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Stephen McDermott

@stemcdermott.bsky.social
2.4K followers 614 following 134 posts

Editor of The Journal FactCheck | Journalist with @thejournal.ie | Royal Canal local living in Grand Canal exile Dublin, Ireland. Email: Stephen.mcdermott@thejournal.ie

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Stephen McDermott @stemcdermott.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Denis O'Brien launches fresh legal action against Meta in Irish High Court jrnl.ie/7151450
jrnl.ie
Denis O'Brien has launched a new legal case against Meta's headquarters in Dublin
The businessman is already suing the social media platform over scam ads on Facebook and Instagram.
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Stephen McDermott @stemcdermott.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
This week's Internet Diaries column. Meta's multibillion-dollar settlement is a reminder that the way social media platforms work isn't inevitable. They're decisions that can change when big tech companies face harsh enough penalties for failing to keep users safe. @thejournal.ie jrnl.ie/7143869
jrnl.ie
Ireland should ask Mark Zuckerberg the next time we need billions to look like money well spent
Our FactCheck editor details the internet trends seen by a thirtysomething-year-old man.
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Aidan O’Brien @aidanobrien.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
EDMO Ireland has released our report on platform election integrity efforts during the Rapid Response System for Disinformation (RRS), which operated during the Irish Presidential election in October 2025. Platforms failed to remove 87% of the disinformation reported, and in some cases removed 0%
About EDMO and EDMO Ireland
The European Digital Media Observatory (EDMO) was established in 2020 as part of
an EU-wide effort to promote research on disinformation; advance fact-checking;
support media literacy; and assess the implementation of the EU Code of Conduct
on Disinformation.
The EDMO Network comprises 14 hubs
operating across 27 countries in the EU
and EEA. While hubs are co-funded by
the EU and committed to common
principles, they operate with full
autonomy at national and regional
levels.
EDMO Ireland includes the DCU
Institute for Media, Democracy, and
Society; TheJournal FactCheck; and
NewsWhip.Summary
During elections in EU member states, Signatories of the Code of Conduct on
Disinformation establish a Rapid Response System for communication between
online platforms and actors monitoring disinformation and manipulation. The
European Commission facilitates the process as Chair of the Code’s Taskforce.
The regional hubs of the European Digital Media Observatory (EDMO) are invited to
flag election-related content to platforms for review by participating platforms:
Microsoft (LinkedIn), Meta (Instagram and Facebook), Alphabet/Google (YouTube)
and TikTok. Platform participation is voluntary, but all platforms signatories have
committed to participate under the Code. They are not obliged to do anything with
the flagged content.
For the Irish Presidential Election in October 2025, EDMO Ireland monitored relevant
platforms to identify content that appeared to be in breach of platforms’ stated
terms of services. This content was reported during the five week period of the Rapid
Response System (24 September - 04 November). During this time: Meta, TikTok, YouTube and LinkedIn didn't act on 77% of misinformation reported during Áras race
No action was taken on about 87% of non-AI election-related disinformation.
8.01am, 26 Aug 2026
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SOCIAL MEDIA COMPANIES failed to act on the vast majority of electoral disinformation reported by researchers ahead of last year’s presidential election, a new report shows.

The report also criticised the companies for not demonstrating an understanding of the context around the election, which was held in October last year.

The 2025 election, which resulted in Catherine Connolly becoming the tenth President of Ireland, saw the use of AI-generated deepfake videos and smear campaigns, as well as a coordinated drive on social media to encourage people to spoil their votes. 

The research, published today by the Ireland hub of the European Digital Media Observatory (EDMO), showed that no action was taken on 72 of the 85 items that were reported for breaking the platforms’ own rules on election-related disinformation.The Journal
 @thejournal.ie
· 1h
“During meetings, platform representatives often appeared unfamiliar with the context of the unfolding election,” the report on misinformation in Ireland reads. “Many were unable to articulate the rationale for content-moderation decisions.”

jrnl.ie/7139970
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EDMO Ireland @edmoireland.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
📄 NEW REPORT: Did tech companies act to protect Ireland's 2025 election? Overall, our evidence shows that responses were slow, inconsistent, and deeply uneven across platforms, with only 13 of 85 electoral disinformation cases addressed. Full report available 👇 edmohub.ie/index.php/ne...
edmohub.ie
New report examines if tech companies acted to protect Ireland's 2025 presidential election
EDMO Ireland has published the report Are Tech Companies Meeting Obligations to Protect Democratic Elections? Evidence from Ireland’s Presidential Election, authored by Aidan O'Brien and Dr Eileen Cul...
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Stephen McDermott @stemcdermott.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
The Press Ombudsperson has decided that @thejournal.ie took sufficient remedial action to resolve a complaint from Mr Michael McCarthy about an article it published in April 2026
Screenshot of a Press Ombudsperson decision on a complaint by Michael McCarthy against The Journal - outline of the articles complained aboutScreenshot of a Press Ombudsperson decision on a complaint by Michael McCarthy against The Journal - outline of the complaint by Michael McCarthyScreenshot of a Press Ombudsperson decision on a complaint by Michael McCarthy against The Journal - outline of The Journal's response to the complaintScreenshot of a Press Ombudsperson's decision on a complaint by Michael McCarthy against The Journal - outline of the Ombudsperson's decision
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Stephen McDermott @stemcdermott.bsky.social · 28/01/2025
Interesting to see that DeepSeek also self-censors when you ask it relatively straightforward questions about Ireland on subjects it doesn't like...
A screenshot of a question asking DeepSeek what Taoiseach Micheál Martin has said about China, followed by a non-response from DeepSeekA screenshot of a question asking DeepSeek whether any Uyghers live in Ireland, followed by a non-response from DeepSeek
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Stephen McDermott @stemcdermott.bsky.social · 24/01/2025
Heads up if you're looking for #StormÉowyn updates here today that Met Éireann say the account posting as @meteireann.bsky.social is fake.
A screenshot of a Bluesky post from a fake Met Éireann account giving updates about Storm ÉowynA screenshot of a post on X by Met Éireann saying that they do not have any accounts on Bluesky
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Stephen McDermott @stemcdermott.bsky.social · 12/01/2025
Ads for deepfake ‘nudify’ apps have started to pop up in the feeds of Irish Facebook users in the past few weeks. The apps allow users to create non-consensual nude images by letting users upload photos to "erase" women's clothing using AI.
jrnl.ie
'Deep concerns' over AI 'undress' apps being advertised on Irish social media
So-called ‘nudify’ apps allow users to create deepfake naked images of any woman.
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Alexios Mantzarlis @mantzarlis.com · 10/01/2025
"Several fact-checkers over the years have suggested to Meta how it could improve this labeling to be less intrusive and avoid even the appearance of censorship, but Meta never acted on those suggestions." -- @factchecknet.bsky.social www.poynter.org/ifcn/2025/an...
poynter.org
An open letter to Mark Zuckerberg from the world’s fact-checkers, nine years later - Poynter
From person-to-person coaching and intensive hands-on seminars to interactive online courses and media reporting, Poynter helps journalists sharpen skills and elevate storytelling throughout their car...
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Stephen McDermott @stemcdermott.bsky.social · 10/01/2025
"There is irony in Zuckerberg branding US fact-checkers as being “just too politically biased” in a statement that, in both timing and explicit alignment, hints strongly at political expediency." @susandaly.bsky.social @factcheck.thejournal.ie
jrnl.ie
The truth about Meta’s broadside against fact-checkers
Journal Media Managing Editor Susan Daly says that platforms, not fact-checkers, are the ones with the power to control what you see.
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The Journal Investigates @investigates.thejournal.ie · 10/01/2025
The US government has branded Dublin's 2023 riots as "white identity terrorism", carried out by Irish white supremacists and ultranationalists. Report by our journalist @trishdevlin.bsky.social www.thejournal.ie/dublin-riots-whit…
thejournal.ie
US government brands Dublin riots as terrorism by Irish white supremacists
New report monitoring global terror incidents lists Ireland as one of six countries targeted by white supremacists.
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The Journal FactCheck @factcheck.thejournal.ie · 09/01/2025
The evacuation of Connolly Station in Dublin yesterday immediately led to a spate of false claims and unfounded speculation online about what had happened. Some social media users suggested it had something to do with foreign nationals or asylum seekers. www.thejournal.ie/debunked-fac...
thejournal.ie
Debunked: Man arrested at Connolly Station was Irish and not a foreign national
A video of gardaí searching people at the train station was shared on a number of social media platforms.
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The Tonight Show @tonightvmtv.bsky.social · 07/01/2025
Join @gavreilly.com tonight at 10pm: - Dangerous cold snap - Will next gov abandon green agenda? - Meta scraps fact checking Timmy Dooley TD, FF Minister Malcolm Noonan Francie Gorman, IFA President Prof John Sweeney, Climatologist Sarah McGuinness, Irish Daily Mail + @stemcdermott.bsky.social
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David Rand @dgrand.bsky.social · 07/01/2025
🚨In Nature🚨 Meta is dropping fact-checking to avoid anti-conservative bias- but is there actually evidence of bias? We this test empirically & find that conservatives * ARE suspended more * BUT share more misinfo So suspension isn't necessarily evidence of bias www.nature.com/articles/s41...
nature.com
Differences in misinformation sharing can lead to politically asymmetric sanctions - Nature
We find that conservatives tend to share more low-quality news through social media than liberals, and so even if technology companies enact politically neutral anti-misinformation policies, political...
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Stephen McDermott @stemcdermott.bsky.social · 07/01/2025
Meta has announced that it's ending its third-party fact-checking programme in the US and replacing it with Community Notes (as are seen on X). It means third parties - like @factcheck.thejournal.ie - will no longer be able to flag misinfo on Facebook, Instagram or Threads in the US.
about.fb.com
More Speech and Fewer Mistakes | Meta
We're ending our third party fact-checking program and moving to a Community Notes model.
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The Journal FactCheck @factcheck.thejournal.ie · 19/12/2024
Ireland's decision to intervene in South Africa’s case against Israel at the International Court of Justice and Israel’s subsequent decision to close its embassy in Dublin have been surrounded by false claims about the Irish government’s position on the war in Gaza. www.thejournal.ie/israel-claim...
thejournal.ie
FactCheck: False claims about Ireland's position on Gaza ramp up after embassy closure
Many false claims have come from social media users but they have also come from official Israeli sources.
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Mark Little @marklittle.bsky.social · 13/12/2024
See the incentives at play here in the influencer economy … a great communicator with a tight focus sees the YouTube data … moves into the “secret knowledge” that trigger the dark sides of our brains … monthly views have increased from nine million to 15 million. www.bbc.com/news/article...
bbc.com
Steven Bartlett sharing harmful health misinformation on Diary of CEO podcast
Disproven health claims are accepted with little challenge by host on number one podcast, BBC investigation finds.
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Stephen McDermott @stemcdermott.bsky.social · 12/12/2024
More bad news in the courts for Ireland's far-right election candidates yesterday. Kim McMenamin of The Irish People lost a defamation case against Peter Casey: jrnl.ie/6569277 And Paul Fitzsimons of the Irish Freedom Party was accused of knife possession and threatening a Garda: jrnl.ie/6569547
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Conor O'Carroll @conorocarroll.bsky.social · 11/12/2024
Brilliant new investigation from @trishdevlin.bsky.social on coastal erosion putting many homes at risk of falling into the sea.
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Stephen McDermott @stemcdermott.bsky.social · 11/12/2024
Kerry far-right election candidate and personality Michelle Keane was jailed yesterday for contempt of court over social media posts (which usual suspects are comparing to Enoch Burke's case). Understanding is that she has already appared back in court to purge her contempt this morning.
radiokerry.ie
Election candidate Michelle Keane jailed for contempt of court | | RadioKerry.ie
The injunction also ordered Michelle Keane and any other party acting in concert with her from making future statements about Sgt Walsh online
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Bill McCarthy @billmccarthy.bsky.social · 09/12/2024
There appear to already be a lot of fake Instagram accounts posing as Luigi Mangione, the man arrested in Pennsylvania today over the killing last week of the United Healthcare CEO in New York.
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Malachy Browne @malachy.bsky.social · 08/12/2024
Amid scenes of prisoners being freed in Syria, incl. from the "human slaughterhouse" at Sednaya, read Anne Barnard's investigation based on the Caesar files exposing systematic torture and extra-judicial executions by the Assad regime. (Gift article) www.nytimes.com/2019/05/11/w...
nytimes.com
Inside Syria’s Secret Torture Prisons: How Bashar al-Assad Crushed Dissent (Gift Article)
Hundreds of thousands of Syrians have been locked away in filthy prisons where thousands were tortured to death — and the pace of arrests and executions is accelerating.
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Stephen McDermott @stemcdermott.bsky.social · 05/12/2024
In 2020, no far-right candidate in Ireland won more than 2% of first preference votes in an election; this time around, the figure had risen to 20. This week's (final) FactCheck election newsletter looks at why Ireland's far-right failed - but failed better - in #GE24.
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Richard Chambers @newschambers.bsky.social · 04/12/2024
The annual Bohs effort to get a toy to every child in direct provision in Ireland is a wonderful thing. Donations and info here: gofund.me/ee17f8fe
gofund.me
Donate to Direct Provision Christmas Toy Drive 2024, organized by Dan Lambert
WE NEED YOUR HELP AGAIN THIS YEAR! In a year that's shown the worst of human… Dan Lambert needs your support for Direct Provision Christmas Toy Drive 2024
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The Journal FactCheck @factcheck.thejournal.ie · 03/12/2024
Conspiracy theories that the general election result was rigged or manipulated are being spread by far-right candidates who failed to gain seats in the 34th Dáil. It follows similar claims of vote-rigging during and after the local and European elections in June.
jrnl.ie
Disappointed by failed campaigns, far-right candidates turn to claims of election rigging
One conspiracy theory alleges criminal charges were dropped against a candidate for splitting “the nationalist vote”.
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Sam Tranum @samtranum.bsky.social · 03/12/2024
I know it's a big ask, but we need help getting CouncilTracker.ie back online to show how Dublin city councillors vote. counciltracker-fdecc5cce045.herokuapp.com/motions We need to add a system so we can update the line-up of councillors as it changes. github.com/DublinInquir... Can anyone help? 🙏
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Stephen McDermott @stemcdermott.bsky.social · 01/12/2024
Irish Freedom Party leader Hermann Kelly is out in Count 14 in Louth with 3,608 votes. Means all far-right candidates have Ní been eliminated from #GE24
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Stephen McDermott @stemcdermott.bsky.social · 01/12/2024
Latest on the far-right in #GE24: - 69 candidates eliminated - 9 candidates are still in the running.
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Stephen McDermott @stemcdermott.bsky.social · 01/12/2024
🧵A Day 2 update on how far-right candidates are doing in #GE24. Some high-profile names have fallen this morning, including Independents Gavin Pepper (Dublin North-West), Dolores Webster and Phil Sutcliffe (Dublin South Central) and Stephen Kerr (Mayo)...
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Nicky Ryan @nickyryan.ie · 30/11/2024
I am biased obvs but @thejournal.ie’s count centre is very handy and very addictive. Possibly because the first page feels like popping bubble wrap. You’ll find it in our app or here www.thejournal.ie/section/ge24/
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Stephen McDermott @stemcdermott.bsky.social · 30/11/2024
Because Ben Gilroy has been eliminated in three constituencies without hitting a quarter of the quota in any of them, he will lose all three of his deposits at a cost of €1,500 #GE24
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Stephen McDermott @stemcdermott.bsky.social · 30/11/2024
Three far-right candidates eliminated on the first count of #GE24 in Fingal West: - Ben Gilroy (Liberty Republic) with 417 votes (finishes 9th of 12) - John Oakes (Irish Freedom Party) with 392 votes (10th of 12) - Mark Joseph Parsons (Irish People) with 157 votes (11th of 12)
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The Foggy Jew @hmcevansoneya.bsky.social · 30/11/2024
A bit rough and ready, but will be doing an initial projection from tallies here. I'll start populating this in the next few minutes docs.google.com/spreadsheets...
docs.google.com
GE 2024 Tally Projection
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Stephen McDermott @stemcdermott.bsky.social · 30/11/2024
🧵 How far-right/National Alliance candidates are doing based on mid-morning tallies #GE24. These will likely have changed by the time most people read them, but give an indication of the state of play this morn. Have also omitted some candidates in constituencies where no data was available yet.
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Órla Ryan @orlaryan.bsky.social · 30/11/2024
(Wo)manning our #GE24 liveblog today, stay with us for the latest updates
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Stephen McDermott @stemcdermott.bsky.social · 30/11/2024
Irish far-right accounts on X have already started to seed a 'stop the steal' narrative around #GE24 - this time it's more focused on ID fraud than the 'foreign interference' claims we saw during the locals and Europeans in June (though there are still efforts to push that narrative too).
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Liz Carolan @lizcarolan.com · 30/11/2024
Ok folks, let’s get organised & use BSky’s best feature for #Election24 Some lovely soul has created a *CUSTOM FEED* for the election count - a tab on your homepage that will have all the #GE24 content - you need to *click here & then “pin feed”* bsky.app/profile/did:...
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Bluesky Safety @safety.bsky.app · 29/11/2024
2/ We are working behind the scenes to help many organizations and high-profile individuals set up their verified domain handles. In the meantime, we’ve updated our impersonation policy to be more aggressive. Impersonation and handle-squatting accounts will be removed.
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Stephen McDermott @stemcdermott.bsky.social · 27/11/2024
Great initiative by Bohs to sort out the Block A/Block G nonsense early
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Stephen McDermott @stemcdermott.bsky.social · 26/11/2024
Back with my three screens for another live fact-check of RTÉ PrimeTime's leaders' debate for @thejournal.ie. Follow the results on our debate liveblog (with possible updates here on ad breaks): jrnl.ie/6553711t #GE2024
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Simon McGarr @tupped.bsky.social · 26/11/2024
This argument would make X the Data Controller- and publisher- of everything posted on the platform, liable under both GDPR and defamation laws in every country for every post. This is a no-lose filing.
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Stephen McDermott @stemcdermott.bsky.social · 26/11/2024
Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael, the Soc Dems and Aontú have all confirmed to me that Bluesky accounts posting under their names are fake. Have also spotted two fake profiles of Micheál Martin and another one of Simon Harris (that actually warns people about fake accounts on Bluesky). jrnl.ie/6553055
jrnl.ie
Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and Soc Dems say Bluesky accounts posting under their names are fake
The number of users on the social media platform has surged in recent weeks.
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Stephen McDermott @stemcdermott.bsky.social · 26/11/2024
New report from @isdglobal.bsky.social outlines how Irish groups tried to push a 'stop the steal' narrative around the European and local elections in June. Claims peaked after the broadcast moratorium, and the vast majority centered on false allegations of 'foreign interference'. jrnl.ie/6552889
jrnl.ie
Irish conspiracy theories about vote-rigging during June elections peaked around polling day
A report has warned that this week’s general election could see similar claims by the far-right.
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Muiris Ó Cearbhaill @muirisocearbhaill.bsky.social · 25/11/2024
Analysis by @foeireland.bsky.social has found that the three leading parties fail when it comes to how progressive their climate policies are. While progress has been made, the group said, the proposals are 'weak'. Read more below on @thejournal.ie: www.thejournal.ie/three-leadin...
thejournal.ie
Three leading parties 'fail' climate policy evaluation by Friends of the Earth
Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin scored an E grade according to the analysis.
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Stephen McDermott @stemcdermott.bsky.social · 23/11/2024
Either that's a fake Micheál Martin profile (that's not how the Tánaiste spells his first name), or his choice of handle has already been taken by an impersonator...
A screenshot showing a search for Micheál Martin on Bluesky. Two almost identical profiles are shown, each with the same username and picture of Micheál Martin, but the account handles are slightly different.
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The Journal FactCheck @factcheck.thejournal.ie · 22/11/2024
Sinn Féin claimed that Fine Gael's #GE24 manifesto pledges half a billion Euro to landlords. We rated their claim as true. Read why below: jrnl.ie/6549182t
jrnl.ie
FactCheck: Does Fine Gael’s manifesto pledge an additional half a billion Euro to landlords?
Sinn Féin made the claim earlier this week.
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Stephen McDermott @stemcdermott.bsky.social · 22/11/2024
Latest edition of the special #GE24 edition of the @factcheck.thejournal.ie newsletter is due to land in inboxes today, and looks at what each party has pledged to do about misinformation in their manifestos (if they pledge anything at all). Sign up below:
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Gavin Cooney @gcooney93.bsky.social · 21/11/2024
Great idea from Premier Sports - Matt Cooper will host a live TV debate next Monday night at 8pm solely on sports policies. Will feature Thomas Byrne (FF), Neale Richmond (FG), Shane O'Brien (SF), Darragh Moriarty (Labour)
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Stephen McDermott @stemcdermott.bsky.social · 21/11/2024
There's fact-checking, and there's ASAI complaints...
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The Journal @thejournal.ie · 20/11/2024
Anything to be said for another starter pack? Here's a list of our journalists, and we'll keep it updated as more join the platform. go.bsky.app/CyjRBBf
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