# factcheck

Debunked: Fake Tommy Tiernan interview with Eamon Ryan is part of a cryptocurrency fraud network

“We just got an urgent call from the Bank of Ireland. They demand to stop this broadcast right this second…”

Fri 4:40 PM

Debunked: Confusion over news article helps spread baseless claims about Pandemic Treaty

A letter sent by Conservative MPs has been used to allege a treaty will cede sovereignty to the WHO.

6.1k

Fri 2:26 PM

Last month

May 2023

Factfind: PBP-proposed housing amendment isn't intended to evict people from their homes

Supporters say the proposal to “delimit the right to private property” would protect tenants.

114

May 26th 2023, 5:06 PM

Debunked: Video arguing migrants will damage Ireland relies on false claims and statistics

‘Our children’s future is in peril’, the video says, citing news organisations with strong racist links

8.1k

May 26th 2023, 4:04 PM

FactFind: What is the relationship between social inequality, drug use and drug-related harms?

A report by

Shane Raymond

A survey shows consequences of drugs differ across socio-economic levels, even as the prevalence of use doesn’t.

7.5k

May 22nd 2023, 12:01 AM

# Age of Consent

Debunked: No, a UN report doesn't call to decriminalise sex 'between adults and children'

The document, which wasn’t written by the UN, argues that the same age of consent should apply regardless of gender or marital status.

317

May 19th 2023, 5:18 PM

Debunked: WEF hasn’t declared ‘water is not a human right’ or ordered governments to ration it

The World Economic Forum is a regular target of misinformation.

405

May 10th 2023, 11:42 AM

Debunked: Video of attack at shopping centre wasn’t filmed at Liffey Valley, but San Francisco

Captions shared with the video tried to blame the attack on immigrants.

318

May 8th 2023, 4:52 PM

FactCheck: Is the Govt correct to claim that 400 people are buying their first home every week?

A report by

Shane Raymond

Last week, a Government statement included a suggestion from the Taoiseach that 400 people in Ireland are buying their first home every week.

21.7k

May 6th 2023, 12:05 AM

April

April 2023

FactFind: Was the 2008 crash caused by building too many houses?

A report by

Shane Raymond

A suggestion Ireland risks building too many homes ignited controversy.

Experts said that too many homes had been built where there was little demand.

“The laws of supply and demand ... were not applying to the housing market" - inquiry chairman.

However, economists said the current demand for homes is far from being met.

18.2k

Apr 30th 2023, 12:01 AM

Debunked: Safety sheet used to show an edible coating is risky is actually for a cleaning fluid

A safety sheet says people should seek immediate medical attention after swallowing Apeel.

3.1k

Apr 28th 2023, 10:34 AM

# alarmed

'They're preparing us for something': Irish conspiracy groups latch onto UK's public alert test

Why are multiple governments rolling out warning systems, if not to announce aliens?

42.0k

Apr 22nd 2023, 8:00 AM

Debunked: No, Scotland is not reducing motorway speed limits to 30mph due to climate change

Misleading headlines in British tabloids, as well as tweets from an account known for misinformation, spread the claim.

793

Apr 20th 2023, 4:27 PM

# Awards

FactCheck team wins Media Literacy Media Champion award at inaugural MLI awards

The team was recognised for providing the public with tools to identify good quality information.

4.9k

Apr 19th 2023, 8:15 PM

FactCheck: Does Ireland collect more corporate tax per person than almost any other EU country?

Ireland collects much of its taxes from companies, but how much compared to the rest of the EU?

16.9k

Apr 19th 2023, 5:40 PM

Debunked: An Irish news headline about 'pregnant men at risk from climate change' is fake

The doctored screenshot was shared by an Australian Senator.

229

Apr 13th 2023, 2:22 PM

Debunked: Claims of Dungarvan attacks by foreign nationals are baseless, according to Gardaí

An investigation resulted in the arrest of a woman for allegedly making a false report.

262

Apr 6th 2023, 4:37 PM

# Covid-19

Debunked: No, vaccinated people are not more likely to have heart problems from being jabbed

The risk of myocarditis from COVID-19 far outweighs the risk from vaccines

969

Apr 6th 2023, 4:11 PM

March

March 2023

Debunked: Video of fatal explosion used to falsely claim that electric cars are dangerous

One person was killed after an explosion involving a Compressed Natural Gas tank

48.9k

Mar 31st 2023, 11:54 AM

Debunked: Video of bus driver collapsing predates Covid-19 and doesn't show vaccine effects

Footage of a 13-year-old steering the wheel was widely shared, as were dodgy claims.

167

Mar 28th 2023, 5:03 PM

Debunked: Recent studies indicate masks can be effective at preventing the spread of disease

A 2022 study on mandates for Catalan schoolchildren had been touted as proof masks don’t work.

3.3k

Mar 24th 2023, 2:22 PM

Debunked: Leo Varadkar did not say that 'biological males' shouldn't be put in female prisons

In Scotland, non-violent prisoners may still be housed according to their gender expression.

10.6k

Mar 24th 2023, 1:14 PM

FactCheck: Did the Government miss its social housing targets for three years in a row?

A report by

Stephen McDermott

The claim was made in a Dáil debate on the eviction ban.

16.8k

Mar 23rd 2023, 12:05 AM

FactCheck: The ‘15-minute city’ concept does not involve detaining or punishing people

Conspiracy theorists falsely claim 15-minute cities prohibit eating meat or traveling.

538

Mar 21st 2023, 12:26 PM

# fact find

FactFind: How effective was the eviction ban in reducing homelessness?

Government claims that the eviction ban has not reduced homelessness have been met with strong criticism.

18.8k

Mar 11th 2023, 12:05 AM

Debunked: No, the first man to receive Pfizer's Covid vaccine did not die because of the jab

William Shakespeare was the second person to receive the vaccine in December 2020.

2.0k

Mar 10th 2023, 3:57 PM

Voices

FactCheck newsletter: Despite Covid's lessons about fake news, history is now repeating itself

The anti-migrant playbook is almost identical to how things unfolded in early 2020.

10.9k

Mar 5th 2023, 11:30 AM

Debunked: It's untrue that over 20 migrants were jailed for sex offences in six weeks in Ireland

A video circulating on social media makes the claim.

1.8k

Mar 3rd 2023, 4:33 PM

February

February 2023

Debunked: No, a Dublin community centre has not been closed because it is housing 150 Somalians

The centre has been the subject of local protests.

1.3k

Feb 23rd 2023, 5:29 PM

Debunked: There is no evidence that more 15-year-olds are dying of heart attacks due to vaccines

A claim shared on Irish social media suggests vaccines are killing 15-year-olds.

662

Feb 21st 2023, 1:04 PM

# factfind

FactFind: Is the EU 'forcing' people to eat 'unhealthy' insects without their knowledge?

Cricket flour is already added to food outside the EU, such as Canadian cheese puffs.

29.5k

Feb 19th 2023, 7:00 AM

Debunked: Deceptive leaflet distributed in Dublin telling ‘girls to stay indoors’ is a hoax

The hoax leaflet was supposedly sent by the government, though misspelled the Irish translation.

17.6k

Feb 14th 2023, 6:49 PM

Debunked: Buses in Santry were not a 'migrant convoy', but were dropping children to athletics

About 1,000 students were taking part in the Leinster Schools Cross Country Championships 2023 in Santry.

27.7k

Feb 10th 2023, 5:36 PM

FactFind: Does a new scientific review show masks are useless at stopping disease?

The conclusions of the review are surprising, but have been twisted by anti-mask campaigners online.

17.0k

Feb 10th 2023, 1:37 PM

Debunked: Video of fire does not show building contracted to house asylum seekers

Police are investigating whether misinformation incited the attack

237

Feb 9th 2023, 12:20 PM

Debunked: Old footage used to claim migrants 'brutally pushed' someone off a train platform in Dublin

There is no evidence to support this claim.

1.0k

Feb 8th 2023, 6:56 PM

# Explainer

Explainer: What is the difference between ‘economic migrants’, ‘refugees’ and 'asylum-seekers'?

False claims about asylum seekers often use terms in confusing and contradictory ways

17.8k

Feb 4th 2023, 8:30 AM

Debunked: No, 'immigrants’ are not suspects in a Finglas assault case

Gardaí say there’s “a significant volume of misinformation and disinformation” about the ongoing investigation.

668

Feb 3rd 2023, 4:26 PM

Debunked: No, ‘100,000 unvetted foreign nationals’ did not receive free accommodation in a year

Figures for people applying for asylum in Ireland are publicly available… and not nearly that high.

17.8k

Feb 2nd 2023, 5:28 PM

January

January 2023