Will new EU customs fees apply to parcels in Northern Ireland? 📦 We found the answer is more complicated than some claims suggest. Our latest fact check explains what’s confirmed, what won’t apply, and what’s still unclear. Read our full analysis ⬇️

AI-generated abuse is accelerating and evidence must shape our response. Our fact check examines claims raised in the NI Assembly and finds strong evidence behind a troubling trend: deepfake pornography overwhelmingly targets women. #OnlineSafety #AIpolicy #FactCheck #NorthernIreland

Fact checked: Nearly all pornographic deepfakes depict women; a stark reminder that online harms disproportionately affect women and girls. Read our full article ⬇️

Independent fact checking is vital to democracy and public trust in NI. Our work supports informed public debate by checking claims transparently and impartially. If you value evidence-based discussion,support our work: crowdfunder.co.uk/p/factcheckni #NorthernIreland #criticalthinking

📈Trade between NI, GB and Ireland has increased in recent years. 👉 While the figures cited in support of the Windsor Framework are broadly accurate, trade volumes were already rising before the framework was agreed in 2023, meaning the data alone does not show its impact on trade.

📊Are Northern Ireland’s breastfeeding rates among the lowest in Europe? A new @FactCheckNI analysis finds that while international data comparisons are imperfect, current evidence suggests NI lags behind the rest of the UK - and the UK sits near the bottom in Europe. Read the full breakdown 👇

Do nearly 1 in 20 over-50s in Northern Ireland suffer from PTSD? New research says 4.74% are living with PTSD right now, and almost 60% say their worst trauma is Troubles-related. Understanding the facts matters. Read our full analysis 👉 factcheckni.org/articles/men...

A new year doesn’t need louder opinions, it needs clearer facts. In 2026, FactCheckNI will keep checking claims, explaining the evidence, and separating fact from spin in Northern Ireland. Because accuracy still matters.

🌍 Who comes to the UK, and what are they entitled to? Most UK migrants are here legally - and unauthorised migrants have very limited entitlements. In this article we unpack the facts behind the headlines. 👉 Read the full explainer here: factcheckni.org/articles/exp...

Northern Ireland still has the largest disability employment gap in the UK - but have the numbers shifted recently? 🔍 Read our fact-check to find out. #DisabilityEmployment #FactCheckNI 🔗 factcheckni.org/articles/emp...

Former DUP MP Ian Paisley Jr. recently claimed that proportionally, more loyalists than republicans went to prison during the Troubles. FactCheckNI reviewed the evidence and found big gaps in the data. Our verdict? Unsubstantiated.

Behind every statistic on Violence Against Women and Girls is a real person - but if the data’s unclear, how can we fight it? Our article explores the serious gaps in how NI’s justice system records and understands VAWG. Read more here 👉 factcheckni.org/articles/exp...

Who’s responsible for Lough Neagh’s phosphorus pollution? Agriculture (61%) leads, while wastewater & septics tanks adds 30%. Read our full analysis here 👉 factcheckni.org/articles/lou... #LoughNeagh #FactCheckNI #NIEnvironment

🎓Does Northern Ireland really have a shortage of local uni places? NI’s universities face a challenge: demand outstrips supply. But the story is more complicated than it seems - with funding caps, student choices, and migration all in the mix. 📊 Read our full analysis 👇 #HigherEdNI #Education

👥 Northern Ireland is getting older. There are now more people aged 70+ than children under 10. What does this mean for our future health, pensions & policies? Read more ➡️ factcheckni.org/articles/dem... #northernireland #demographics #factcheckni

Does Belfast have the 2nd highest number of asylum seekers in the UK, and do almost a fifth of them live in BT12, as claimed by DUP MLA Edwin Poots? ❌ No. 📊Belfast ranks 20th overall. 👥With 0.6% of the local population (1 in 167 people). ➡️ No data confirms the BT12 claim.

📊 FactCheckNI has a new series exploring NI’s demographics-exploring age,religion and place of birth. These articles are designed to be a reference point for what’s changed and what’s stayed the same over time. ➡️First up: place of birth.Where were people who call NI home born?

Does Belfast really house more “illegal migrants” than every other UK city except Glasgow? Turns out, no. This FactCheckNI article slices through the noise with clear, evidence-based insight. Read our full analysis 👉 factcheckni.org/articles/imm... #FactCheckNI #NorthernIreland #Belfast

🌍 Who comes to the UK, and what are they entitled to? Most UK migrants are here legally - and unauthorised migrants have very limited entitlements. In this article we unpack the facts behind the headlines. 👉 Read the full explainer here: factcheckni.org/articles/exp...

We recently published an analysis of what is known about Violence Against Women and Girls in Northern Ireland, focusing on the criminal justice system and, in particular, the statistical records maintained by the PSNI.

Who migrates to the UK and what are they entitled to? 🔺Immigration has been a recurring theme in UK, Irish and global politics over the last number of years. In some cases there have been protests, riots and attacks on people who are perceived not to be ‘local’.

Crime in NI: Have reoffending rates risen to nearly 75%? UUP MLA Doug Beattie recently claimed: “[R]e-offending rates in Northern Ireland have gone from 70% in 2016 to around 74% in 2024”. Was he right? No.

Is bad information impacting the communities or groups you work with? Thousands have benefitted from our training sessions in fact-checking and critical thinking skills. Find out how NI’s first and only fact checking organisation can support you. factcheckni.org/training/

Who migrates to the UK and what are they entitled to? 🔺Immigration has been a recurring theme in UK, Irish and global politics over the last number of years. In some cases there have been protests, riots and attacks on people who are perceived not to be ‘local’.

This July, FactCheckNI is 10! For a decade, we’ve been checking facts, tackling misinformation, and championing critical thinking in NI. Stick with us as we keep holding power to account and standing up for evidence and integrity.

Housing in NI: Are rents rising faster in Belfast than in London? Yes - overall, when considering all the available data and the quality of that data, there is plenty of evidence to support the claim that rents in Belfast are increasing at a higher rate than those in London.

What we don’t know about Violence Against Women and Girls in Northern Ireland. 🔺Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) is a big problem under a bright spotlight. But what do we really know about it? #VAWG #NorthernIreland

The House of Commons voted on amendments to abortion law last week. 🔺None of the proposals directly affect Northern Ireland. 🔺Based on the amendment that did ultimately pass, coming changes will mean that the law in England and Wales is much closer to how things work here.

Immigration in NI: Did a local bus company recently drop off a “bus load” of migrants in Lisburn? No. This is a good example of how photos shared on social media can be misinterpreted or misleading.

Explainer: What does the Supreme Court ruling on the meaning of the word “woman” mean for Northern Ireland? In April, the UK Supreme Court ruled that use of the word “woman” in the Equality Act 2010 refers to people whose biological sex is female.

Health in NI: Are local MS rates some of the highest in the world? 🔺Yes. Data indicates that Northern Ireland has a higher prevalence of MS than England and Wales, but lower than Scotland.

In a debate in the Assembly several claims were made about diabetes in Northern Ireland. We’ve taken a look in more depth:

In a statement to the NI Assembly, Alliance Party MLA Sian Mulholland said: “Northern Ireland has the highest rate of people claiming disability benefits and the highest prevalence of mental ill health in the UK.” Is this accurate? We took a look at this complex issue:

🏡 Housing in NI: Is 90% of social housing segregated? ✅ Yes - according to available data. 🔺It’s important to note that these findings are based on old data. However, while there may be updated figures in future, for now this figure remains the most up to date. #northernireland #housing

Have you heard anything that you think should be fact checked? Submit it to us! Support us in our work in ensuring that accurate information is the basis for debates impacting us all

EXPLAINER: What’s the difference between 22,500 empty homes and 52,000 houses with no residents? And why does it matter? #northernireland #housing #factcheckni

🗓️ Today is International Fact-Checking Day, a global initiative aimed at emphasising the crucial role of accurate information in our interconnected world. 🌍 Misinformation is an international crisis. Fact-checking, and the @factchecknet.bsky.social , is part of the global solution.

Welfare reform in NI: SDLP MP Colum Eastwood claimed that Personal Independent Payments (or PIP) “…aren’t for people on long term sick who could return to work – they are designed to help people live independently regardless of their work status.” Is he right? Yes.

The Education Minister rejected applications from Bangor Academy and Rathmore PS to become integrated. In response, Alliance MLA Nick Mathison claimed there is “substantial unmet demand for integrated education at post-primary level” in the area. Is this right? Yes, it is

Recent applications for integrated status made by two schools in North Down were rejected by Education Minister Paul Givan,leading to an urgent debate in the Assembly. In a series of three articles, FactCheckNI takes take a look at some of the things said during that debate:

Lots of discussion about school uniforms in NI at the moment, as Minister Paul Givan has introduced a School Uniforms Bill in the Assembly. 🔺 Did you know the vast majority of countries in Europe do not implement a mandatory school uniform policy?

Housing in Northern Ireland: is housebuilding at a sixty-year low? Yes, according to evidence. According to the ONS, the total number of new homes finished in 2023 was 5,380 – the lowest number of completions since 1959, when the figure was 4,890.

Food Banks in NI: Has the number of emergency parcels issued to children risen by 90%? Yes. Figures from the Trussell Trust show that 14,000 emergency food parcels were issued to children between April & September last year, an increase of 90% compared to the same period in 2019.

Domestic abuse in NI: did police receive substantially more calls over Christmas than in the rest of the year? Yes - the evidence supports this.

Healthy life expectancy in NI: can deprivation reduce women’s time living in good health by over 14 years? Yes - according to the evidence. 🔺Healthy life expectancy (HLE) is the number of years that someone can expect to live in good or very good health.

Is the Alliance Party trying to remove the Union Flag from public display? In a post on social media, DUP MP Sammy Wilson claimed: “The Alliance Party are proposing new legislation to remove our National Flag and bunting from public places.” Was he accurate? No, not based on the evidence.

Use our search tool to explore topics that matter to you in Northern Ireland. We are an independent team of fact-checkers committed to examining key public statements related to the region. See more of our work here: factcheckni.org

DUP MLA Paul Frew claimed that total of £119m in rates payments in Northern Ireland is currently unpaid. Meanwhile,ratespayers who receive a discount on their bill for early payment could lose out under new proposals being considered Was he right? Yes, this is accurate.

📢 Our full statement on Meta’s decision to end support for US fact checkers on their fact checking programme is available here: factcheckni.org/articles/new...

We’re hearing a lot about the pressures on A&E depts in NI at the moment.What is the impact of this? We previously examined the RCEM claim that there was strong evidence that almost 1500 people died in NI in a single year as a result of wait times in A&E. Read more: factcheckni.org/articles/did...