Snopes Changed Fact-Check After Pressure From Biden Administration: Emails

Newly disclosed emails reveal that the fact-checking website Snopes altered one of its ratings following pressure from President Joe Biden’s administration.

Under the “what’s true” section, Snopes mentioned that “The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), a federal agency, is currently considering a ban on gas stoves if they can’t be made safer, due to concerns over harmful indoor pollutants that cause health and respiratory problems.”

Another section clarified that the ban had not been implemented.

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“We would appreciate a correction to this story,” Ms. Springs requested.

Mr. Ibrahim replied the next day, stating that Snopes would “correct the article.”

Subsequently, Snopes revised the fact-check rating from “mixture” to “false.”

The updated article now states that the CPSC “is not currently considering a ban on gas stoves, although a commissioner mentioned that ‘anything is on the table’ if they can’t be made safer.”

“Nice!! So helpful going forward,” Mr. Kikukawa responded.

In another email, Mr. Kikuwaka informed Ms. Springs that the White House would be issuing a statement “clarifying that POTUS does not support banning gas stoves” and promoting social media posts from the commission and Mr. Trumka. “Will also be pushing people your way,” he added.

The emails were obtained by the Functional Government Initiative nonprofit through the Freedom of Information Act.

“A commissioner appointed by President Biden wanted to ban gas stoves, and he got caught, provoking a public outcry. So, the CPSC staff leaned on Snopes, seeking to counter the narrative by splitting hairs about commission processes. And the White House finds this ‘helpful.’ Helpful with what?“ Pete McGinnis, spokesman for the nonprofit, said in a statement. ”This goes beyond dysfunction—the government using sympathetic media to censor inconvenient news. The American people deserve both to keep their gas stoves and to know the truth about what regulations government officials are considering.”

Snopes did not respond to a request for comment.

Closer to Ban

The CPSC framed the possibility of banning stoves as solely on Mr. Trumka, issuing a statement from Alexander Hoehn-Saric. The chairman of the commission said, “I am not looking to ban gas stoves and the CPSC has no proceeding to do so.”

At the same time, CPSC officials acknowledged that they were investigating emissions from gas stoves and were “exploring new ways to address any health risks.”