Snopes was forced to reverse on Friday after coming under fire for “fact-checking” an image of President Joe Biden wearing a helmet backwards.
Social media users blamed union members for Biden's failed campaign after the president was seen wearing his helmet backwards at a construction site in Superior, Wisconsin.
It's real. https://t.co/eSOG8BobpS https://t.co/NPPaoldb84 pic.twitter.com/Vyrl7mWcCi
— Stephen L. Miller (@redsteeze) January 27, 2024
Snoops dug themselves a hole in trying to fabricate Biden's blue-collar fashion faux pas, initially rating a claim that he wore a construction hat the wrong way as “false.” However, left-wing fact-checkers changed their rating to “true” when it was pointed out as a political tool.
Update: We bullied Snopes into changing their fact-checking. They now admit that Joe Biden wore his helmet backwards. https://t.co/K29Kfm4QWk pic.twitter.com/xvMgQ0e9LC
— End Wakeness (@EndWokeness) January 27, 2024
Snopes added a long post Editor's note Write the following on your web page:
“Comments that challenge our assumption that wearing a helmet ‘backwards’ means wearing the helmet with the brim facing backwards, and ‘forward-facing’ means wearing the helmet with the brim facing forward. , in a very short period of time. Based on that assumption, we initially rated the claim that Biden was wearing his helmet backwards as false,” Snopes wrote after the update. Ta.
Snopes acknowledged that it was “a fact” that Biden was wearing his helmet backwards during the photo shoot. The same fact-checking investigator demonstrated new knowledge that the hat's strap and tightening knob should have been worn behind Biden's head, not his forehead. (Related: Biden returns to microphone after pro-democracy speech, adds three creepy words)
“The upshot of that argument is, 'Biden looks awfully stupid anyway,'” Snopes wrote. “We believe these arguments are correct. Therefore, the claim that 'President Joe Biden wore his helmet backwards during a photo shoot with construction unions in Superior, Wisconsin' is true. This fact finding has been reassessed as such.”
Social media users made fun of Snopes after it corrected its negative reviews.
“What happened today with Snopes is probably the best 'start and go' of all time,” one user wrote.
What happened today at Snopes is perhaps the greatest “beginning and passage” of all time. pic.twitter.com/2qC04wtdAf
— HansMahncke (@HansMahncke) January 27, 2024
“Lamao X bullied Snopes into posting the truth,” another person commented.
Lol 𝕏 I'm being bullied @snopes to post the truth https://t.co/Ih3RrhaE4m pic.twitter.com/R6dZSekdC5
— Alx🇺🇸 (@alx) January 27, 2024
“Fact confirmed but not confirmed by @snopes,” a third user wrote.
Fact confirmed but not confirmed @snopes https://t.co/EXifZl0Q1E
— Fusilli Spock (@awstar11) January 27, 2024
This is not the first time Snopes has announced a retraction following public backlash. The fact-checking website created the moniker “labeled satire” following a feud with the Babylon Bee, a conservative satirical outlet.
