Fake news has always existed, but with the rise of the Internet and social media, it spreads today more quickly and widely than ever. For this reason, fact-checking — the verification of the accuracy of statements, declarations, images or news — has become more and more central in the modern information landscape. However, fact-checking can…
In the digital age, truth travels slower than rumor. Fact-checking initiatives can expose misinformation, but they face an unexpected obstacle: those who already believe the falsehoods rarely change their minds. Why doesn’t evidence always win over conviction? The contemporary information environment has transformed the way societies understand truth. While digital platforms have made access to…
It is indeed true that fact-checking political claims often seems like an impossible task. Politicians sometimes tend to twist facts, throw around accusations or take figures out ofcontext. Populist politicians are the best in this club, and they are the ones who make the fact checker’s job so much more difficult. But we must never…
In an interview with “The Guardian” dated July 2, 2025, Teresa Ribera, Vice-President of the European Commission for a Clean, Just and Competitive Transition, comments against the backdrop of the increasing frequency of heatwaves in Europe. On the occasion of the heatwave in the summer of 2025, she states: “They are absolutely terrible temperatures that…
“Ladies and gentlemen, this is the most terrifying thing I have ever witnessed!” These are the words that were blasting through the radio on Halloween in 1938. “War of the Worlds” interrupted the news bulletin and music to declare that aliens were invading the earth. It was theatrical, melodramatic and spectacular. You could call it…
Being first is one of the driving forces behind journalism. Beating the competition is what many journalists strive for, but that sometimes means the work is not done properly. This has consequences for the media in general, as it undermines public trust. Yet there is another way for journalists to distinguish themselves from the competition,…
Does a ban on new internal combustion engine cars achieve nothing for the climate? This statement was made by German CDU politician Manuel Hagel in the context of the debate over the planned EU-wide ban on new registrations of internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles starting in 2035. Hagel argued that the EU-wide ban on new…
On September 18th 2025, Svenja Schulze, a member of the German Bundestag for the Social Democratic Party (SPD), made the following statement during the second reading of the 2025 federal budget: “Every two minutes, a person in Germany becomes a victim of domestic violence. Last year alone, there were more than 265,000 affected individuals.” This…
Dominik Kettner, entrepreneur and precious metals expert, and Dieter Bohlen claim in an interview published on 15 November 2025: “Over 270.000 Germans emigrated last year. And we know that these are high achievers: engineers, entrepreneurs, doctors.” (time stamp: 28:05) According to Bohlen, the reason for the emigration is the dissatisfaction of Germans due to the…
As part of the Dutch Formal Budget Presentation in September 2025, the Finance Minister of the Netherlands, Eelco Heinen, said that poverty in the Netherlands has gone down. Though still many people are at risk to slide into poverty and the severity of poverty increases, the claim turns out to be true. Behind this statement…