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David Mikkelson

David Mikkelson founded the site now known as snopes.com back in 1994 as a creative outgrowth of his wide-ranging interests in a variety of subjects (particularly folklore) and his professional expertise in the computer industry. Handling everything from researching and writing articles about urban legends to managing the site’s technical infrastructure, David saw snopes.com (which antedated the development of automated search engines) quickly become the go-to place for Internet users to query about anything questionable they encountered online, establishing it as the oldest and best known online fact-checking outlet operating today. David’s educational background includes a B.S. in Computer Science from the University of Texas (San Antonio) and about a zillion course hours of post-graduate classes at California State University Northridge taken with no particular degree program in mind. His previous employment encompassed stints with the News-Chronicle (newspaper), Teledyne Electronics, USPS, JPL, Digital Equipment Corporation, Rocketdyne, and Health Net (HMO).

Do North American Wildfires Stop at National Borders?

Written by: David Mikkelson

Sept. 15, 2020

This question has a simple answer.

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Is the Age of Consent Being Lowered to 4?

Written by: David Mikkelson

Sept. 14, 2020

The age of consent in the U.S. varies by state, ranging between 16 and 18. No one seriously want ...

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Is This Farmer Being Executed for Not Working with Castro?

Written by: David Mikkelson

Sept. 8, 2020

A photograph of a man kneeling before a priest was widely shared on Twitter and Facebook.

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Did a GOP Candidate Tweet Praise for Accused Kenosha Shooter?

Written by: David Mikkelson

Sept. 3, 2020

The conservative commentator used her Twitter account to praise a murder suspect while insulting ...

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Donald Trump.

Did Trump Say This About His Plans for a Second Term?

Written by: David Mikkelson

Aug. 31, 2020

The president "has strained to define what his second-term agenda would be."

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Did Larry Bird Tell NBA Players 'Shut Up and Play the Damn Game'?

Written by: David Mikkelson

Aug. 30, 2020

A supposed quote from the Celtic great criticized NBA players for their pro-racial justice protests.

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Did a BLM Organizer Say, 'I Don't Care If Someone Decides to Loot'?

Written by: David Mikkelson

Aug. 28, 2020

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said of the looting, “This is not legitimate First Amendment-protec ...

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Did RNC Speaker Abby Johnson Advocate 'Household Voting'?

Written by: David Mikkelson

Aug. 28, 2020

The anti-abortion activist tweeted that she believes in "one vote" per "Godly household," with h ...

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Is This an Excerpt from Hitler's Psychological Profile?

Written by: David Mikkelson

Aug. 25, 2020

"In each and every field, [Hitler] believes himself to be an unquestioned authority," the report ...

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Joe Biden.

Did Biden Say 'Christians Violate LGBTQ Rights by Simply Existing'?

Written by: David Mikkelson

Aug. 24, 2020

This was not a remotely accurate nor reasonable summary of what the former U.S. vice president a ...

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Did Trump Tweet This About Goodyear?

Written by: David Mikkelson

Aug. 24, 2020

Trump's tweet followed a report from a television station in Topeka, Kansas, based on an anonymo ...

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Is This Meme About Trump and Epstein Accurate?

Written by: David Mikkelson

Aug. 21, 2020

A social media meme sought to exonerate U.S. President Donald Trump from any connection with Jef ...

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Are These Victims Who Were 'Beat Up by a BLM Hate Group'?

Written by: David Mikkelson

Aug. 21, 2020

Yet another meme sought to denigrate a particular group by using misrepresented photographs.

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Does This Photo Show Trash Left by Protesters in Seattle's 'Autonomous Zone'?

Written by: David Mikkelson

Aug. 19, 2020

Mislabeled photographs are common currency in the world of online disinformation.

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Donald Trump

Did Trump Pay $35M to Settle Child Rape Claims Against Him?

Written by: David Mikkelson

Aug. 18, 2020

An "utterly deranged nutter with a mind unclouded by facts, evidence, or reason" may not be the ...

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Donald Trump twitter profile

Did Trump Tweet This About Kamala Harris?

Written by: David Mikkelson

Aug. 14, 2020

The president was critical of Joe Biden's choice of running mate in 2020, but not in this partic ...

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Joe Biden.

Did Biden Make This Statement About Democracy During a Pandemic?

Written by: David Mikkelson

Aug. 14, 2020

"We can both have a democracy and elections and at the same time protect the public health," the ...

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Does Kamala Harris' Birth Certificate Identify Her as 'Caucasian'?

Written by: David Mikkelson

Aug. 13, 2020

Anything is possible if you ignore the obvious.

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kamala harris

Did Kamala Harris Make These Contrasting Statements About Police?

Written by: David Mikkelson

Aug. 12, 2020

Whether those contrasting statements document the senator to be a "hypocrite" is a thornier ques ...

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Did a Convicted Child Predator Win an Appeal on Discrimination Grounds?

Written by: David Mikkelson

Aug. 11, 2020

Another example of a meme that misled through its failure to provide context.

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