# factcheck

All time

# debunked

Debunked: No, images of refugees do not show there were 'just men' on planes leaving Afghanistan

Social media posts have falsely described a photo from Turkey in 2018 as a flight leaving Afghanistan in recent days.

70.8k

Aug 18th 2021, 6:30 AM

# factcheck

Debunked: No evidence to support claim that 100 people a day attending CUH due to vaccine side-effects

The claim has been labelled “entirely spurious” by the Clinical Lead of the hospital’s Emergency Department.

29.1k

Aug 13th 2021, 9:30 PM

# debunked

Debunked: No, the media has not been told when future Covid-19 variants will be 'released'

The list of Covid variant ‘launch dates’ contained in the Instagram post is also inaccurate.

43.8k

Aug 11th 2021, 6:00 AM

# debunked

Debunked: No, the World Economic Forum did not suggest reducing the age of consent to 13

Some social media users suggested that the satirical post was legitimate.

14.6k

Aug 10th 2021, 4:30 PM

# France

Debunked: Photo shows World Cup celebrations, not an anti-vaccine pass protest in Paris

Social media posts have falsely described a photo from France in 2018 as a recent anti-restrictions protest.

26.3k

Aug 3rd 2021, 3:25 PM

# debunked

Debunked: No, the government can't vaccinate the children of unmarried parents 'by decree'

Legal experts said the claim is a complete misrepresentation of the law.

15.9k

Jul 22nd 2021, 6:00 AM

# rollout

FactFind: Is Ireland leading the EU vaccine race?

A tweet by the Taoiseach lacked some context on exactly how well Ireland is performing.

65.8k

Jul 18th 2021, 8:00 PM

# factcheck

Debunked: A claim that Australian students were 'accidentally' vaccinated is missing context

An “error” led to around 160 students receiving the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine,.

27.5k

Jul 17th 2021, 11:00 AM

# debunked

Debunked: No, 82% of women vaccinated against Covid-19 in the first third of pregnancy don't miscarry

The claim has circulated widely on social media in recent weeks.

30.5k

Jul 16th 2021, 7:49 PM

# factcheck

Debunked: Misleading Covid vaccine claims in Dolores Cahill's by-election leaflet

Cahill ran in the DBS by-election held earlier this week.

Dolores Cahill claimed in a by-election leaflet that mRNA vaccines "have never been approved". This is untrue, Orla Dwyer reports.

Cahill also made a misleading claim about deaths associated with vaccine clinical trials.

Cahill was a candidate in the Dublin Bay South by-election. She was eliminated on the third count.

91.0k

Jul 11th 2021, 12:05 AM

# debunked

Debunked: A claim which describes 'major concerns' about the AstraZeneca vaccine is misleading

The claim has been shared on Facebook.

33.5k

Jul 10th 2021, 1:00 PM

# factcheck

Debunked: No, the Covid-19 vaccine figures don't include missed appointments

An independent TD claimed that the official vaccine figures refer to the number of appointments made rather than doses administered.

11.6k

Jul 9th 2021, 4:35 PM

# covid-19 facts

FactCheck: No, a Covid-19 vaccine will not make your arm magnetic

The claim has been shared widely online.

38.5k

Jul 6th 2021, 6:30 PM

# debunked

Debunked: No, EU and US databases do not show that thousands of people have died from Covid-19 vaccines

Claims which rely on the EudraVigilance and VAERS databases are often misleading.

72.4k

Jul 4th 2021, 9:00 AM

# covid restrictions

FactCheck: Is Ireland one of the only countries in Europe without indoor dining?

The claim was first made last Friday. The Journal FactCheck finds it to be true.

101k

Jun 29th 2021, 10:10 PM

# debunk

Debunked: No, you won't develop skin cancer from wearing sunglasses

A social media claim is wrongly saying that sunglasses are harmful.

15.7k

Jun 26th 2021, 7:00 AM

# debunked

FactCheck: No, these claims in an anti-mask leaflet delivered to homes aren't true

A leaflet by Anti-Corruption Ireland contains a list of false statements about masks and their effectiveness.

20.8k

Jun 19th 2021, 6:30 AM

# debunked

Debunked: Yes, coronavirus antibodies protect against 'infection of the lung'

A video shared online claimed that because antibodies produced as a result of the vaccine are in the blood, they don’t protect against Covid infection. This is false.

40.2k

Jun 18th 2021, 6:00 AM

# debunk

Debunked: No, the army hasn't been drafted in to 'forcibly' vaccinate prisoners

Vaccines are being rolled out on a prison-by-prison basis and jabs are administered by National Ambulance Service staff.

8.3k

Jun 17th 2021, 6:30 AM

THE MORNING LEAD

'A distorted perspective': How anti-lockdown groups are using data to downplay the impact of Covid-19

A report by

Lauren Boland

Lauren Boland looks at the use of official statistics by anti-lockdown accounts.

Anti-lockdown accounts on social media often leave out important context or misconstrue data to argue that the pandemic is not real.

A disinformation professor at DCU says online misinformation often draws on "a grain of truth" - and then distorts it.

Lauren Boland breaks down the official statistics and how you can find the facts.

25.9k

Jun 8th 2021, 12:05 AM

# debunked

Debunked: Claims by an ex-Pfizer employee about Covid-19 and vaccines are false and misleading

Mike Yeadon is regularly cited by anti-lockdown groups.

187k

May 30th 2021, 12:05 AM

# debunked

Debunked: Messages shared on WhatsApp claim that scammers are calling people with their HSE data

Different versions of the message have appeared in recent days.

101k

May 26th 2021, 12:05 AM

# factcheck

FactCheck: No, insurance policies aren't 'null and void' if you receive a Covid-19 vaccine

The claims about insurance cover were included in a video on Dolores Cahill’s Facebook page.

28.0k

May 21st 2021, 12:05 AM

# covid19 facts

Debunked: No, Covid-19 vaccines didn't 'skip' or 'fail' animal trials

All four vaccines approved for use in Ireland have been tested on animals as well as humans.

17.5k

May 15th 2021, 6:30 AM

# debunked

Debunked: Multiple claims on Instagram about vaccines, face masks and Covid-19 tests are false or misleading

The claims have been made in recent weeks.

29.4k

May 14th 2021, 9:30 PM

# factcheck

FactFind: Information on suspected reactions to Covid-19 vaccines isn't being hidden - here's how can you find it

A recent article in the Westmeath Topic, which was reshared by other users on social media, suggested that this information is being hidden.

69.0k

May 8th 2021, 6:00 PM

# factcheck

Debunked: No, Eamon Ryan's nephew was not awarded a bike hire contract in Offaly

The misleading article was widely shared on social media before it was removed by Gript.

11.5k

May 7th 2021, 3:04 PM

# Mental Health

FactCheck: No, Darkness into Light is not cancelled, despite claims by anti-lockdown activists

The annual fundraiser by Pieta House is going ahead this weekend, despite anti-lockdown activists announcing an alternative event for that date.

34.4k

May 6th 2021, 6:10 AM

# factcheck

FactCheck: Yes, Black people are disproportionately affected by fatal US police shootings

Black people are fatally shot by US police at a higher rate than white people relative to their proportion of the population.

17.6k

Apr 30th 2021, 6:00 AM

# covid-19 facts

Debunked: Misleading post gives inaccurate reflection of Ireland's excess mortality during Covid-19 pandemic

The post has been seen more than 20,000 times on Facebook.

23.3k

Apr 28th 2021, 6:30 PM

# covid19 facts

Debunked: No, Professor Luke O'Neill didn't refuse a Covid vaccine because he 'didn't want' one

O’Neill has said he will take any vaccine offered to him – when he is eligible for one.

107k

Apr 25th 2021, 7:00 AM

# Podcast

The Explainer: From influencers to QAnon - how misinformation changed in Ireland over the past year

From WhatsApp messages to conspiracy theories, we explore how misinformation has evolved over the last 12 months.

7.2k

Apr 15th 2021, 6:30 PM

# factcheck

Debunked: No, Travellers were not protesting outside a Dublin Pfizer plant for access to the Covid-19 vaccine

The claim was circulated on WhatsApp, Twitter and Facebook this week.

41.4k

Apr 13th 2021, 7:58 PM

# zero covid

FactCheck: No, the Tánaiste did not say lockdown would continue 'indefinitely'

Leo Varadkar was talking about the Zero Covid strategy and mandatory hotel quarantine.

25.1k

Mar 25th 2021, 6:00 AM

# factcheck

FactCheck: Is the medication ivermectin an alternative to Covid-19 vaccines?

A lot of studies are being carried out into whether the anti-parasitic drug could be used to treat Covid-19.

54.1k

Mar 24th 2021, 12:05 AM

# factfind

Factfind: Has Ireland experienced 'excess mortality' since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic?

Several posts on social media have tried to play down the need for lockdowns by pointing to excess deaths.

71.5k

Mar 12th 2021, 6:00 AM

# factcheck

Debunked: No, all Direct Provision residents at Mosney are not receiving vaccine ahead of priority schedule

The HSE is still working through the first four cohorts in the sequencing list.

12.6k

Mar 11th 2021, 6:30 AM

# Coronavirus

FactCheck: Misleading Covid-19 claims in a leaflet made by three political parties

The leaflet was produced by Renua, the Irish Freedom Party and Direct Democracy Ireland.

76.6k

Mar 2nd 2021, 12:05 AM

# factfind

Factfind: Does the WHO 'not recommend' using rapid Covid tests in schools, as Norma Foley claimed?

Unions have called for regular rapid testing as part of the re-opening of schools next month.

26.3k

Feb 26th 2021, 8:31 PM

# factcheck

Debunked: No, People Before Profit has not organised a 'pro-lockdown' rally

A false flyer advertising a pro-lockdown rally has been incorrectly attributed to People Before Profit and Le Chéile.

13.9k

Feb 26th 2021, 6:00 AM