Several readers have dissented from Snopes’ conclusion that the German brothel story is untrue. Others have launched a broader attack on Snopes itself.

Point 1:

Jonah,
It seems to me that the German brothel story is somewhat in limbo right now, but not disproved. Reading through the Snopes piece, I get the distinct impression that what the Telegraph article describes could happen, even if it hasn’t quite yet. So the people who are upset about this possibility are claiming that tomorrow is here today, while German apologists are claiming that this is all a fraud. Specifically missing from the Snopes piece is any mention of anything that would prevent women from being forced to take jobs as sex workers. If it’s not happening already, it will be soon. And to men, too.

And point 2:

Dear Jonah,
I have mixed feelings these days about Snopes.com (which you used Tuesday AM re the German brothel story). I think they’re very accurate when it comes to non-political news, but they can no longer be trusted blindly on all issues. For example:
Snopes has never revised their dismissal of the Swiftboat Veterans for Truth charges re Kerry, despite my request that they balance their citations at http://www.snopescom/politics/kerry/swift.asp with pointers to the Swiftboat vets website (http://www.swiftvets.com/index.php) and to O’Neill’s book Unfit for Command.
Unwary readers reading Snopes’ entry might well conclude that Kerry’s stories about Vietnam never faced a serious challenge.
If you can’t trust Snopes all the time, what about About.com’s Urban Legends website? The entry for Swift Boat Veterans also reveals a pro-Kerry bias: http://urbanlegends.about.com/library/bl_swift_boat_veterans.htm although it does, at least, link to the Swiftvets, but not to the O’Neill book (but only after prompting from readers such as yours truly).
I still refer to sites like these for non-political issues, but as these examples show, the major gatekeepers of fact vs fiction online have a very hard time keeping their political biases from coloring their selection of facts, links and treatments of issues.
Blessings on you, the Fair Jessica, Lucy, Cosmo and (last but not least) the couch.