 AM
STORY, KIND OF OUT THERE.
THIS ONE, IT REAPPEARS THAT IT
JUST GOES DORMANT AND THEN A
YEAR LATER, SUNNY AGAIN, IT'S
LIKE HOW ARE THERE PEOPLE ON
FACEBOOK WHO HAVE NOT SEEN THIS
BEFORE?
BEFORE?
BEFORE? IT POPS UP IN A NOVA.
IT BURNS QUIETLY -- BRIGHTLY
FOR A FEW DAYS UNTIL EVERYONE
CALMS DOWN AGAIN.
>> YOU PROBABLY LEARNED A LOT
ABOUT OUR SPECIES ABOUT HUMANS.
WHO WE ARE.
DAVID, THANK YOU.
I GUESS YOU GOT TO GET BACK TO
WORK.
WORK.
WORK. >>
WORK. >> I DO.
>> I DO.
>> I DO. >> DAVID MIKKELSON . WHEN WE
GET BACK, THE OPTIONS FOR