A hub of the European Digital Media Observatory (EDMO)
A claim circulating on social media falsely alleges that the Premier League has banned players from wearing rainbow-coloured bootlaces and captain’s armbands linked to the Rainbow Laces campaign. This claim is untrue. While the Premier League has ended its formal partnership with the LGBTQ+ charity Stonewall, which launched the Rainbow Laces initiative, players remain free to wear rainbow laces, armbands, or other inclusive symbols if they choose to do so.
In early August 2025, Fox News aired a segment claiming Dublin had experienced a 114% rise in “murder/assault attempts”, attributing this surge to increased immigration. A fact-check by The Journal thoroughly debunks this claim. The report notes there is no official crime category labelled “murder/assault attempts”, and statistics from An Garda Síochána or the Central … Read More “Debunked: Fox News claims about an Irish crime wave are based on discredited claims and bad stats” »
As Ireland’s 2025 presidential race unfolds, the integrity of its democratic process faces new challenges from foreign interference and smear campaigns to misinformation spread by bots. Writing in The Irish Times, Eileen Culloty, assistant professor in communications and deputy director of the DCU Institute for Media, Democracy and Society, together with David Farrell, Professor of Politics at University College Dublin and expert in electoral systems, argue that institutional safeguards alone are not enough. And advocate empowering ordinary citizen through tools like citizen panels and grassroots vigilance to actively defend democratic norms and ensure fair and trusted elections.
The controversy was reported by Belgian publications back in 2018. A viral video showing children praying in a mosque has been falsely presented as evidence of school indoctrination, but in truth, it dates back to 2018 and features a visit organised by a non-profit aiming to promote religious understanding—a trip not part of any school … Read More “Debunked: Old video of a Belgian mosque claims to show “what they’re teaching kids now in school”” »
Mark Carney has not announced that cars made prior to 2000 won’t be allowed on the road. A deepfake video purporting to show Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announcing a ban on pre-2000 cars, prohibiting window tints, and outlawing lifted trucks has been debunked — The Journal’s FactCheck confirms it is entirely fabricated, the result … Read More “Debunked: Deepfake video appears to show Canadian Prime Minister announcing ban on old cars” »
Ken O’Flynn TD said a 2023 scheme spent €1.6 million on eight cars. The Journal FactCheck investigated claims by Cork North-Central TD Ken O’Flynn about the 2023 Community Car Initiative (CCI), a government scheme providing transport for Ukrainian refugees. O’Flynn alleged that the government spent €1.6 million to buy just eight cars, suggesting a cost … Read More “Debunked: A government scheme did not spend €200,000 per car to help isolated Ukrainians” »
