News

EDMO Ireland Report on Elon Musk’s X and Conor McGregor’s Presidential Campaign Featured in National Media

Posted on By EDMO Admin
Elections, News, Outreach

On 15 September, EDMO Ireland published a new report, Elon Musk’s X as a Threat to Electoral Integrity: How Conor McGregor’s Irish Presidential Ambitions Unfolded on X. The report examined 127 posts from Conor McGregor’s X account between January and September 2025 relating to his presidential campaign. The findings show that McGregor’s campaign was characterised … Read More “EDMO Ireland Report on Elon Musk’s X and Conor McGregor’s Presidential Campaign Featured in National Media” »

Spot the Spin: A Workshop on Misinformation and Elections with EDMO Ireland

Posted on By Eileen Culloty
Elections, Media Literacy

As Ireland prepares for the presidential election on 24 October, EDMO Ireland is hosting an interactive workshop on elections and misinformation in Dún Laoghaire. The event takes place on Wednesday, 15 October in the Lab (Level 3) of the dlr LexIcon library. Register here. The workshop will explore how voters are targeted by spin, persuasion, … Read More “Spot the Spin: A Workshop on Misinformation and Elections with EDMO Ireland” »

EDMO Ireland Report Concludes McGregor’s Online Campaign Shows Risks of X to Irish Democracy

Posted on By EDMO Admin
Elections

Conor McGregor’s short-lived presidential campaign spread misinformation, personal attacks, and extremist rhetoric to a global audience, according to a new report from EDMO Ireland. The study, From Free Speech to Violent Rhetoric: Elon Musk’s X as a Threat to Electoral Integrity, examined 127 posts from McGregor’s X (formerly Twitter) account between January and September 2025. … Read More “EDMO Ireland Report Concludes McGregor’s Online Campaign Shows Risks of X to Irish Democracy” »

EDMO Ireland Supports Media Literacy Trainer Development

Posted on By EDMO Admin
Media Literacy, News

EDMO Ireland is providing media literacy training to a panel of trainers from Media Literacy Ireland (MLI). Both organisations share the goal of increasing media literacy in Ireland. However, neither EDMO Ireland nor MLI is in a position to deliver training nationwide. Instead, the MLI-certified trainer panel will identify individuals with expertise in different aspects … Read More “EDMO Ireland Supports Media Literacy Trainer Development” »

Debunked: No, the Premier League has not banned players from wearing rainbow-coloured bootlaces

Posted on By AOB
News

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.

Debunked: Fox News claims about an Irish crime wave are based on discredited claims and bad stats

Posted on By AOB
Factchecks

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 the presidential race begins, ordinary citizens must speak up for democratic principles

Posted on By AOB
Elections, News, Policy

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.

Debunked: Old video of a Belgian mosque claims to show “what they’re teaching kids now in school”

Posted on By AOB
Factchecks

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”” »

EDMO Ireland Contributes to Council of Europe Workshop on Countering Disinformation

Posted on By EDMO Admin
News, Policy

On 04 July, Dr Eileen Culloty was invited to participate in an expert workshop at the Council of Europe. The workshop provided specialist insight into a draft strategic document on countering disinformation and promoting information integrity. Dr Culloty contributed insights from her role as coordinator of EDMO Ireland and as a member of the working … Read More “EDMO Ireland Contributes to Council of Europe Workshop on Countering Disinformation” »

Inaugural Disinformation Forum Launched in Limerick

Posted on By Eileen Culloty
News

On Monday, 23rd June, EDMO Ireland and Media Literacy Ireland co-hosted the inaugural Disinformation Forum at Mary Immaculate College, Limerick. The event marked a key milestone in Ireland’s newly launched National Counter Disinformation Strategy (NCDS) and was supported by the media literacy and user education team at Coimisiún na Meán. Opening the forum, Minister for … Read More “Inaugural Disinformation Forum Launched in Limerick” »