FactCheckNI. Northern Ireland’s first dedicated fact checking service
We are a team of independent fact checkers who identify important public statements relevant to Northern Ireland, interrogate the best available evidence, and publish fact check articles to improve the quality of public debate.
Latest fact checks

Articles
|
Health
|
Law
Does easier access to abortion and contraception lead to an increase in domestic abuse and sexual violence?
22 September 2023
CLAIM: As abortions and contraceptives become more readily available, rates of domestic abuse and sexual violence go up.
Rating
INACCURATE WITH CONSIDERATION
On 7 June on BBC Radio Ulster’s Good Morning Ulster programme, Bishop of Derry Donal McKeown claimed: “The problem is that we find as abortion
Articles
|
Economy
Has Northern Ireland been in fiscal deficit for most – or indeed all – of its existence?
20 September 2023
CLAIM: SDLP MLA Matthew O’Toole claimed that, since it came into being a century ago, Northern Ireland has been a net recipient of UK Government funding - either in most years, or in every single year.
Rating
ACCURATE/INACCURATE
During a speech at a New Ireland Commission event on August 23, SDLP MLA Matthew O’Toole said: “Northern Ireland has been in fiscal deficit for
Economy
|
Europe
|
Peace
|
Topics
Is the EU contributing €1 billion to the PEACE PLUS fund for Northern Ireland?
13 September 2023
CLAIM: The Irish News claimed that the Taoiseach Leo Varadkar joined EU Commissioner Maros Sefcovic in Belfast to announce €1 billion of EU funding for Northern Ireland.
Rating
INACCURATE WITH CONSIDERATION
On September 11 2023 The Irish News tweeted: “Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has joined EU Commissioner Maros Sefcovic in Belfast to announce €1 billion of EUWe have published over 200 fact checks since 2016.
Related and ancillary services

Training
Our one day training course “Keeping you Right in the Digital Age: An introduction to Fact-Checking” is very popular among journalists, political activists and PR Professionals
Learn more
The fact check toolkit
We encourage everyone to engage in critical thinking and in this article we outline how everyone can check what they read, particularly online.
Learn moreWhy trust us?
FactCheckNI is Northern Ireland’s first and only dedicated fact checking service, operating with the following commitments