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Saturday 30 September 2023 Dublin: 17°C

# debunk

Last year
2022
Debunked: No, 35km queues of traffic have not formed at the Russia-Finland border
The videos posted on social media are not of the current situation on the border.
Debunked: Figures on Covid-19 deaths and underlying conditions have been taken out of context
Covid sceptics are misinterpreting CSO data to make inaccurate claims.
Debunked: The pain from a kick in the testicles is not the same as giving birth to 160 children at once
It might be painful but there is no evidence to support the claim.
Debunk: No, this photo doesn’t show a ‘bloody’ eucharist at a Mayo church
However, a local priest says an incident is being investigated by Church authorities.
Debunked: No, this is not an 8-year-old Ukrainian girl confronting a Russian soldier.
These are old photos of Ahed Tamimi, a Palestinian activist.
Debunked: No, these are not photos of the President and First Lady of Ukraine fighting on the front line
The photos widely shared on Facebook and Twitter are old and out of context.
Debunk: No, this isn't a photo of Meryl Streep after a director said she was 'too ugly' for a role
The actress did miss out on the part, but this photo isn’t as claimed
All time
FactCheck: This Irish video about masks is incorrect to claim they do not work against Covid-19
A video viewed thousands of times on an Irish Facebook page contains incorrect information about the effectiveness of masks.
Debunk: How did Omicron get to Australia if no one is allowed in or out?
Hint: They are. The variant was first detected from passengers arriving in Australia from abroad.
Debunked: No, Eamon Ryan isn't telling radio stations not to play ‘Driving home for Christmas’
A satirical post claiming that the Green Party leader said the song “promotes car use” has duped people on social media.
Debunked: No, you can't give someone medical power of attorney with a 'Notice of Standing and Fact'
A medical law expert has cast a withering eye on a document that’s circulating online.
Debunked: No, Leo Varadkar didn't use the government jet to fly to or from his UK trip
Varadkar was in London for a music festival, but he did not leave at the weekend and is currently still there for a trade mission.
FactCheck: No, masks were not shown to increase children's carbon dioxide intake
The paper claimed that masks increase children’s carbon dioxide intake, but multiple problems have been identified with its research.
Debunked: No, images of refugees do not show there were 'just men' on planes leaving Afghanistan
Social media posts have falsely described a photo from Turkey in 2018 as a flight leaving Afghanistan in recent days.
Debunked: No, the Covid-19 vaccine figures don't include missed appointments
An independent TD claimed that the official vaccine figures refer to the number of appointments made rather than doses administered.
FactCheck: No, a Covid-19 vaccine will not make your arm magnetic
The claim has been shared widely online.
Debunked: No, you won't develop skin cancer from wearing sunglasses
A social media claim is wrongly saying that sunglasses are harmful.
Debunked: No, the army hasn't been drafted in to 'forcibly' vaccinate prisoners
Vaccines are being rolled out on a prison-by-prison basis and jabs are administered by National Ambulance Service staff.
That photo of Matt Hancock holding a bad pint of Guinness is fake
He wasn’t even drinking Guinness.
Debunked: No, unvaccinated people can't get health problems from being around those who are vaccinated
The claim is being made and shared online – with people claiming ‘vaccine shedding’ is happening.
FactCheck: Yes, Black people are disproportionately affected by fatal US police shootings
Black people are fatally shot by US police at a higher rate than white people relative to their proportion of the population.
Debunked: Misleading post gives inaccurate reflection of Ireland's excess mortality during Covid-19 pandemic
The post has been seen more than 20,000 times on Facebook.
Debunked: No, Professor Luke O'Neill didn't refuse a Covid vaccine because he 'didn't want' one
O’Neill has said he will take any vaccine offered to him – when he is eligible for one.
The Explainer: From influencers to QAnon - how misinformation changed in Ireland over the past year
From WhatsApp messages to conspiracy theories, we explore how misinformation has evolved over the last 12 months.
Debunked: No, Travellers were not protesting outside a Dublin Pfizer plant for access to the Covid-19 vaccine
The claim was circulated on WhatsApp, Twitter and Facebook this week.
Debunked: No, all Direct Provision residents at Mosney are not receiving vaccine ahead of priority schedule
The HSE is still working through the first four cohorts in the sequencing list.
Debunked: No, this impressive photo of a mountain isn't from Donegal
A photo of mountain with unusual clouds above it has been mistakenly labelled as Mount Errigal in Donegal.
FactCheck: Yes, masks, including cloth masks, can help prevent Covid-19 transmission
Studies have shown that masks can help prevent the spread of the virus.
FactCheck: No, the WHO didn't say a positive Covid-19 test is more likely due to a cold
False claims on social media have inaccurately attributed a quote to the World Health Organization.
Debunked: No, this poster is not from the HSE telling people to report neighbours who do not wear a mask
A poster that falsely claims to have been published by the HSE is being shared on social media.
Debunked: No, this video does not show that a hospital in the North lied about being over capacity
The Northern Trust has said that claims of lies about hospital capacity in the North are “ridiculous”.
FactCheck: No, it is not true that only people with pre-existing conditions have died from Covid-19 in the UK
A post on social media has falsely claimed that the NHS confirmed no Covid-19 deaths occurred among people without a pre-existing condition.
Debunked: Is this photo from the recent RTÉ gathering?
Staff from RTÉ did have a social gathering earlier this month – but this photo does not show it.
FactCheck: Did the creator of PCR tests say they don't work for Covid-19?
Posts on social media have wrongly claimed that PCR testing is inaccurate and produces a high rate of false positive results.
From Sharpies to 'dumped ballots': The misinformation being shared about voting in the US
Here are some claims of electoral fraud being spread on social media, and the facts behind those claims.
Debunked: No, there weren't 'only 717 deaths' in Ireland in July
The figures in question refer to the number of deaths registered for that month so far, not the total number of people who died.
FactFind: No, it's not correct to say just 100 people have died from Covid-19 in Ireland
A widely shared Facebook video incorrectly claims that 100 people, not 1,777, have died because of the virus in Ireland.
Debunked: It's false to claim Irish and Italian death tolls are 'miscalculated' and 'inflated' by up to 90%
Variations of the same post have been widely shared on Facebook.
Debunked: No, parents will not receive a consent form to let schools make medical decisions for children
The claim was widely shared on Facebook.
Debunk: No, the first UK volunteer in a Covid-19 vaccine trial has not died
Elisa Granato was one of the first volunteers in a Covid-19 vaccine trial in the UK – and she’s alive and well.