<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="1085671" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Snopes">Snopes</keyword> CEO and cofounder <keyword id="280594" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="David-Mikkelson">David Mikkelson</keyword> plagiarized dozens of stories, <a href="https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/deansterlingjones/snopes-cofounder-plagiarism-mikkelson">BuzzFeed reports</a>.</li><li>Mikkelson was also writing plagiarized Snopes content under a pseudonym: "<keyword id="11855570" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="jeff-zarronandia">Jeff Zarronandia</keyword>."</li><li>He isn't stepping down as Snopes CEO, but did issue an apology.</li></ul><p>Snopes, the website that <a href="https://www.snopes.com/about/">advertises itself</a> as, "the internet's definitive fact-checking resource," is facing a major <keyword id="44359" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="plagiarism">plagiarism</keyword> scandal: The site's CEO and cofounder, David Mikkelson, just admitted to plagiarizing dozens of Snopes articles.</p><p>That's according <a href="https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/deansterlingjones/snopes-cofounder-plagiarism-mikkelson">to a BuzzFeed News investigation</a> that first discovered the plagiarized works. When Snopes investigated, it found a whopping 54 pieces in total that included plagiarism. That investigation remains ongoing, according to the company.</p><p>"Plagiarism undermines our mission and values, full stop," Snopes executives said in a statement. "It has no place in any context within this organization.</p><p>To that end, Mikkelson's publishing rights have been revoked. He remains a 50% shareholder and the company's CEO.</p><p><em><strong>Read more: </strong><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/biden-conflicts-wealth-corporate-clients-ethics-2021-8">We've got your guidebook to the wealth - and potential ethical conflicts -of 31 top Biden appointees</a></em></p><p>"I engaged in multiple serious copyright violations of content that Snopes didn't have rights to use, Mikkelson said in a statement. "There is no excuse for my serious lapses in judgement. I am sorry."</p><p>The plagiarized pieces were taken from major news outlets like The Guardian, and published under at least three separate bylines. Mikkelson's own name was tied to some, as was the general "Snopes Staff" byline and a pseudonym Mikkelson set up under the byline Jeff Zarronandia. </p><p>Journalists rarely publish under pseudonyms, and the practice is often reserved for journalists operating in a dangerous situation where their identity needs to be protected.</p><p>In the case of Mikkelson, the pseudonym was used, "to write about topics he knew would get him hate mail under that assumed name," a former managing editor of Snopes, Brooke Binkowski, told BuzzFeed News. "Plus it made it appear he had more staff than he had."</p><p><em><strong>Got a tip?</strong> Contact Insider senior correspondent Ben Gilbert via email (<a href="mailto:bgilbert@insider.com">bgilbert@insider.com</a>),</em><em> or Twitter DM (<a href="https://twitter.com/RealBenGilbert">@realbengilbert</a>). We can keep sources anonymous. Use a non-work device to reach out. PR pitches by email only, please.</em></p>

The CEO of fact-checking site Snopes was caught plagiarizing dozens of articles

<p>Good afternoon. Here are the top stories so far today.</p><p>For more daily and weekly briefings, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/subscription/newsletter"><strong>sign up for our newsletters here</strong></a>.</p><p><strong>What happened today:</strong></p><p><strong><keyword id="513036" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Cuomo">Cuomo</keyword> could run for office again. </strong><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ny-assembly-calls-off-cuomo-impeachment-allowing-potentially-run-again-2021-8">The New York Assembly suspended its impeachment investigation</a> after Gov. Andrew Cuomo said he would resign in the wake of a damning sexual harassment probe. The decision to suspend the impeachment investigation means Cuomo could run for office in New York in the future, which some suspect the governor may attempt to do.</p><p><strong>POTUS with sign. </strong>The star of the Instagram account @dudewithsign, which has over 7.6M followers, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/biden-holds-sign-with-dude-with-sign-influencer-vaccine-photo-2021-8">posed with President Joe Biden to encourage his followers to get vaccinated</a>. Dude with Sign's White House visit is part of a broader effort from the Biden administration to get its vaccine messaging out to Gen-Z and younger millennials who haven't gotten their shots yet.</p><p><strong>I'll be back - unless you get vaccinated.</strong> Arnold Schwarzenegger, the "Terminator" star and former California governor, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/arnold-schwarzenegger-urges-americans-get-the-covid-vaccine-oped-atlantic-2021-8">is the latest Republican speaking up about the need to get vaccinated against COVID-19</a>. "I can't help but wonder how much better off we'd be if Americans took a step back from <keyword id="6358883" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="politics">politics</keyword> and spent a minute thinking about how lucky we are to call this country home," he wrote in The Atlantic.</p><p><strong>Not so trustworthy.</strong> Snopes, the website that advertises itself as "the internet's definitive fact-checking resource," is facing a major plagiarism scandal: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ceo-of-snopes-plagiarized-dozens-of-articles-2021-8">The site's CEO and cofounder, David Mikkelson, admitted to plagiarizing dozens of Snopes articles</a>, BuzzFeed News reported. "I am sorry," he said in a statement. </p><p><strong>Want to travel in Canada? Better get your shot.</strong> Canada announced Friday that it will soon require <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/canada-cruise-plane-passengers-vaccine-mandate-2021-8">all commercial air travelers, cruise ship passengers, and interprovincial train passengers to get vaccinated</a> against COVID-19. The new mandate will go into effect this fall, no later than the end of October, according to a government news release. </p><p><strong>That's all for now. See you Monday.</strong></p>

Top Stories this PM: NY Assembly suspends Cuomo impeachment probe; Arnold Schwarzenegger urges vaccinations

<p><a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/t-mobile-data-breach-bitcoin-100-million-users-forum-post-2021-8"></a></p><p>Good morning and welcome to <keyword id="9070519" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="10-things-in-tech">10 Things in Tech</keyword>. If this was forwarded to you, <a href="http://newsletter.businessinsider.com/join/4np/10-things-in-tech"><strong>sign up here</strong></a>. ​​Plus, download Insider's app for news on the go - <a href="https://apps.apple.com/app/apple-store/id554260576?pt=385758&amp;ct=06292021_newsletters&amp;mt=8amp;mt=8">click here for iOS</a> and <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.freerange360.mpp.businessinsider&amp;r[%E2%80%A6]ers%26utm_medium%3Demail%26utm_term%3D06292021%26anid%3Dadmobdmob">here for Android</a>.</p><p>Let's get started.</p><p><strong>1. T-Mobile is investigating an alleged data breach affecting 100 million users</strong>. According to Vice, the data breach is said to have compromised users' social security numbers, phone numbers, physical addresses, and more. <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/t-mobile-data-breach-bitcoin-100-million-users-forum-post-2021-8">Here's a look at what we know so far.</a></p><p><strong>2. Flawless AI influencers are becoming a billion-dollar industry in China. </strong>"Virtual idols," or computer-generated influencers, don't gain weight, never age, and keep their noses out of controversy - and are landing major ad deals with companies like Tesla. <a href="https://www.insider.com/chinas-flawless-ai-influencers-the-hot-new-queens-of-advertising-2021-8">Here's everything you need to know about the fake influencers that are engineered to perfection.</a></p><p><strong>3. These startups are using the H-1B visa program to hire the most foreign workers. </strong>We've compiled a list of the venture-backed, private companies that have hired the most foreign workers since the start of 2020. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/startup-companies-that-sponsor-h1b-visas-hire-immigrants-2021-8">Here are 20 startups that sponsor the most H-1B visas - including ByteDance, Instacart, and Stripe.</a></p><p><strong>4. The CEO of fact-checking site Snopes was caught plagiarizing dozens of articles. </strong>The site's CEO and cofounder, David Mikkelson, has admitted to plagiarizing 54 stories from outlets like the Guardian and LA Times. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ceo-of-snopes-plagiarized-dozens-of-articles-2021-8">More on that here.</a></p><p><strong>5. A Texas firm is helping to create a fake Martian habitat for NASA. </strong>NASA just announced it's seeking volunteers to spend a year living on a fake Martian surface - which will be 3D printed by a Texan construction-tech firm. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nasa-mars-martian-habitat-icon-3d-printed-space-texas-2021-8">Check out the habitat here.</a></p><p><strong>6. An Apple exec defended the company's much-criticized plan to scan iPhones for child abuse images.</strong> Apple's SVP Craig Federighi told the WSJ the new feature has been "widely misunderstood." <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/apple-iphone-craig-federighi-photo-scanning-child-abuse-images-2021-8">Read his explanation of the feature, which security experts have called a "misstep."</a></p><p><strong>7. Amazon wants your palm prints - and lawmakers are asking why. </strong>The <keyword id="6358815" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="tech">tech</keyword> giant introduced Amazon One, a palm-print scanner, last year. Now, a bipartisan group of Senators is demanding an explanation of how the company plans to use the biometric data it gathers. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-wants-your-palm-prints-lawmakers-are-asking-why-2021-8">Get the full rundown.</a></p><p><strong>8. A $50,000 camper that turns the Tesla Cybertruck into an RV has hit $80 million in pre-orders. </strong>Known as "the Cyberlandr," the pop-up camper combines two growing trends that have recently flooded the automobile industry: camper vans and electric pickup trucks.<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/photos-tesla-cybertruck-camper-van-cyberlandrs-tiny-homes-on-wheeks-2021-8"> See inside the Cyberlandr. </a></p><p><strong>9. Politicians who slam Big Tech still spend money on Facebook, Amazon, and Google products to help them win elections. </strong>Big Tech-weary politicos like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez have spent upwards of $600,000 on Facebook ads this year, despite criticizing the platform. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/aoc-mtg-spending-millions-on-big-tech-facebook-google-despite-bashing-companies-2021-8">We have the receipts here.</a></p><p><strong>10. The honeymoon might be over for cloud computing. </strong>After a year of pandemic-driven hype for companies like Amazon Web Services, experts from Wall Street and Silicon Valley warn that cloud customers are getting more cautious. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/cloud-honeymoon-over-for-amazon-microsoft-helps-oracle-cisco-vmware-2021-8">Why the cloud frenzy is wearing off.</a></p><hr /><p><em>Compiled by Jordan Erb. Tips/comments? Email </em><a href="mailto:jerb@insider.com"><em>jerb@insider.com</em></a><em> or tweet </em><a href="https://twitter.com/jordanparkererb"><em>@JordanParkerErb</em></a><em>.</em></p><p><strong>Sign up for </strong><a href="https://newsletter.businessinsider.com/join/free"><strong>more Insider newsletters here.</strong></a></p>

10 things in tech you need to know today

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5c07109bcc0f47796f20dada-2400/gettyimages-944363520.jpg" border="0" alt="Mark Zuckerberg" data-mce-source="Getty" /><p class="source"><span>Getty</span></p><p class="caption">Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><ul class="summary-list"><li><strong>Facebook has been slammed by current and former fact-checkers for using them as "crisis PR" rather than to genuinely combat misinformation.</strong></li><li><strong>Two former employees for the fact-checking site Snopes said Facebook threw fact-checkers under the bus when their work prompted a backlash.</strong></li><li><strong>Some fact-checkers also expressed dismay at the news that Facebook hired the Republican-linked PR firm Definers to smear prominent critic George Soros.</strong></li></ul><p>Current and former fact-checkers for Facebook have slammed the company in interviews with <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/dec/13/they-dont-care-facebook-fact-checking-in-disarray-as-journalists-push-to-cut-ties?CMP=share_btn_tw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Guardian</a>, saying it cared more about "crisis PR" than actually combatting the spread of fake news.</p><p>Brooke Bujnowski, a former managing editor of fact-checking site Snopes which has partnered with Facebook for two years, said Facebook, "essentially used us for crisis PR." Binkowski left Snopes and now runs her own fact-checking site, which doesn't partner with Facebook.</p><p>"They're not taking anything seriously. They are more interested in making themselves look good and passing the buck… They clearly don't care," she added.</p><p>Another Snopes alum, Kim LaCapria, told The Guardian that it quickly became apparent that Facebook wanted the "appearance of trying to prevent damage without actually doing anything."</p><h2>Throwing fact-checkers under the bus</h2><p>Former Snopes staffers told The Guardian that there was a noticeable backlash against their work, with an increase in harassment, death threats, and attacks, particularly from far-right users, who accused them of liberal bias.</p><p>Binkowski said when these attacks erupted, Facebook left individual journalists to fend for themselves. "They threw us under the bus at every opportunity," she said. LaCapria said fact-checkers were "collateral damage."</p><p>A Facebook spokesperson told The Guardian that the company has started running journalist safety training for new partners.</p><h2>Propaganda machine</h2><p>Binkowski described her frustration over the way Facebook handled the Rohingya crisis in Myanmar, saying that although she brought it up repeatedly, Facebook was "absolutely resistant."</p><p>"I strongly believe that they are spreading fake news on behalf of hostile foreign powers and authoritarian governments as part of their business model," she said.</p><p><em><strong>Read more:</strong> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-failures-in-myanmar-2018-11?r=US&amp;IR=T">Facebook says it did not do enough to halt the spread of hate speech and violence in Myanmar</a></em></p><p>Binkowski also told The Guardian that on at least one occasion Facebook put pressure on fact-checkers to debunk misinformation that affected advertisers on the platform.</p><p>A Facebook spokesperson declined to comment on this when contacted by The Guardian. It said: "The primary way we surface potentially false news to third-party fact-checkers is via machine learning."</p><h2>Definers and George Soros</h2><p>The news that Facebook <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-george-soros-critics-nyt-2018-11?r=US&amp;IR=T">hired PR firm Definers to push narratives discrediting billionaire George Soros</a>, who is the subject of numerous antisemitic conspiracy theories, also gave fact-checkers cause for concern.</p><p>"Why should we trust Facebook when it's pushing the same rumors that its own fact checkers are calling fake news?" an anonymous journalist fact-checker told The Guardian. "It's worth asking how do they treat stories about George Soros on the platform knowing they specifically pay people to try to link political enemies to him?"</p><p><em><strong>Read more:</strong> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/sheryl-sandberg-george-soros-research-after-facebook-criticism-2018-11?r=US&amp;IR=T">Sheryl Sandberg reportedly wanted to know if George Soros, who publicly criticized Facebook, was shorting the company's stock</a></em></p><p>The journalist added that partnering with Facebook "makes us look bad." Another anonymous fact-checker called Facebook "a terrible company" and added "on a personal level, I don't want to have anything to do with them."</p><p>When contacted by the Guardian, fact-checking partners defended their relationship with Facebook. Angie Drobnic Holan, editor of PolitiFact, called their partnership a "public service."</p><p>Snopes CEO and founder David Mikkelson told The Guardian that he didn't share the concerns of his former employees. "Our work remains the same... It's up to Facebook to decide the relative success of it," he said.</p><p>Business Insider has contacted Facebook and Snopes for comment.</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/easy-flip-grill-evenly-cook-food-2018-9">This invention makes flipping food on the grill much easier</a></h3>        <div>            <iframe class="bijwplayerclass" data-player="jwplayer" src="https://content.jwplatform.com/players/1bvDVYbx-CEZHWCBG.html" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="auto" style="margin:0px;" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><script>function receiveMessage(event){ console.log(event.data.fullscreen); Android.fullscreen(event.data.fullscreen); }window.addEventListener("message", receiveMessage, false);</script>        </div>    </div>

'They threw us under the bus at every opportunity': Facebook fact-checkers say its mission to weed out fake news was a PR stunt

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/597632865d8a2f23008b4a30-909/screen shot 2017-07-24 at 14556 pm.png" alt="snopes" data-mce-source="Snopes" data-mce-caption="Snopes.com" /><p class="source"><span>Snopes</span></p><p class="caption">Snopes.com</p></div><p></p></div></div>Fact-checking website Snopes said it may shut down over a dispute with an advertising vendor.</p><p>In a post on Monday, the 23-year-old site said it was "in danger of closing its doors" over a dispute with a former vendor whom the site claims does not allow Snopes to modify the site or place ads on it. </p><p>"We had previously contracted with an outside vendor to provide certain services for Snopes.com," the site <a href="https://www.savesnopes.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">said in a statement</a>. "That contractual relationship ended earlier this year, but the vendor will not acknowledge the change in contractual status and continues to essentially hold the Snopes.com web site hostage."</p><p>The site asked readers to chip in to help Snopes continue operating while it deals with a mounting a legal challenge against its former vendor, which Snopes did not name.</p><p>"As misinformation has increasingly threatened democracies around the world (including our own), Snopes.com has stood in the forefront of fighting for truth and dispelling misinformation online," the statement said. "It is vital that these efforts continue, so we are asking the Snopes.com community to donate what they can."</p><p>Snopes has long been a site that's dedicated to fact-checking urban legends. Since its inception in 1994, it has grown to become one of the most prominent website to fact-check conspiracy theories and "fake <keyword id="6355005" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="News">news</keyword>" online. Snopes formed a partnership last year with Facebook to begin vetting some viral news stories to ensure that Facebook's newsfeed become more accurate.</p><p>The site's readership expanded greatly during the 2016 election, as its expanded staff dug deep into conspiracy theories about Hillary Clinton.</p><p>"The fake news wasn't from Trump so much. It was from people who hated Hillary Clinton," managing editor Brooke Binkowski <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/25/technology/for-fact-checking-website-snopes-a-bigger-role-brings-more-attacks.html?mcubz=0" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">told The New York Times</a>. "Once the election was over we figured it would go away."</p><p>Some critics have dismissed Snopes as a fact-checking sites that favors liberals.</p><p>The Daily Caller has written pieces <a href="http://dailycaller.com/2016/06/17/fact-checking-snopes-websites-political-fact-checker-is-just-a-failed-liberal-blogger/">recapping</a> its writers' political leanings, while users on the internet often float unverified theories about the site's founder, David Mikkelson.</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/kellyanne-conway-defended-trump-jr-russia-lawyer-meeting-show-and-tell-cards-hannity-2017-7">Kellyanne Conway defended Donald Trump Jr.'s meeting with a Russian lawyer using show-and-tell cards - and the internet went nuts</a></h3>        <div>            <div>    <script src="http://player.ooyala.com/v3/6e12e8b3387a44daacfb73afba25a76e"></script>    <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="Y5YWR3YjE6vKcDWg0wJFHSbxZIsoAQ46" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>    <script>    if (typeof RunFunctions === 'undefined') { var RunFunctions = []; }     RunFunctions.push(function()    {         var ooyalapopvideo = OO.Player.create('ooyalaplayer_popvideo', 'Y5YWR3YjE6vKcDWg0wJFHSbxZIsoAQ46',{ autoplay: 'false' });     });    </script>    <noscript><div>Please enable Javascript to watch this video</div></noscript></div>        </div>        <script>(function() { function createPlayer() { OO.ready(function() { RunFunctions.forEach(function(ooyalaFunction) { ooyalaFunction(); }); RunFunctions = [];}); } createPlayer(); }()); </script>    </div>

You Searched For "David Mikkelson" and got 5 results

The CEO of fact-checking site Snopes was caught plagiarizing dozens of articles

Ben Gilbert

Top Stories this PM: NY Assembly suspends Cuomo impeachment probe; Arnold Schwarzenegger urges vaccinations

INSIDER

10 things in tech you need to know today

Jordan Parker Erb

'They threw us under the bus at every opportunity': Facebook fact-checkers say its mission to weed out fake news was a PR stunt

Isobel Asher Hamilton,Isobel Asher Hamilton

One of the most prominent sites calling out fake news may shut down because it's being held 'hostage' by advertisers

Maxwell Tani