FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 30, 2025
Contact: carrie@mediaguildwest.org
Employees of the oldest fact-checking organization on the internet, Snopes.com, announced their intent to form a union on June 30, 2025.
The Snopes Guild seeks voluntary recognition from CEO Chris Richmond, CFO Drew Schoentrup, executive editor Doreen Marchionni and director of accounting Amber Marsowicz after 80% of eligible staffers — and counting — signed union cards authorizing representation by the Media Guild of the West.
The union will represent approximately 10 eligible editorial staff members. Employees are organizing to ensure job security, transparency, modern work practices and fair compensation and benefits.
Voluntary recognition is becoming increasingly common in the journalism industry — see the LA Public Press, The New Yorker and ProPublica, to name just a few examples. Given an overwhelming majority of support among eligible workers, the Snopes Guild and the Media Guild of the West believe voluntary recognition would not only save time, money and effort, but it would indicate management is willing to take its first step toward addressing long-standing issues and listening to Snopes’ dedicated employees.
Snopes was founded in 1994 and began with investigations into urban legends, hoaxes and folklore. As the publication grew, it became a signatory of the International Fact Checking Network in compliance with the organization’s highest standards. Now, Snopes reporters produce complex explainers on celebrity rumors, scientific discoveries and political news — all while combating the day-to-day onslaught of misinformation online.
At a time when mis- and disinformation are rampant amid the rise of generative artificial intelligence and the loss of essential fact-checking programs and organizations, it has never been more important for an institution like Snopes to exist — and the workers at Snopes are asking their employers to ensure they can continue to shine a light on the truth.
“Snopes writers are the lifeblood of this project,” organizers wrote in a mission statement sent to management. “We remain nonpartisan and impartial despite the backlash we have faced over many years. We continue to write stories on topics that impact our communities and we consistently produce disruptive work that shapes public discourse. In forming a union, we join a historic tradition in the fight for labor rights worldwide and are poised to become one of the first dedicated fact-checking newsrooms to engage in collective action.”
“Throughout this process, we have also been reminded of the qualities that attracted us to Snopes in the first place and which have given us something worth fighting for,” the statement continued.
To summarize: Snopes is unionizing because fact-checkers deserve transparency, too.
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About the Snopes Guild
The Snopes Guild is the union of editorial employees at Snopes.com, the oldest and one of the most trusted fact-checking sites on the internet. Workers are organizing with the Media Guild of the West, Local 39213 of The NewsGuild-CWA. We are committed to upholding the core values of transparency, accuracy and accountability both in our newsroom and our workplace. As the fight against misinformation grows more urgent, we believe the integrity of fact-checking begins with fair conditions for the people who do the work.
Fact-checkers always want the facts. That’s why Snopes is unionizing for transparency from management. @snopes.com
— Snopes Guild (@snopesguild.bsky.social) June 30, 2025 at 1:00 PM
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