# factcheck

This year

2023

# factcheck

Debunked: Misleading graph used to argue that non-vaccinated people achieved ‘Zero Covid’

Unvaccinated people appear not to be affected by the disease — until you count deaths

917

Jan 12th 2023, 3:44 PM

# factcheck

Debunked: No evidence Ballaghaderreen doctors ‘only see Syrians and Ukrainians’ on Mondays

The National Party candidate who made the claim would not provide verifiable details

18.0k

Jan 11th 2023, 5:25 PM

# damar hamlin

Debunked: Claims that an NFL player collapsed due to a Covid-19 vaccine are completely unfounded

Multiple social media posts have incorrectly claimed that Hamlin’s collapse was caused by a Covid-19 vaccine.

12.5k

Jan 7th 2023, 6:30 AM

# factcheck

Debunked: No, refugees are not still being housed at a school in Drimnagh

A number of social media posts incorrectly claimed that pupils may not be able to return to the school today, prompting protests.

18.4k

Jan 5th 2023, 5:03 PM

Last year

2022

# factcheck

Debunked: Self-proclaimed ‘inventor’ of mRNA vaccines makes nonsense claims about spike proteins

A COVID-19 infection can unleash literally billions of virions inside the body, each with dozens of spike proteins on their surface.

1.0k

Dec 29th 2022, 3:01 PM

# factcheck

FactCheck newsletter: Covid, climate change and Ukraine dominated disinformation narratives in 2022

The ‘unholy trinity’ were prevalent throughout Europe this year.

5.0k

Dec 29th 2022, 12:00 PM

# factcheck

FactCheck: The recent cold spell is not evidence against climate change

Ireland has seen significant rising temperatures overall

8.6k

Dec 22nd 2022, 2:31 PM

# factcheck

Debunked: Call to take mRNA vaccines off the market relies on dodgy death data

A group, chaired by a US senator, couldn’t think of another explanation for deaths during the pandemic.

1.5k

Dec 22nd 2022, 12:02 PM

# factcheck

Debunked: No evidence that a rise in serious Strep A cases is caused by Covid or flu vaccines

More people reported having Caesarean sections shortly after receiving a vaccine than Strep A infections

8.1k

Dec 16th 2022, 3:27 PM

# Clondalkin

'A young girl has lost her life': Unproven claim about homeless death spreads from Facebook to the Dáil

The rumour has circulated widely online in recent days.

63.4k

Dec 13th 2022, 9:00 PM

Voices

Opinion: How conspiracy communities are using predictable tactics to spread falsehoods about RSV

Aoife Gallagher and Clara Martiny explain how online communities have turned to a new winter virus.

18.9k

Dec 11th 2022, 7:00 AM

# factcheck

Debunked: Conspiracy theory 'documentary' repeats long-disproven claims about Covid vaccines

‘Died Suddenly’ is heavy on gruesome medical imagery, but light on facts

5.9k

Dec 8th 2022, 1:40 PM

THE MORNING LEAD

Fermoy latest town to be visited by anti-immigration campaigners and misinformation

A report by

Eimer McAuley

Analysis: Activists exploiting the war and accommodation shortages by whipping up local community sentiment against asylum seekers.

After protests in East Wall, campaigners look to seize on anti-immigration sentiment.

Cork man Derek Blighe has undertaken a tour of the country over the past month to take part in anti-immigration rallies.

Fermoy locals hitting back with counter protest today.

45.4k

Dec 3rd 2022, 12:05 AM

# factcheck

Debunked: Asylum seekers, not economic migrants, are being housed at the East Wall building

Multiple false claims were levied against asylum seekers and Ukrainian refugees

7.5k

Dec 2nd 2022, 3:34 PM

# factcheck

Debunked: There isn't a secret UN army in Louth; the refugees in Carlingford are from Ukraine

Activists tried to film inside refugee accommodation

6.0k

Nov 30th 2022, 4:15 PM

# factcheck

Debunk: Turf is not an ‘agricultural crop’; burning it is polluting and unhealthy

It can take 1,000 years for a metre of peat to form.

20.8k

Nov 29th 2022, 5:18 PM

# factcheck

FactCheck: Do emissions from making electric cars mean they are not ‘green’?

Tesla has been criticised over the mining needed to make their batteries.

22.5k

Nov 24th 2022, 2:27 PM

# factcheck

FactCheck: Is the State the ‘biggest player in housing’?

The Taoiseach made this claim multiple times in the Dáil since 2021

12.7k

Nov 22nd 2022, 6:00 AM

# factcheck

FactCheck: Iranian protesters have been arrested & killed, but 15,000 aren't sentenced to death

Justin Trudeau helped spread the claim, but later deleted his tweet.

10.4k

Nov 16th 2022, 2:12 PM

# factcheck

Debunk: No, it isn’t true that vaccines have little effect on COVID-19 transmission

Piers Morgan’s claim is contradicted by numerous studies

7.1k

Nov 14th 2022, 3:33 PM

# debunked

Debunk: No, these maps don't show large areas of Irish cities that 'could be underwater’ by 2050

While the ‘stark images’ are alarming, they depict something else.

37.2k

Nov 11th 2022, 5:21 PM

# factcheck

Debunked: Five common climate myths and why they're wrong

As COP27 climate summit begins in Egypt, here are the facts on climate change.

26.7k

Nov 6th 2022, 12:05 AM

# Northern Ireland Protocol

Debunked: No, the NI Protocol has not impacted on heart surgeries in Northern Ireland

DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson has said the Protocol is responsible for delays to cardiac services.

15.5k

Nov 2nd 2022, 6:41 PM

# factcheck

FactFind: How much does it cost the State to train a doctor in Ireland?

Figures cited online range can vary by hundreds of thousands

30.5k

Oct 22nd 2022, 9:00 PM

# factcheck

Debunked: Article saying Sinn Féin should apologise for the 1916 Rising was doctored

A fake article by “W Brittan” called the Easter Rising an “unprovoked attack”.

13.1k

Oct 18th 2022, 4:11 PM

# debunked

Debunked: World Economic Forum did not say Covid lockdowns were test for ‘social-credit scheme’

Irish social media users shared a headline from a fake news site

6.9k

Oct 5th 2022, 2:47 PM

# debunked

Debunked: No, excess carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is not down to natural causes

Spurious claims were made by an Australian climate change denier

3.3k

Sep 29th 2022, 12:23 PM

# factcheck

FactCheck: Is the renters' €500 tax credit just worth seven days' rent in Dublin?

The claim was made by a housing charity after the budget was announced.

15.6k

Sep 28th 2022, 3:51 PM

# factcheck

Debunked: Protesters outside Russian embassy in Dublin were not chanting Nazi slogans

Putin claimed his invasion was to ‘de-nazify’ Ukraine

5.3k

Sep 22nd 2022, 4:39 PM

# debunked

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.

37.4k

Sep 21st 2022, 9:25 PM

# debunked

Debunked: Climate change is real - it is not a 'hoax' or a 'scam' designed to control people

Claims on social media suggest that climate change is made up.

2.7k

Sep 19th 2022, 4:05 PM

# factfind

FactFind: How many current TDs own houses that they rent out?

Some TDs who had residential tenants let did not declare the rental income

There are 160 TDs in the Dáil - but it isn't entirely straightforward to find out which of them also derive an income from renting houses.

An analysis by The Journal sought to find out, using the Dáil register of interests and by contacting individual TDs.

42.4k

Sep 17th 2022, 12:05 AM

# factcheck

Debunked: Tony Cascarino did not throw his takeaway in the bin and other fake queen claims

There were no Irish dancers at Buckingham Palace either.

39.2k

Sep 9th 2022, 6:14 PM

# factcheck

Debunked: Teacher wasn't jailed over pronouns, but for breaking a court order by going to school

Burke was sent to Mountjoy Prison this week.

10.5k

Sep 8th 2022, 2:53 PM

# debunked

Debunked: A quote by Yuval Noah Harari that technology will 'replace people' is missing context

An image containing the quote has gone viral on social media.

7.9k

Sep 2nd 2022, 11:32 AM

# newsletter

FactCheck: Sign up to The Journal's monthly newsletter about misinformation trends

See how we’re fighting back with quality information every month – and what’s happening in the wider world of disinformation.

6.8k

Aug 30th 2022, 8:00 PM

# factcheck

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.

23.0k

Aug 28th 2022, 7:00 AM

# debunked

Debunked: Yes, cows are a 'problem' when it comes to cutting greenhouse gas emissions

Two Facebook posts said cows are “not the problem” compared to emitting activities like flying.

44.0k

Aug 19th 2022, 4:06 PM

# debunked

Debunked: It is misleading to claim that 30-degree heat is 'normal' during an Irish summer

Social media users suggest that climate change has been exaggerated in recent weather reports.

28.0k

Aug 13th 2022, 1:00 PM

# debunked

Debunked: A claim that the UN accused Ukrainian forces of using 'human shields' is missing context

The use of human shields breaches international human rights law.

11.4k

Aug 12th 2022, 3:39 PM