FactCheckNI

FactCheckNI is Northern Ireland’s first and only dedicated not for profit fact checking and training service. Accuracy matters.

[FactCheckNI @FactCheckNI]

In a world full of noise, clarity matters more than ever.

From the economy to public health, the information we trust shapes the decisions we make every day.

Before you share, react, or believe it; ask: what are your views based on?

#FactCheckNI #MediaLiteracy #FactChecking #NorthernIreland

[FactCheckNI @FactCheckNI]

🔗 https://t.co/Zi0ZBygrPS

[FactCheckNI @FactCheckNI]

📚 Do Catholic Maintained schools outperform Controlled schools at GCSE level?

Education Minister Paul Givan claims they do, even when accounting for social disadvantage.

🔎 We examined the evidence.

✅ Our verdict: ACCURATE

Read the full fact check 👇

[FactCheckNI @FactCheckNI]

❌ CLAIM 3: More people have consistently moved from the Republic of Ireland to NI than vice versa.

NOT SUPPORTED.

Available estimates suggest the opposite: more people moving south than north.

But significant gaps in official data mean caution is needed.

🔎 Full fact check:
https://t.co/Y2lqUQM1v7

[FactCheckNI @FactCheckNI]

🧵 MIGRATION IN NORTHERN IRELAND: WHAT DO THE FIGURES REALLY SHOW?

More people leaving than arriving? International migration at a decade low? More people moving north than south across the Irish border?

We fact checked three claims.

Our verdict: MIXED 👇

[FactCheckNI @FactCheckNI]

🟠 CLAIM 2: International migration to NI is at its lowest in a decade, excluding the pandemic.

NOT QUITE.

🌍 12,087 people arrived from outside the UK in 2024–25.

That’s the lowest figure since 2016–17, excluding the pandemic.

Eight years, rather than a full decade.

[FactCheckNI @FactCheckNI]

NI has been without an agreed Budget for six months.

The law required a draft Budget, agreed by the Executive, to be laid before the Assembly before 1 April.

That didn’t happen.

So is the Executive breaking the law?

🔎 Our latest fact check👇

[FactCheckNI @FactCheckNI]

🔗 https://t.co/6QUYGBRRCJ

[FactCheckNI @FactCheckNI]

💷 As Stormont and Westminster clash over funding, one question remains: Is Northern Ireland actually underfunded?

Public services are under immense pressure. But does the evidence support claims of underfunding?

We examine the figures, assessed needs and political arguments. 👇

[FactCheckNI @FactCheckNI]

🔎 What is fact-checking?

It’s not about finding evidence to support an argument. It’s about testing claims against the evidence.

⚖️ Independent & non-partisan
🔎 Evidence-led
📚 Transparent sources & corrections

Sometimes the evidence is clear. Sometimes it isn’t. Our job is to explain what it can, and cannot, tell us.

Seen a claim that needs checked? Send it our way.

#FactCheckNI #NorthernIreland

[FactCheckNI @FactCheckNI]

💷 Is the cost of living really that different north and south of the border?

We examined explorer the evidence behind four claims.

Our overall verdict: some claims are supported by evidence. Others are overstated. 🧵👇

[FactCheckNI @FactCheckNI]

Good information matters - especially when tensions are high.

Rumour, speculation and incomplete information can quickly fuel fear and real-world harm.

Check before you share. Look for reliable sources. Don’t add to uncertainty.

#factcheckni #northernireland

[FactCheckNI @FactCheckNI]

🔎 As the Drumcree dispute continues, questions remain about the Secretary of State’s legal powers to intervene.

Does he need a request from the PSNI Chief Constable before acting?

Not in every circumstance.

We examine what the law actually says 👇

https://t.co/tPdQfgDkja

#drumcree #garvaghy #northernireland

[FactCheckNI @FactCheckNI]

📊 THE CONCLUSION

There are real differences in incomes, energy prices and housing costs across the border.

But the size of those differences matters.

Read our full fact check, sources and methodology 👇

https://t.co/J3JtHzW5n4

[FactCheckNI @FactCheckNI]

💷 Is the cost of living really that different north and south of the border?

We examined explorer the evidence behind four claims.

Our overall verdict: some claims are supported by evidence. Others are overstated. 🧵👇

[FactCheckNI @FactCheckNI]

4️⃣ CLAIM: House prices are double and rents triple those in NI.

🔎 FINDING: Official figures suggest house prices are around 71% higher and average rents around 82% higher in RoI.

Housing is substantially more expensive, but the claim overstates the gap.

VERDICT: Inaccurate with consideration.

[FactCheckNI @FactCheckNI]

🔗 https://t.co/0CRW5ZJsef

[FactCheckNI @FactCheckNI]

Is the NI Executive breaking the law by operating without an agreed Budget?

There’s an important distinction between what the law requires - and what happens when that requirement isn’t met.

🔎 Our latest fact check explains.