Who owns Snopes? Fact check site trends online as Congresswoman's “listen to Snopes” tweet goes viral

Snopes, one of the more well-known fact-checking sites on the internet, is in the news again, not for falsifying a hoax, but for making itself part of the story.

The website started trending online this week after the U.S. Representative Sara Jacobs referenced the site in a viral tweet criticizing House Speaker Mike Johnson for his part in cutting federal food assistance programs substantially.

"Don’t take it from me, listen to Snopes! Speaker Johnson signed a bill to cut $186 billion from SNAP. And again, it’s HIS party that won’t help millions of Americans put food on the table this month," she wrote on X.

Don’t take it from me, listen to Snopes! Speaker Johnson signed a bill to cut $186 billion from SNAP. And again, it’s HIS party that won’t help millions of Americans put food on the table this month. https://t.co/sUsIOxRLuT

— Congresswoman Sara Jacobs (@RepSaraJacobs) November 2, 2025

Though the Snopes gained traction because of the SNAP budget shutdown crisis, it also sparked some public interest and confusion over who actually runs Snopes. The website has long been considered a leader in fact checking on the internet.

Under Mikkelson’s guidance, the Snopes site has continued its operations with the assistance of a small editorial team that checks news items and claims made online and misinformation. It continues to partner with major platforms, like Facebook, to notify them of false or misleading information.

In 2017, a nasty fight broke out between David Mikkelson and the digital media company, Proper Media, that managed advertising for Snopes. After the Mikkelsons' divorce, Barbara sold her 50% stake to five people connected with Proper Media.

The fight centered on whether Proper Media, or the shareholders of Proper Media, owned the other half of the company. Mikkelson argued that Proper Media was withholding advertising revenue and ceasing to fund Snopes, leading him to start an unsuccessful crowdfunding campaign that raised over $600,000 to help fund the venture.

More about Snopes' recent take on the SNAP's budget cut

Sara Jacobs was citing a recent report from Snopes indicating that Johnson had signed a budget bill that would cut $186 billion from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Her post came amid a widespread concern over whether millions of Americans would receive food benefits during the current government shutdown.

As stated by Snopes, the rumor spreading on social media about Johnson’s participation was true. The outlet confirmed that the Louisiana Republican endorsed President Donald Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” in July 2025.

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins says the whole SNAP program needs to be reformed.

It needs to get the DOGE treatment.pic.twitter.com/z220ZRszXR

— Paul A. Szypula 🇺🇸 (@Bubblebathgirl) October 31, 2025

Following the endorsement of both chambers of Congress and the Congressional Budget Office's, Snopes estimated that the bill would generate approximately $186 billion in SNAP reductions over the next 10 years, with approximately a third of the reductions resulting from increased work requirements.

Now years after the internal turmoil, Snopes is at the center of a national conversation yet again, this time as a subject of national political debate.

While the fact checking site remains committed to combating misinformation, its resurgence in prominence demonstrates that even a fact checker can become part of the polarizing and complex ecosystem of politics.