MISINFORMATION IS NOW a household word.

From the ‘fake news’ era of Donald Trump and Brexit, through the Covid pandemic and into the age of image-based Artificial Intelligence (AI), the world has gotten a lot more used to online deceptions and false information over the past few years.

Here at The Journal, we’ve spent that time trying to debunk hoaxes and false claims that have done the rounds in Ireland, and to get accurate information out there instead.

But we’ve learned that WhatsApp in particular is a particular challenge.

It’s a major source of false rumours and hoaxes, precisely because it’s one of the easiest places to unknowingly share misinformation with people you trust; but as a closed messaging app, it’s also one of the places where it’s difficult for us to see what’s being shared at any given time.

And this is where you come in.

We’ve set up a new WhatsApp number to help us monitor claims, that anyone can share with us at any time for our fact-checkers to look into.

This is particularly important with both two national referendums next month, and beyond that, the local and EU elections in June, where you will be seeing a LOT of less than quality information circulating in an attempt to influence your voting decisions.

If you get a message that you’re unsure about – whether it’s forwarded text, a voice note or a dodgy looking image – and you’re not sure whether it’s legitimate, send it to us and we’ll check it out.

You can forward your message or screenshot it to us on WhatsApp at 083 876 0971.

And you don’t just have to send us what you see on WhatsApp: you can also send us any claims that you see online or in real-life if you’d like us to look at them as well. 

We won’t use your information for anything else, and will let you know if we are able to debunk the claim.

TheJournal.ie’s FactCheck is a signatory to the International Fact-Checking Network’s Code of Principles. You can read it here. For information on how FactCheck works, what the verdicts mean, and how you can take part, check out our Reader’s Guide here. You can read about the team of editors and reporters who work on the factchecks here