Ireland

Were Nancy Pelosi's Daughters Arrested Breaking Into Liquor Store For 'Quarantine Supplies'? No, that's not true: This story is from a website that caters to an audience which frequently falls for fictional stories that portray liberal politicians negatively. The story appeared in an article (archived here) where it was published by bustatroll.org on May 11, 2020 under the title "Pelosi's…

Is the photo accompanying a story about the death of a 13-year-old English boy actually the right person? No, that's not true. A biographcal piece on Ismail Mohamed Abdulwahab, who died on March 30, 2020, from COVID-19, features the photo of Conor Wilmot, a 13-year-old Irish boy who died in 2017 from an internet self-harm challenge. The photo of Conor…

Was an Irish midget accused of soliciting sex from women by posing as a leprechaun and promising a pot of gold? No, that's not true: This is, while possibly funny to some, a piece of satire that has been presented as real news and is being widely shared on the internet. The claim originated from an article published by World…

Is this a real photo of Justice Brett Kavanaugh asleep on a couch holding two beer bottles in 1982? No, that's not true: the image is a stock photo from a photographer based in Ireland and depicts a model. Here is the image in question: The image popped up recently again in a Facebook post (archived here) on August 16,…

Does new DNA prove that African Americans are indigenous aborigines of America? No, that's not true: The claim that 98 percent of Black Americans are actually "Native Indians" is made in a series of articles and videos that lack documentation and misrepresent scholarly research to rewrite history. The self-described historian making the claim also purports that American slaves were not…

Does a new pill therapy stop Parkinson's Disease "in its tracks"? No, that's not true: News reports claiming "stunning results" in animal testing that promises to halt the death of brain cells with "a single pill each day" is sensational hype that overpromises, according to the Michael J. Fox Foundation -- which helped fund the research. The stories originated from…

Is Kamala Harris not an American Black considering that her parents are Indian and Jamaican and was she lying when she said she was part of the second class to be integrated at her elementary school? No, neither is true: While racial definitions in the United States are controversial, the federal government's definition of "Black or African American" includes persons…

Were the first slaves shipped to the American Colonies in 1619 100 white children from Ireland.? No, that's not true: While there are historical records of several thousand Irish children being shipped to the colonies decades later as orphans and indentured servants, they were not treated as chattel slaves. The first slaves in the American colonies arrived in Jamestown, Virginia,…

Hoaxes know no borders, especially in Europe. That's why the International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN) is proud to announce the launch of FactCheckEU, a collaborative effort from 19 European fact-checking outlets to tackle disinformation and hoaxes, ahead of the 2019 European parliamentary elections in May. FactCheckEU is available at factcheckeu.info. Our work will be shared in 10 different languages, and everything…

Is there a "48-Hour Challenge" urging children to disappear for two days spreading dangerously across social media? No, there is no actual evidence of such an online challenge, although there are a lot of parents, police and news media posting warnings. Like the questionable Momo Challenge that purportedly triggered child suicides around the world, the 48-Hour Challenge is striking fear…