What The Fact?
Sorting facts from fiction on key global development, human rights and justice issues
Photo: ‘Discovery’ © Gauthier Delecroix via Flickr used under CC BY 2.0
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
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.
‘Aid doesn’t work’
We have all heard it, time and time again – international aid just doesn’t work. It doesn’t achieve its objectives, it wastes money and it would be better spent here at home. What The Fact? investigates.
Factsheet: Child under-nutrition in Africa
What is undernutrition? How many children in Africa are underweight, stunted or wasted, or don’t get the minimum amount of food they need?
Are the majority of people in Ireland “worried that people are coming into Ireland illegally, staying here and freeloading off the state?”
53% of respondents agreed with the statement, on average. But was this an objective statement to include in the survey?
What The Fact? Fighting hoaxes, fakes and myths on key human rights and human development issues
In a digital world packed with fake news and fact checkers, is there a need for another one?