Updated June 2022
THIS ARTICLE SHOULD tell you everything you need to know about what FactCheck is, how it works, and how you can take an active part in it.
We check factual claims made by public figures or entities about newsworthy and topical issues. We also check or debunk memes, hoaxes, rumours and viral content which may not have a single, specific, high-profile author.
While our work is informed by topical issues of the day, we do our best to factcheck a wide range of issues and examine the claims of a wide range of individuals and organisations. This is to try and ensure fairness and an even distribution in our fact checks, and avoid concentrating too much on one person or group.
Our efforts on this will inevitably be imperfect, so if you ever feel this is the case, please let us know.
We watch and listen to a lot of Irish TV and radio, read the news, tune in to Dáil and Seanad debates, and keep an eye on what politicians, public figures and activist and non-profit groups say on social media. We also look at Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp and other social media platforms for claims.
Readers can submit suggestions for claims by sending the details to factcheck@thejournal.ie, tweet @TJ_FactCheck, or send us a direct message on Twitter. You can also forward claims to us on WhatsApp on 083 876 0971.
When deciding on which claims to prioritise, we can’t get to every single one so we focus on ones that have the most potential to cause harm or have a negative impact in people’s lives, as well as claims which are being shared widely.
The growth of misinformation in Ireland during the coronavirus pandemic led to an expansion of the number and type of factchecks we do. These are the different types of factchecks that you’ll see on the site:
An article that has FactCheck in the headline will focus on a claim made by a public person or entity, and will often, but not always, contain a verdict on the accuracy of the claim, in line with the principles of the International Fact-Checking Network. In the absence of a verdict, there will be a narrative verdict which will outline the truth of the situation.
A FactFind will compile relevant information about a topic or claim and present it to readers in order for you to make up your own mind. Some examples of FactFinds are Were self-harm and suicide statistics measured during the pandemic? and How could a border poll happen?
A Debunked will usually examine a false rumour or social media claim which may not have a single, specific author. Some examples of Debunkeds are No, People Before Profit has not organised a pro-lockdown rally and No, there wasn’t a media blackout on Simon Coveney’s official visit to Turkey
Anyone. This is a departure from our original guidelines, which limited FactCheck requests to members of the public.
As of now, though, we will check claims submitted by politicians, their staff, political parties, non-profit groups and unions – essentially, the types of people and organisations who are normally the ones being factchecked.
However, if you fall into this category, we will only accept your suggestion on the understanding that the article will mention the source of the request.
So if, for example, Political Party A’s press office asks us to fact-check a claim by Political Party B, we’ll only do it if Political Party A agrees to be named in the article.
For general readers, we certainly ask if we can mention your name and (roughly) where you live, but you don’t have to provide this information.
We then evaluate the evidence they give us, but also research the issue independently.
If we come across a statistic in a speech, press release, meme or video, we look for the raw data that led to that statistic.
Very occasionally, we will use evidence that is not publicly available, but we will explain why.
You don’t have to. Our aim is to give you the information that you need to make your own mind up. A lot of the time things aren’t black and white. We want to get good information out there to cut through the noise.
When it comes to FactChecks which require a verdict, our view is that a verdict should be read along with the evidence available, and the (often quite nuanced) rationale behind it.
But we understand that many see the verdict as the most essential part of each fact check, so it’s only fair that we explain what they mean.
TRUE: The claim is accurate, and is not missing any significant details or context.
MOSTLY TRUE: The claim is close to accurate, but is missing significant details or context. Or, the best available evidence weighs in favour of the claim.
MIXTURE: There are elements of truth in the claim, but also elements of falsehood. Or, the best available evidence is evenly weighted in support of, and against, the claim.
MOSTLY FALSE: There is an element of truth in the claim, but it is missing critical details or context. Or, the best available evidence weighs against the claim.
FALSE: The claim is inaccurate
MISLEADING: The claim either intentionally or unintentionally misleads readers
NONSENSE: The claim is wildly inaccurate, logically impossible, and/or ridiculous.
UNPROVEN: The evidence available is insufficient to support or refute the claim, but it is logically possible.
Occasionally, we will get things wrong. When that happens, we’ll say so.
If any significant information has been added to an article, that update will be briefly described at the bottom of the article. If there was a factual error, the error will be fixed and the correction will be briefly described at the bottom of the article.
If we change a verdict (either due to the discovery of an error or new information), we will explain that change in the article.
In addition, any updates, corrections or verdict changes will be tracked on our Updates and Corrections page.
The Journal is owned by brothers Eamonn and Brian Fallon, who set up property listings website Daft.ie in 1997. In July 2015, their Distilled Media group merged with the Oslo-listed Schibsted Media Group to form Distilled SCH. However, The Journal and its sister publications The42 and Noteworthy remained separate and solely owned by the Fallon brothers as the independent Journal Media Ltd.
FactCheck is a project run out of The Journal newsroom and largely funded from the central newsroom budget. Read more about The Journal FactCheck unit here
We also factcheck content on Facebook as part of its Third-Party Fact-Checking Programme. You can read about how that works here.
All newsteam members with The Journal are required to declare to the editor any political affiliations or allegiances, business interests or other external activities which could affect their journalistic endeavours, including and especially the impartiality necessary for carrying out a The Journal FactCheck.
This requirement is enshrined in our newsroom handbook and overseen by the editor.
FactCheck at The Journal is a signatory to the International Fact-Checking Network’s Code of Principles, which you can read in full, here.
The most direct thing you can do is contribute to The Journal so we can keep factchecking, explaining and informing. Factchecking is some of the most expensive and resource-heavy work we do in the newsroom so every contribution helps.
Aside from that, let us know if you have a claim you want factchecked, and share our work on social media and in your groups if you can.
Send your FactCheck requests to factcheck@thejournal.ie.
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