Fact checkers didn't exist until the internet started taking off and a shitload of bullshit kept getting posted. So some entrepreneurs saw an opportunity to bust myths and they created fact checking sites in the early 2000s. Then the big-media corps took over to throw a political slant on it and we ended up with what we got, today. Back in the day Snopes was legendary for how good it was to bust urban legends, myths, etc. It had no political slant. It was quite awesome. Just a great fact checker.