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

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Economy
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Elections
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Europe
Did Unionism always oppose the Northern Ireland Protocol?
23 March 2023
CLAIM: Unionism was against the NI Protocol from day one
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ACCURATE WITH CONSIDERATION
On 15 March, DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson MP told the National Press Club in Washington DC: “Unionism rejected the NI Protocol from day one.”
Articles
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Health
Is healthy life expectancy in Northern Ireland almost ten years lower than in Ireland?
16 March 2023
CLAIM: People in the RoI can expect to live a healthy life for almost a decade longer than those in NI - 69.4 years compared to 61 years.
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INACCURATE WITH CONSIDERATION
On 4 March, Irish Times columnist David McWilliams claimed: “The average person in the Republic can expect to live a healthy life for almost a
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Environment
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Europe
Does Dungiven have some of the worst nitrogen dioxide readings in Western Europe?
7 March 2023
CLAIM: Dungiven has some of the worst nitrogen dioxide (NO2) readings in Western Europe.
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ACCURATE WITH CONSIDERATION
On 27 January, community group Glenshane Community Development Ltd tweeted: “Why is Dungiven choked up this evening whilst the bypass lies unopened? The town hasWe 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
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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