Fact checking Northern Ireland: FactCheckNI continues to grow

Posted on by FactCheckNI

Fact checking Northern Ireland: FactCheckNI continues to grow
An update by FactCheckNI
20 May 2019

This summer FactCheckNI is four years old. We are Northern Ireland’s first, and only, fact-checking service. We have trained thousands of people in fact checking and critical thinking. We have published dozens of fact-check articles, in a bid to ensure that accuracy prevails and informs the social and political discourse of the region. Continue reading Fact checking Northern Ireland: FactCheckNI continues to grow

Beyond fake news: Working collaboratively to address misinformation #NICSLive

Posted on by Allan LEONARD

Beyond fake news: Working collaboratively to address misinformation #NICSLive
by Allan LEONARD for FactCheckNI
15 May 2019

FactCheckNI is becoming a regular feature of the annual NICS Live event, which brings together figures from across the Northern Ireland Civil Service as well as the wider public, private and voluntary sectors. This year was our third consecutive appearance, and I gave a presentation on “Beyond fake news: Working collaboratively to address misinformation”, discussing some key features of fact checking and the role that facts play in the political sphere of opinions and persuasion. Continue reading Beyond fake news: Working collaboratively to address misinformation #NICSLive

Does the EU send NI €500m annually?

Posted on by FactCheckNI

CLAIM: The EU sends Northern Ireland €500 million a year

CONCLUSION: ACCURATE WITH CONSIDERATION. The €500 million figure quoted by the SDLP is substantiated by European Commission figures for EU regional funding of Northern Ireland. However, this is not a ‘net’ figure and does not take into account Northern Ireland’s proportion of the UK’s contribution to the EU. A more complete statement would be to say that Northern Ireland receives €55/£45 million more than we pay to the EU. Continue reading Does the EU send NI €500m annually?

PRESS STATEMENT: FactCheckNI joins Facebook Fact-Checking Programme

Posted on by FactCheckNI

PRESS STATEMENT
FactCheckNI
25 April 2019

FactCheckNI joins Facebook Fact-Checking Programme

Today FactCheckNI, Northern Ireland’s first and only dedicated fact-checking service, has joined Facebook’s third-party fact-checking programme, as part of the social media company’s efforts to minimise the spread of misinformation on its platform. Continue reading PRESS STATEMENT: FactCheckNI joins Facebook Fact-Checking Programme

Why does fact checking matter? @ImagineBelfast

Posted on by FactCheckNI

Why does fact checking matter? @ImagineBelfast
by FactCheckNI
28 March 2019

As part of the Imagine! Festival of Ideas and Politics, FactCheckNI hosted a lunchtime seminar on the importance of fact checking, not only for facts’ sake but including perspectives from data science, journalism, and academic research. The proposition was that facts are a crucial but not exclusive source of information, and that by appreciating the interplay of facts, opinion, and power, we may have a better understanding of how human nature is responding to the dynamic of social media, for better and worse. Continue reading Why does fact checking matter? @ImagineBelfast

Does no one in Mid Ulster speak Irish?

Posted on by FactCheckNI

CLAIM: No one in Mid Ulster speaks Irish as their first language.

CONCLUSION: Inaccurate. 440 people living in the local government district spoke Irish as their first language, according to the 2011 Census. 22,986 people have some knowledge of the Irish language in this jurisdiction. Continue reading Does no one in Mid Ulster speak Irish?