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Tuesday 3 October 2023 Dublin: 11°C

# debunked

All time
Debunked: No, countries were not exporting Covid-19 test kits in 2017
It’s been claimed that the World Bank was recording exports of Covid-19 tests up to three years ago.
Debunked: The claims in this Facebook video about suicide figures and number of Covid deaths in Ireland are inaccurate
In the video, Ben Gilroy makes a number of false and misleading claims about coronavirus and suicide in Ireland.
FactCheck: Is this widespread claim about the recent number of deaths by suicide in Ireland true?
The claim has spread widely on Facebook and Twitter and has caused significant distress.
FactCheck: No, Eamon Ryan did not fall asleep in the Dáil chamber again
The Green Party leader has come in for criticism after a new clip appears to show him nodding off again.
Debunked: No, council staff have not been banned from entering a flats complex in Dublin because of Covid
The claim, which is being shared in a voice memo on WhatsApp, is not true.
FactCheck: No, Leo Varadkar did not say he supports forced vaccination against Covid-19
A clip from a speech Varadkar made at the Global Vaccine Summit has been used to claim he said he supports forced vaccination for everyone in Ireland.
FactCheck: Does this photo show a protest against Covid-19 restrictions in South Korea?
Posts on social media have represented anti-government protests in Seoul as anti-coronavirus restrictions.
Debunked: Three false claims about Minister for Children Roderic O'Gorman
An image containing three misleading claims about the Green Party TD has been circulating online.
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, children won't be banned from attending school if they don't get the flu vaccine
Children aged two to 12 years can get the flu jab for free this year, but it’s not compulsory.
Debunked: No, 'Covid-19 sensors' have not been 'inserted secretly into every phone'
The post is part of a category of conspiracies that has targeted contact tracing apps launched to help stop the spread of Covid-19.
Debunked: No, parents will not receive a consent form to let schools make medical decisions for children
The claim was widely shared on Facebook.
FactCheck: No, Clones' High Cross is not being moved 'because of Muslims'
False claims on social media have suggested that Monaghan County Council is moving the cross to appease the Muslim community.
Debunked: No, wearing a face mask does not 'disrupt pH levels' and increase cancer risk
A widely shared Facebook post incorrectly claims that wearing a mask causes people to breathe in their own carbon dioxide.
Groupthink, fatigue and divilment: Why do people share fake news?
Misinformation has never been more widely shared in Ireland than during the Covid-19 pandemic.
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.
Debunked: No, you will not receive a €1,000 reward from Gardaí for reporting house parties
A poster in Dublin claims that Gardaí will reward members of the public if they report house parties.
Debunked: No, you cannot catch Legionnaires' disease or pleurisy from wearing a face covering
There have been fewer cases of legionella infection in Ireland this year compared to last year.
Debunked: No, Eamon Ryan did not call Peter Tatchell a 'green legend and tireless LGBT campaigner'
A false tweet from the Green Party leader claims he said he was “excited to meet” Tatchell two years ago.
Factcheck: Are dognappers marking targets with stickers on ESB pillars?
Social media users have claimed that dog thieves are using stickers on ESB mini pillars to mark houses where dogs will be stolen.
Debunked: The conspiracy theories around the so-called Hollywood drug adrenochrome
Theories claim adrenochrome is harvested from children in a trafficking ring.
FactCheck: Will children be taught how to masturbate as part of their education from September?
The claim had been made by social media users.
Debunked: No, the HSE has not banned a Covid-19 treatment in order to later 'push' a vaccine
A widely shared Facebook post incorrectly claims that medications which ‘cure’ the virus have been banned in Ireland.
FactCheck: Have 'only 8 people' under 65 died from Covid-19 in Ireland?
This claim has been shared frequently in the past week – but it is misleading at best.
FactCheck: Can a common cold cause a positive Covid-19 test?
A claim that started in the US, which suggests that a case of cold or flu, or a previous vaccine against them, can give a positive Covid-19 test result, has reached Ireland.
FactCheck: No, this photo does not show Obama visiting a Wuhan lab in 2015 to give millions to a 'bat project'
A photograph of Obama in Maryland has been falsely attributed to a laboratory in Wuhan.
FactCheck: Did a Belfast bank post a notice describing balaclavas as 'unsuitable' face coverings?
A tweet sharing a photo of a notice at a NatWest branch suggests that the notice was displayed in Belfast.
Debunked: No, pressing ‘cancel’ twice on an ATM won’t prevent your PIN from being stolen
The false safety tip has been shared over 19,000 times on Facebook.
FactCheck: No, Croke Park will not be used for animal slaughter during Eid Al Adha
The claim was made by TheLiberal.ie ahead of Eid Al Adha celebrations in Croke Park this summer.
The Explainer: How Covid-19 brought misinformation to Ireland
And is it here to stay?
WATCH: How Covid-19 brought misinformation to Ireland
A panel of experts explore one of the major ways the coronavirus pandemic has changed our lives.
FactFind: Here is how Covid-19 deaths are counted in Ireland
A Hiqa report has noted a 13% increase in deaths in Ireland during the pandemic.
Join the Zoom discussion: How Covid-19 brought misinformation to Ireland
Join TheJournal.ie and a panel of experts tomorrow to explore another way the coronavirus pandemic has changed our lives.
Debunked: Irish people in colonies were not slaves - they were indentured servants
Posts that are being shared on social media claim Irish people ‘experienced the horrors of slavery’ more than African people.
FactCheck: Does Ireland have the highest Covid-19 infection rate for healthcare workers in the world?
The claim was made by INMO General Secretary, Phil Ní Sheaghdha.
Debunked: No, all UK residents won't have to get microchipped starting from January 2021
The letter was confirmed as a fake by the UK Cabinet Office.
Debunked: This photograph showing Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein embracing is a fake
The original image, which has been doctored, showed Trump with his daughter Ivanka in the 1990s.
Debunked: Irish people were not the first slaves to arrive in the American colonies
Slave trading from Africa to the Americas began around 100 years before 1619, and indentured servitude is not the same as chattel slavery.
Debunked: No, contact tracing apps have not been installed on every Android phone
The Department of Health confirms that the tracing app won’t be made mandatory.
Debunked: It's false to claim that fewer than 100 people have died directly from Covid-19
Over 1,600 people with Covid-19 have died in Ireland.