Snopes Reminds Everyone Tomorrow is April Fools’ Day Amid Being ‘Overwhelmed’ By Coronavirus Fact Checks

With a lot of fake news out there, it can be tough to discern fact from fiction and even the most well-known fact-checking site, snopes.com, has had some bumps in the past and no longer does fact checks for Facebook.

They posted today on Twitter to remind everyone that tomorrow is April Fool’s Day and to remind people that their staff is “overwhelmed” right now because of the Coronavirus.

Last week, we told you our staff is overwhelmed. April 1 is traditionally a busy day for us, but this year is obviously different.

In case we can’t check as many pranks as usual, we want to give you tools to do a gut check when you see something silly. https://t.co/jhUQ2tp8pb

— snopes.com (@snopes) March 31, 2020

They also provided a list of four things to do before you share something:

1) Before you share, always check the source and the date. Does it seem too good to be true? Did it get published on April 1? Be extra skeptical.

2) Many pranks are aimed at getting free publicity. Sharing a prank just to disavow or disown it can amplify the message. RT wisely.

3) Keep an eye out for jokes recycled from previous years, too.

4) If your planned prank involves medicine(s) or government announcements, we kindly request that you cancel it. Seriously. Read the room.

2) Many pranks are aimed at getting free publicity. Sharing a prank just to disavow or disown it can amplify the message. RT wisely.

— snopes.com (@snopes) March 31, 2020

4) If your planned prank involves medicine(s) or government announcements, we kindly request that you cancel it. Seriously. Read the room.

— snopes.com (@snopes) March 31, 2020

They gave a fifth and final tip, which is to contact them if you see anything suspicious. I would like to add that people shouldn’t do a prank involving something that may be in short supply right now like toilet paper or paper towels and also to keep pranks in line with the social distancing directives from the Coronavirus Task Force.