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Tuesday 6 June 2023 Dublin: 15°C

# factcheck

Last week
28th May 2023 - 3rd June 2023
# 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…”
# factcheck
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.
Last month
May 2023
# factcheck
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.
# factcheck
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
THE MORNING LEAD
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.
# 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.
# factcheck
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.
# factcheck
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.
THE MORNING LEAD
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.
April
April 2023
THE MORNING LEAD
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.
# debunked
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.
# 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?
# factcheck
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.
# 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.
# factcheck
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?
# factcheck
Debunked: An Irish news headline about 'pregnant men at risk from climate change' is fake
The doctored screenshot was shared by an Australian Senator.
# factcheck
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.
# 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
March
March 2023
# debunked
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
# factcheck
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.
# debunked
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.
# factcheck
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.
THE MORNING LEAD
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.
# factcheck
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.
# 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.
# debunked
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.
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.
# debunked
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.
February
February 2023
# debunked
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.
# debunked
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.
# 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.
# factcheck
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.
# factcheck
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.
# debunked
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.
# factcheck
Debunked: Video of fire does not show building contracted to house asylum seekers
Police are investigating whether misinformation incited the attack
# debunked
Debunked: Old footage used to claim migrants 'brutally pushed' someone off a train platform in Dublin
There is no evidence to support this claim.
# 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
# factcheck
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.
# factcheck
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.
January
January 2023
# factcheck
Debunked: London Police are not criminally investigating COVID-19 vaccines
Despite accusations of murder, terrorism, genocide, and torture, no credible evidence was given.