FactCheckNI How-to
Wayback Machine
Websites and their pages come and go. From a researcher’s perspective, it can be frustrating when you’ve cited a particular website page, only to discover later that it has been removed by the publisher or is otherwise no longer available. An American non-profit organisation, Internet Archive, launched a product in 2001 called Wayback Machine, which is a digital archive of the World Wide Web. Continue reading How-to: Wayback Machine
CLAIM: There were 84 children adopted in Northern Ireland in 2018.
CONCLUSION: ACCURATE WITH CONSIDERATION. EJ Havlin’s claim referred to the number of adoptions from care; in total, 91 children were adopted in Northern Ireland in 2017-18, which is a low number compared to other years. For 2013-17, Northern Ireland had a lower adoption rate than the rest of the UK, but was similar to that of Ireland. Continue reading Only 84 children adopted in Northern Ireland?
Measuring the “climate” of identity: NILT and time-series surveys
by Dr Orna YOUNG for FactCheckNI
26 June 2019
What is the Northern Ireland Life and Times Survey?
The Northern Ireland Life and Times Survey (NILT) is a social attitudinal survey that was established in 1998 by Queen’s University Belfast and Ulster University. It has been conducted annually since (with the exception of 2011, due to funding constraints). Continue reading Measuring the “climate” of identity: NILT and time-series surveys
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
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
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?
