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THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC has led to a huge increase in the volume of false information being shared on WhatsApp and social media across Ireland.
TheJournal.ie has been debunking this misinformation since late February to stop false news from being shared – but it’s unusual for us to have to debunk a story about ourselves.
Late on Thursday night, a rumour began to spread on Twitter and WhatsApp that TheJournal.ie was closing down.
At 8.40pm, a tweet was sent from an account without any connection to Journal Media – the parent company of TheJournal.ie – which said that the last ever Zoom meeting of TheJournal.ie had just taken place.
Four minutes later, an anonymous Twitter account responded to this tweet with a screengrab of a letter purporting to be from the company which said that TheJournal.ie was closing down this Monday.
Within minutes, the letter was tweeted out by a several other accounts and shared in an unknown number of WhatsApp groups.
The letter, which has several spelling and grammatical errors, blames the “economic changes within the Irish media industry” for the closure.
The letter is untrue. TheJournal.ie is not closing down.
“I can confirm that this alleged letter is a fake,” said Susan Daly, managing editor of Journal Media.
“TheJournal.ie is fully operational and the news team will continue to work hard to bring our audience the best-quality information throughout this Covid-19 crisis and beyond, including our award-winning factchecking project.”
It is not known where the letter originated.
“This shows the kind of malicious misinformation that is out there right now,” said Sinead O’Carroll, editor of TheJournal.ie. “It makes us more determined than ever to continue providing the context and truth behind every headline and soundbite out there.”
TheJournal.ie, which will be 10 years old in October, has more than 800,000 readers a day and has recently won a number of awards and accolades.
Our project debunking misinformation around coronavirus was one of ten news organisations highlighted by Press Gazette for excellence in reporting on coronavirus.
The Stardust podcast, described by The Guardian as ‘devastating and important’ won a gold medal at the New York Festivals Radio Awards in April, where it was nominated alongside podcasts from Bloomberg, Sky News and The Washington Post, among others.
Like many other media outlets in Ireland, TheJournal.ie is facing problems caused by the coronavirus pandemic as advertising dropped when the outbreak began.
The company has put in place a plan to withstand the ongoing recession and come out the other side.
As part of this, to counter the drop in advertising, the company has launched an appeal for reader support to continue to provide strong, accessible journalism. Anyone who wishes to contribute can do so here.
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There is a lot of false news and scaremongering being spread in Ireland at the moment about coronavirus. Here are some practical ways for you to assess whether the messages that you’re seeing – especially on WhatsApp – are true or not.
STOP, THINK AND CHECK
Look at where it’s coming from. Is it someone you know? Do they have a source for the information (e.g. the HSE website) or are they just saying that the information comes from someone they know? A lot of the false news being spread right now is from people claiming that messages from ‘a friend’ of theirs. Have a look yourself – do a quick Google search and see if the information is being reported elsewhere.
Secondly, get the whole story, not just a headline. A lot of these messages have got vague information (“all the doctors at this hospital are panicking”) and don’t mention specific details. This is often – but not always a sign – that it may not be accurate.
Finally, see how you feel after reading it. A lot of these false messages are designed to make people feel panicked. They’re deliberately manipulating your feelings to make you more likely to share it. If you feel panicked after reading something, check it out and see if it really is true.
TheJournal.ie’s FactCheck is a signatory to the International Fact-Checking Network’s Code of Principles. You can read it here. For information on how FactCheck works, what the verdicts mean, and how you can take part, check out our Reader’s Guide here. You can read about the team of editors and reporters who work on the factchecks here
Have you gotten a message on WhatsApp or Facebook or Twitter about coronavirus that you’re not sure about and want us to check it out? Message or mail us and we’ll look into debunking it. WhatsApp: 085 221 4696 or Email: answers@thejournal.ie
The film is stupid and adolescent because its meant to be stupid and adolescent. Some film critics review these movies like a man going to watch a volkswagen race a ferrari and then bitching because the volkswagen lost. Get real for Chrissakes its a dumb comedy movie and as a dumb comedy movie it works! Maybe not for the tight assed wasp critics sipping martinis in the penthouse suite of the Artsy Fartsy Hilton LA but for the regular folks who just want to have a good laugh its worth the bucks.
Now there’s a comments I want to give two green thumbs
In your opinion,maybe the critics are right,are you saying we should go to every comedy that gets a crap review just to stick it to the critics? Life’s too short to be watching shite films when there are better ones out there.
Some warped and distorted idea of patriotism will have a lot of Yanks going to see this and not being 100% sure why they’re there,except some bad guy in Korea doesn’t want them to see it. Watch the trailer and save yourself 2 hours.
See I’m a fan of many stupid movies. Hot shots, monthy python, scary movie 1-3, old Adam Sandler, blackadder etc.
As I’ve said yet to see this one but it looks funny.
It isn’t. A few good scenes, but overall, more hard work than funny.
It’s a dreadful movie, maybe it’s aimed at teenagers or drunken partygoers who may also be fans of the stars but it was never going to get an academy award or raise any eyebrows, until all this hype began.
It was just another movie taking a swipe at the North Korean dictatorship and, if we’re to believe what we’re told, that was enough for them to take a swipe back launching a bad movie into infamy. Anyone old enough to remember the attempted banning of the Frankie Goes to Hollywood song “Relax” will know that to ban something is to guarantee everyone and his mother will want to see or hear it, and that’s exactly what happened here whether by accident or design.
I am up for dumb movies but this one doesn’t do a good job at being dumb. Just average… It looks like it was done in a hurry and many days were not that inspirational at coming up with good lines…
Rolling Stone are a funny old bunch these days,U2 and Bruce Springsteen topped their own Albums of the Year as well,the standards are falling it seems,jingoistic nonsense.
Rolling Stone hasn’t been relevant for over 25 years.
So just because RS favours something u don’t makes it nonsense? Get real will u that’s a ridiculous comment ,ever occur to u that millions agree with them .
I’m aiding with seth rogan on this one, don’t blame the movie itself for the hype. We are all to blame for hype.
If you don’t like pinapple express, that doomsday movie they did etc then don’t watch it, not your thing.
Last thing you should be doing is bashing a movie because your hyped expectations weren’t met, “don’t believe the hype”.
I liked Pineapple Express but this movie is pants. Yes pants.
I’ve yet to see it but thanks for the detailed review
Watched it last night , plenty of laughs. Not going to win any Oscars but for what it is its well worth a look.
I have watched half of it and so far there have been a few laughs but nothing to write home about. The film critics take themselves and this film way too seriously. It’s the sort of film that you should really sit down to after a few drinks and have a good adolescent laugh at so as to take your mind off all the crap that weighs you down.
It was rubbish!
I have seen it and it’s rubbish pure and simple not a good movie
I want to see it now after those reviews, I could do with a few stupid belly-laughs. Nice response to verge Seth.
I never thought i’d see anything worse than love/hate then this comes along. Utter tripe
My facebook time line is covered with great reviews of the film. Must give it a go.
Downloaded it last night and watched it.
There were some funny bits but overall I thought it was dreadful and racist. Then I had a read of reviews around the net and found even South Koreans didn’t find it funny and some found it offensive so I wasn’t wrong. There’s a lot of forced humour, a lot of anal and dick jokes, sexist and racist ‘humour’ with homoerotic overtones thrown in for good measure. It’s a silly movie that didn’t deserve the hype. If you really ‘need’ to see it don’t pay to see it.
Anything with Seth rogan is going to be a big steaming pile
Of awesomeness?
Total load of crap. Few funny bits.
The whole thing is media hype. North Korea didn’t hack Sony. It may all be a publicity stunt.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/12/24/no-north-korea-didn-t-hack-sony.html
I’ll give it a stream. Followed closely by Team America for a leadership style comparison of father and son.
Watched it last night and thought it was excellent , lots of stoner humor d1ck\fart jokes not high brow but damn funny !! Rogen and Franco are a great double act
Saw in a he articles tha one reviewer was slagging off dick jokes. Nothing wrong with a good dock joke if you ask me.
Sony honeydicked us good
Can I be the first to mention the water charges?
It’s pretty shocking that nobody has thought to praise the movie for shining a spotlight on that wa*%ker Kim Jong Un. Too few of us are aware of the unspeakable suffering wreaked upon the ordinary people of North Korea by this cruel, merciless & murderous thug and his familial regime. For raising this awareness, I’ll happily reward Sony with a cinema-ticket purchase regardless of the quality of the movie. It’s a tiny act of solidarity with those people I am unable to help. I’ll certainly not STEAL a torrent download like some other inconsiderate idiots have suggested here.
It would be ok if it actually was funny .. But it’s not . It’s embarrassing.. Crude vulgar and very badly written and acted .. A cartoon for babies would get more laughs . Waste of time . Kim should nuke Hollywood for this rubbish being allowed out . Dick and Ass jokes all the way .. Come on .
Watched it last night. Some funny parts and was better than anything on the telly
The whole family watched it, and we all thought it was briLliant.
I for one won’t be paying to watch it. …. I’ll just download it
This is the sort of movie that teaches the movie goer to ignore film critics. The film is stupid and no one involved in the production worries about offensiveness. A familiarity with The Lord Of The Rings will help the viewer understand some of the lines and some of the gags. Katy Perry fans may be annoyed. If you can hold back your laughter, you can be offended non-stop. But you’ll miss some of the best gags.
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