TheJournal.ie is a full participating member of the Press Council of Ireland, registered as a company as Journal Media Ltd in Ireland, Registration # 483623. The FactCheck project began in February 2016, and in September 2016 became a signatory to the International Fact-checking Network’s Code of Principles. 

TheJournal.ie is registered in Dublin, Ireland (registration number: 483623; registered office: 3rd floor, Latin Hall, Golden Lane, Dublin 8.) It is part of an umbrella organization that also publishes several niche websites (focusing on start-ups, sports and gossip). In September 2016, it became a signatory to the ICFN Code of Principles, which are reproduced on the website (http://www.thejournal.ie/factcheck-thejournal-ie-fact-checking-code-of-principles-ireland-2987721-Sep2016/) 

All archived fact checks can be found here: http://www.thejournal.ie/factcheck/news

A section of the overall website is devoted to fact-checking, with multiple items published each month: http://www.thejournal.ie/factcheck/news/. The outlet also maintains a distinct Twitter feed for its fact-checking operation: https://twitter.com/TJ_FactCheck. Each fact check is substantive, with extensive facts-based evidence, much of it supported via hyperlinks and other documentation, provided in support of the ‘verdict.’

In addition, substantial information is available to readers about fact checks, and users are actively invited to provide tips and input: http://www.thejournal.ie/factcheck-a-readers-guide-to-how-it-works-and-how-you-can-take-part-2987611-Sep2016/. More information about this Readers Guide appears in relation to additional sections below.

To date, FactCheck has examined factual claims made by representatives of eight out of the nine political parties and groupings in the national parliament. We have written about economics, health, science, politics, public policy, immigration, climate science, and other issues. This includes some issues that are especially controversial and contested in Irish public debate at the moment, such as domestic water charges and the legal status of abortion. In order to ensure consistency, FactCheck uses a prescribed set of verdicts, whose details and requirements are clearly defined and publicly available (http://www.thejournal.ie/factcheck-thejournal-ie-readers-guide-2987611-Sep2016/). Our 2016 Review of the Year provides a good round-up of our work since the beginning of the project (http://www.thejournal.ie/thejournal-ie-2016-factcheck-review-of-the-year-3129320-Dec2016/).

FactCheck vindicating the factual claims of a prominent anti-abortion campaigner - http://www.thejournal.ie/abortion-down-syndrome-fatal-foetal-abnormality-cora-sherlock-ruth-coppinger-eighth-amendment-vincent-browne-2842048-Jun2016/

FactCheck verdict of FALSE for the claims of another prominent anti-abortion campaigner - http://www.thejournal.ie/hse-guidelines-maternal-bereavement-abortion-pro-life-campaign-factcheck-2947615-Aug2016/

FactCheck vindicating the factual claims of a government minister arguing in favour of domestic water charges - http://www.thejournal.ie/election-2016-ireland-fact-check-alan-kelly-water-charges-2587603-Feb2016/

FactCheck largely vindicating the factual claims of an opposition politician arguing against domestic water charges - http://www.thejournal.ie/irish-water-charges-payment-statistics-boycott-3112027-Dec2016/

FactCheck largely vindicating the factual claims of a representative of the business community arguing against transport workers’ industrial action - http://www.thejournal.ie/dublin-bus-drivers-wages-europe-facts-3000886-Sep2016/

FactCheck largely vindicating the factual claims of a transport workers’ union arguing in favour of their industrial action - http://www.thejournal.ie/dublin-bus-drivers-strike-september-2016-nbru-facts-2967501-Sep2016/

FactCheck vindicating the factual claims of a government minister regarding Ireland’s relationship with the EU - http://www.thejournal.ie/ireland-financial-gain-from-eu-frances-fitzgerald-facts-2894694-Jul2016/

FactCheck verdict of FALSE for the factual claims of another government minister regarding Ireland’s relationship with the EU, in the context of Brexit negotiations - http://www.thejournal.ie/illegal-irish-government-brexit-talks-before-article-50-3035204-Oct2016/

Our general election debate round-ups contained several fact checks each, and provide many good examples of our wide scope and consistent non-partisanship. They are available here (http://www.thejournal.ie/ge16-leaders-debate-tv3-fact-check-election-2016-ireland-2599657-Feb2016/), here (http://www.thejournal.ie/rte-claire-byrne-leaders-debate-ge16-election-2016-ireland-fact-check-2606432-Feb2016/), here (http://www.thejournal.ie/ge16-fact-check-election-2016-ireland-tv3-deputy-leaders-debate-2607866-Feb2016/), and here (http://www.thejournal.ie/ge16-fact-check-election-2016-ireland-final-leaders-debate-rte-prime-time-2621007-Feb2016/). 

The website offered an overview of its fact checks in December 2016, indicating the scope of this initiative during this first year of operation: http://www.thejournal.ie/thejournal-ie-2016-factcheck-review-of-the-year-3129320-Dec2016/.

During the year, Journal.ie produced 89 fact checks, examining 160 separate claims, according to this report. In the run-up to the 2016 Irish general election campaign, claims by candidates across the political spectrum were subjected to fact checking (http://www.thejournal.ie/ge16-fact-check/news/), with a variety of verdicts for the four main candidates. 

The signatory’s declaration states that factual claims made by representatives of eight of Ireland’s nine political parties and parliamentary groupings have been examined overall, in addition to fact checks related to economics, health, science, immigration, climate science and other controversial issues.

The site uses a prescribed set of verdicts, which it describes and explains for readers on its ‘Readers Guide’ page (http://www.thejournal.ie/factcheck-a-readers-guide-to-how-it-works-and-how-you-can-take-part-2987611-Sep2016/). The page also includes this statement related to nonpartisanship:

‘We do our best to fact-check a wide range of issues, and examine the claims of a wide range of individuals and organisations. This is to try and ensure fairness and an even distribution in our fact checks, and avoid concentrating too much on one issue, or one person or group.

‘Our efforts on this will inevitably be imperfect, so if you ever feel this is the case, please let us know.’

Requests for fact checks can be submitted by anyone, including politicians and other civic leaders as well as members of the public. The site’s policy is to mention the source of the request if it comes from ‘the types of people and organisations who are normally the ones being fact-checked.’

TheJournal.ie was founded in late 2010 with a stated mission to provide unbiased, independent news that informed users without agenda. Our motto 'read, share and shape the news' - evident on our homepage and repeated on our apps and mobile pages - is a public declaration that we are answerable to users of our service. This is supported by tech features such as 'submit tip' and 'make a correction' buttons on our apps which allows users to contact the newsroom and journalists directly.

Our hiring policy excludes members of political parties or lobbying groups from working in our newsroom and our editorial induction manual explicitly states that journalists must leave all personal sympathies at the door. The manual states that all information in a story must be verified independently with no information published elsewhere - online, etc - taken as established fact. We also have a policy of hyperlinking to sources (studies, academic papers etc) where we have verified these as independent and wholly trustworthy, for the purpose of transparency. All journalists are required to annotate sources and preserve interview notes for every story, and file them daily in a dated Google doc that can be accessed by a senior editor, should we need to review any aspect of a story we publish. These notes are preserved for at least a year.

Our journalists are also excluded from accepting "any fees, commissions or other inducements of any kind whatsoever from any third party which could create a conflict of interest or otherwise jeopardise or leave open to question the impartial discharge of the duties of your position".

We have a further stated policy in our editorial manual on journalists' use of both Journal Media social platforms and guidelines for use of personal social media accounts that are public facing, eg, "Are you displaying a bias that could diminish your authority to report on a particular subject or person?" 

The signatory’s statement indicates that the site’s hiring policy excludes members of political parties or lobbying groups from newsroom work, and that the editorial induction manual ‘explicitly states that journalists must leave all personal sympathies at the door’. Journalists are forbidden from accepting any fees, commissions or inducements from a third party that could create a conflict of interest or otherwise ‘jeopardise or leave open to question’ a journalists’ impartiality. There also is a policy related to avoiding displays of bias in both professional and personal use of social media.

I could be missing it, but I do not see an in-house code of ethics or other statement related to policies on advocacy or staff engagement in politics. In their supporting materials, the signatory mentions the site’s motto (‘Read, share and shape the news’), as well as website features that invite transparency and engagement – but those are not ethics statements. However, TheJournal.ie is a ‘full participating member’ of the Press Council of Ireland and declares its support for the Office of the Press Ombudsman.

The signatory submitted a list of six fact checks related to abortion, water charges and a transport workers strike, showing that verdicts on both sides of the issue were reached on each topic. This is fewer than the 10 requested, but the materials available online are more than adequate for assessment. 

FactCheck’s Reader’s Guide (http://www.thejournal.ie/factcheck-thejournal-ie-readers-guide-2987611-Sep2016/), published in September 2016 and linked at the end of every subsequent fact check, contains sections providing details on our approach to finding and selecting claims to fact-check, as well as our policies and procedures on gathering and publishing evidence. Reviewing a handful of fact checks from the archives (http://www.thejournal.ie/factcheck/news/) will show that we make heavy use of clear and complete citation and attribution of sources of evidence, as well as hyperlinks, and that we regularly include downloadable spreadsheets containing data relevant to that fact check.

Each fact-checking article contains multiple links to supporting evidence, as well as detailed information, typically in both bulleted and narrative formats, explaining additional evidence. The signatory’s statement indicates a policy of linking only to material that has been verified as ‘independent and wholly trustworthy’. It further states that Journal.ie journalists are required to annotate sources and preserve (for at least one year) all interview notes, filed in a dated Google document that can be accessed by a senior editor.

If relevant, supporting infographics also are provided; an example is this fact-check of claims related to unemployment: http://www.thejournal.ie/real-unemployment-ireland-jobbridge-job-activation-3121652-Jan2017/). Downloadable spreadsheets, containing data relevant to the fact check, also are provided in some cases.

The signatory’s statement also references the Readers Guide, cited above (http://www.thejournal.ie/factcheck-a-readers-guide-to-how-it-works-and-how-you-can-take-part-2987611-Sep2016/), which clearly explains the site’s approach to finding and selecting claims to fact check, as well as policies and procedures for gathering and publishing evidence. 

TheJournal.ie is part of Journal Media Ltd (http://www.thejournal.ie/about-us/) which comprises four publications and and is wholly owned by online entrepreneurs Eamonn and Brian Fallon. Funding for Journal Media is provided by a capital investment by the Fallon brothers, who founded an Irish online property listings website called Daft.ie in 1997. The ownership of Journal Media is confirmed by documents filed at the Companies Registration Office in Ireland and can be accessed here: (https://cro.ie/) or can be supplied by us if needed. Journal Media also earns revenue from advertising on Journal Media sites - our advertising policy is publicly available here: http://www.thejournal.ie/advertising-policy/ 

Although there are links to affiliated websites at the bottom of the homepage, I can find no actual ownership information on TheJournal.ie site. There seem to be two different, though not necessarily competing, narratives related to ownership:

* The signatory’s statement says the site is part of Journal Media Ltd., as indicated in the copyright information on the home page (though not clearly stated on the ‘About Us’ page). It is one of a group of four publications wholly owned and funded by two brothers, according to the statement; they are the founders of an Irish online property listings website called Daft.ie. The statement indicates that ownership documents are on file at the Irish Companies Registration office (https://www.cro.ie/).

* However, Wikipedia indicates ownership by a company called Distilled Media. I found a bit more information via Bloomberg News, which pointed me toward the Distilled website (http://distilledsch.ie). Scrolling down through that site informed me that the company owns Daft.ie, among other online websites, and is a partnership with Schibsted, a Norwegian media company that is a leader in ‘online marketplaces’.

My guess would be that the only connection between Journal Media Ltd and the Distilled Media properties is the Fallon brothers. I do not see this as a problem in relation to the ability of TheJournal.ie to conduct fair and impartial fact checks of consistently high quality, which it clearly does. That said, the difficulty in identifying actual ownership of the website seems to me to be a shortcoming, and this lack of explicit online information ideally should be addressed.

TheJournal.ie FactCheck has employed Dan MacGuill as a full-time factchecker since its inception in Spring 2016 - his byline appears at the bottom of every fact-checking article he authors and his portfolio is available to view here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dan-mac-guill-7346b722 As editor of TheJournal.ie, I direct the FactCheck effort and my full bio can be read here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sudaly

TheJournal.ie has employed Dan MacGuill as a full-time fact checker from the start. His name, photo, Twitter handle and email address are provided at the bottom of each fact check, along with a link to more of his items: http://www.thejournal.ie/author/dan-macguill/3122/. The signatory’s statement indicates that the site’s editor also oversees the fact-checking effort.

The statement provides links to the LinkedIn bios of MacGuill and the editor, Susan Daly. However, I do not see a staff list on the site or a place to access bios from the website itself. 

Users can contact TheJournal.ie in a number of different ways - on the app 'send a tip' or 'make a correction' buttons mentioned above in this application, but also through the email 'news@thejournal.ie' or other sections here: http://www.thejournal.ie/contact/ Users can also tweet at us @thejournal_ie or DM us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/thejournal.ie/ To contact TheJournal.ie's FactCheck specifically, users can email their suggestions and corrections to factcheck@thejournal.ie or tweet or DM the project at @TJ_FactCheck - our reader guide outlines all of those options: http://www.thejournal.ie/factcheck-thejournal-ie-readers-guide-2987611-Sep2016/ As a full member of the Irish Press Council, we also subscribe to their complaint process where users can make a submission if they believe we have failed to uphold any principle in the Council's Code of Practice: http://presscouncil.ie/contact-us/

TheJournal.ie enables and indeed strongly encourages readers to contact it in relation to its fact-checking initiative, providing access points via email, Twitter and Facebook. There is a dedicated email address for the fact check segment of the site. As mentioned above, the site is a member of the Irish Press Council and subscribes to its complaints process, which enables users to submit a complaint if they believe the site has failed to uphold any principle of the Council’s code.

Fact checks at TheJournal.ie also are open to reader comments (which they frequently attract). When fact checks stem from user requests, this is indicated with a headline that includes the phrase ‘You asked, we answered’ (for example: http://www.thejournal.ie/gender-pay-gap-ireland-statistics-facts-3133536-Dec2016/). 

An innovative feature in 2016, the first year of operation, was a poll asking readers to nominate ‘the most consequential’ falsehood of the year:

http://www.thejournal.ie/factcheck-ireland-thejournal-ie-false-claim-of-the-year-3149192-Dec2016

Our Reader’s guide (http://www.thejournal.ie/factcheck-thejournal-ie-readers-guide-2987611-Sep2016/) contains sections giving details of our methodology. You can read it here. 

The information provided to readers via the ‘Reader’s Guide’ already cited (http://www.thejournal.ie/factcheck-a-readers-guide-to-how-it-works-and-how-you-can-take-part-2987611-Sep2016/) seems exemplary to me. It very clearly sets out what fact-checking is about, describes how it works in general and at TheJournal.ie in particular, and invites and facilitates user submissions. It also provides advice about the most suitable types of claims and what to avoid. The presence of numerous ‘You asked, we answered’ fact checks indicates take-up among readers of the concept and the opportunity, as do the extensive comments under many items. Indeed, the signatory’s statement says that in the first year, around 37 percent of fact checks originated with reader submissions, making readers ‘by far the largest single source.’

The methodology for both checking and rating claims also is clearly explained. 

We especially encourage readers to suggest fact checks, through a dedicated email address (factcheck@thejournal.ie), and a Twitter account (@TJ_FactCheck). We invite readers to submit claims in every published fact check, and through Twitter “call-outs” (https://twitter.com/TJ_FactCheck/status/821477505429372930) timed to coincide with primetime television and radio panel shows, as well as on an ad hoc basis, surrounding particular special events or developments. In addition, where a fact check originated with a reader request, we mention this fact in the article, as well as (provided they have given consent) the name and locality of that reader. Our analysis (http://www.thejournal.ie/thejournal-ie-2016-factcheck-review-of-the-year-3129320-Dec2016/) has found that, between February and December 2016, some 37% of fact checks emanated from reader submissions - by far the largest single source. Our Reader’s Guide contains details on how readers can suggest fact checks, as well as some advice on the most suitable types of claims, what to avoid, and so on.

The signatory’s statement reiterates the options for readers to suggest fact checks, as outlined above, and also mentions the opportunity to submit claims through Twitter ‘call outs,’ some of which are ad hoc and others timed to coincide with TV and radio panel shows (example: https://twitter.com/TJ_FactCheck/status/821477505429372930). When fact checks originate with a reader request, this is mentioned in the article; the reader’s name and locality also are provided if permission to display that information has been obtained. 

Our corrections policy, which also includes a list of corrections, is publicly available here (http://www.thejournal.ie/thejournal-ie-factcheck-corrections-policy-2987705-Sep2016/?jrnl_af=1), and is linked to at the end of each individual fact check. It is updated whenever a correction or update is made, and includes the date on which each correction is made. Each correction is also noted within the fact check in question. 

At the bottom of its ‘Readers Guide,’ TheJournal.ie commits to correcting any errors and clearly describes how any fixes will be communicated to readers. Updates, corrections and verdict changes, if any, also are tracked on a separate ‘Updates and Corrections’ page. 

This page, which is dedicated to any errors in the fact checks (http://www.thejournal.ie/thejournal-ie-factcheck-corrections-policy-2987705-Sep2016/), appears to have been created in September 2016, perhaps indicating the lack of a dedicated space to highlight corrections or updates in the early months of the site’s existence. The page indicates that as of late February 2017, when this review was conducted, a total of five corrections and four updates have been published since September. For each of these items, a synopsis of the change is provided, along with a link to the revised fact check; a date at the top indicates when the update or correction was made. Corrections also are noted within the relevant fact check. 

Following notification of an error from a reader, on 29 December 2016 we corrected two charts in an article regarding the comparative pay rates of politicians across the EU. The charts made mention of “upper house” members of parliament, where they should have referred to “lower house” members. The correction was noted in the article itself (http://www.thejournal.ie/politicians-salaries-europe-ireland-3149607-Dec2016/), and the correction was logged on our corrections page (http://www.thejournal.ie/thejournal-ie-factcheck-corrections-policy-2987705-Sep2016/?jrnl_af=1).

A more substantive correction came on 10 September 2016. An email from a reader argued that in an earlier fact check, a list of countries where abortion is legal without restriction based on gestational age had improperly omitted Ireland, based on the article’s stated criteria for inclusion in the list. After consideration, we concluded that the reader was right in their assessment, and we updated the article accordingly. Although this was, technically, an omission rather than a correction (the article had not previously stated that Ireland was not among these countries) it was a significant omission, and our correction reflected that. As is the policy with every correction, we also considered whether the correction warranted a change to the verdict. In this case, we determined that it did not.

The correction was noted in the article itself (http://www.thejournal.ie/abortion-up-to-birth-law-around-the-world-2905518-Aug2016/), and logged in the list of corrections (http://www.thejournal.ie/thejournal-ie-factcheck-corrections-policy-2987705-Sep2016/?jrnl_af=1).

The signatory’s statement indicates that with every update or correction, editors consider whether a change in the verdict is warranted.

The statement offers two examples of corrections:

* On December 29, 2016, following notification of an error from a reader, two charts in an article regarding the comparative pay rates of politicians across the EU were corrected. The charts referred to ‘upper house’ members of Parliament but should have referred to ‘lower house’ members. The correction was noted in the article (http://www.thejournal.ie/politicians-salaries-europe-ireland-3149607-Dec2016/) and logged on the site’s corrections page (http://www.thejournal.ie/thejournal-ie-factcheck-corrections-policy-2987705-Sep2016/).

* A more substantive correction was made on September 10, 2016. An email from a reader argued that a list of countries where abortion is legal without restriction based on gestational age had improperly omitted Ireland. The signatory’s statement says that editors concluded the reader was right, and the article was updated to address the omission. Again, the correction was noted in the article (http://www.thejournal.ie/abortion-up-to-birth-law-around-the-world-2905518-Aug2016/), and logged in the list of corrections.