What The Fact?

In a world of extreme inequalities, the spread of hate speech, populism and fake news, the need to check claims, facts and data sources on the global stage is more important than ever.

Aligning with the principles of the International Fact Checking Network, we check claims by influencers, from local to national to transnational that relate to human rights and international human development. Transparent fact checking is a powerful instrument of accountability, and we need your help.

Send tips and ideas to facts@developmenteducation.ie
Join the conversation #whatDEfact on Twitter @DevEdIreland and Facebook @DevEdIreland

Emancipated slaves brought from Louisiana by Colonel George H. Banks in December 1863. Photo by Myron H. Kimball

Were Irish people the ‘first slaves in America’?

The claim that many images and meme’s circulating online make that Irish people were the “first slaves of America” is false. The What The Fact? project investigates

Fact-checking Trump’s attacks on the World Health Organization

Did the World Health Organization severely mismanage and cover up the spread of the coronavirus, as suggested by US president Donald Trump? ‘What the Fact?’ investigates.

Does $1.90 a day keep global poverty away?

Is it really possible to end extreme poverty within a generation? ‘What The Fact?’ investigates the underlying assumptions of the international poverty line

Is the state owned ESB associated, directly or indirectly with reported human rights violations in the Cerrejón mine in Colombia?

The Cerrejon Mine is one of largest open-pit mines in the world and is located in the south-east of Colombia. Is Ireland’s state-owned utility company, ESB, linked to reported human rights violations and ‘blood coal’?

Five facts: Femicide in South Africa

What is femicide? How many women are murdered in South Africa each year? And how does South Africa compare to other countries?

‘Environmental problems are easier to solve with fewer people’

‘Overpopulation’ advocates claim that unsustainable increases in global population are the root of almost all of the major problems facing us today. Are they right? What the Fact? investigates.