In May 2024 the EUfactcheck programme successfully factchecked the EU elections for the second time. From academic year 2024-205 onwards the EUfactcheck programme will offer two different ‘tracks’ for EJTA member schools to participate.
* Individual schools can still use the EUfactcheck website as a platform to publish their students’ factchecks. This can be done at any convenient moment throughout the year, that fits the curriculum of the study programme. Please contact the EUfactcheck editorial team.
* Each year another EJTA member school will organise an intensive factchecking week, the EUfactcheck Lab, funded by Erasmus short mobility. Other EJTA member schools are welcome to join with up to 6 students and one teacher (Erasmus Blended Intensive Programme). Please contact the EUfactcheck programme manager for more details. In 2024 the EUfactcheck Lab covered the EU elections, hosted by EJTA member Hogeschool Utrecht, the Netherlands. The next year EJTA member Universitat Autonoma Barcelona in Spain offered the EUfactcheck Lab on ‘Climate Change’. In 2026 the topic is Press Freedom. In the first week of May students from 7 EJTA schools meet at Jade University in Wilhelmshaven.
EUfactcheck, an initiative of the European Journalism Training Association (EJTA) fights mis- and disinformation about policies and topics in Europe. Journalism students from all over Europe factcheck claims and statements made by politicians and others public figures, and rate them as true or false. Our focus is to give correct information and context to the reader.
In an article by “Welt.de” from May 2025 a squirrel aid-worker (in Berlin, Germany) is being quoted saying: “Es ist dramatisch – bei den Eichhörnchen ist der Beginn des Aussterbens da” (English: “It’s dramatic – the squirrels are on the verge of extinction”). This claim turns out to be mostly false. In order to verify…
In a letter dated June 25, 2024, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen claimed: “Many Member States are looking at innovative strategies to prevent irregular migration by tackling asylum applications further from the EU’s external borders.” However, a closer examination shows that very few countries are actively pursuing such plans and concrete results are…
On May 4, 2025, AfD politician Miguel Klauß published a reel on his Instagram profile in which he denied the rise in sea levels using the example of Venice. Specifically, he claims: “The constant sea level, for example in Venice for over 1.500 years, is the best proof of the climate sect’s lies about the…
During an appearance on the German political talkshow „Farbe bekennen“, AfD-chairwoman Alice Weidel states that nuclear energy is CO₂-neutral (08:33). This claim relies on the fact that the actual process of nuclear energy production does not cause any carbon emissions. However, regarding the entire lifespan of a nuclear energy plant and the carbon emissions that are…
On 13 May 2025, Friedrich Merz, the German Chancellor, stated in a speech at the Economic Council, an economic policy federal association that is close to his party, the CDU, that “We need to work more and above all, more efficiently in this country again. With a four-day work week and a focus on work-life…
“Only around 3% of all CO₂ emissions are man-made, i.e. they come from the economy, heating and transportation. Around 97% of CO₂ emissions are of natural origin.” This is a claim made by Karsten Hilse, a climate spokesperson for Germany’s far-right party AfD, on his website. It’s a claim regularly used to downplay human responsibility…
According to an article published by the European energy company Vattenfall on their website referring to the German Environment Agency, “A vegan diet produces around 40 percent less CO₂ emissions […] compared to someone who eats meat and dairy products.” The claim turns out to be mostly true. The Vattenfall article mentions neither a date…
In January 2025, the Alternative for Germany (AfD) published an election manifesto on their official website where they had this claim on page 77: “[…] CO₂ has proven to be a driver of increased plant growth, thereby supporting global nutrition”. This claim is mostly false.
In its 2025 federal election program, the German right wing party AfD claims, “Battery production also pollutes the environment more than a combustion engine,” citing a 2019 ifo-study. However, this claim, used in 2021 as well, relies on unrealistic assumptions and outdated data, making it mostly false. Battery capacity and CO2 balance Greenhouse gas emissions…
During a government survey in the German Bundestag on December 4, 2024, politician Caren Lay (Left Party) claimed that rents had never risen as sharply in the history of the Republic as they did during the term of the previous government under Chancellor Olaf Scholz. The claim turns out to be mostly true. Record rents…
The world is increasingly plagued by extreme weather events like heatwaves and floods. But how can we be sure that the information we receive about these events is truly accurate? In an era where misinformation and fake news are widespread on social media, the question arises: Can an ordinary citizen distinguish reliable facts from false…
Electromobility is at the heart of the debate on sustainable transportation, bringing with it a range of opportunities, challenges, and open questions. While some view it as a key lever in combating climate change, others question its actual sustainability. Electromobility plays a central role in European climate and transport policy and is seen as an…
“Without the many shifts in a café in Germany, I would never have been able to afford my Erasmus semester here”. Lisa Obst, Erasmus student in Barcelona, explains what many young people in Europe are currently experiencing: Housing is becoming a luxury good. And hers is not an isolated case. Rising rents are not just…
On February 9, 2025, the pro-European news platform Other Europe posted on social media platform X that Tesla sales in the European Union had declined by 63%. This was accompanied with claims of an European boycott. But is it true? And how can we fact-check a global tech giant that doesn’t answer questions? Our first…
Verifying numerical data is a significant challenge for many people. It requires time and effort, which are often in short supply in everyday life. Especially in areas that are outside one’s personal expertise, there is a tendency to trust the accuracy of media reports – often without questioning whether a so-called fact-check is actually correct.…
Germany’s Self-Determination Act is an example for the increase in visibility and discussion surrounding transgender identity within the EU. However, discrimination against transgender individuals persists, highlighting the ongoing need for greater acceptance and equality. To address misconceptions surrounding trans identity, we explore common myths with insights from experts and those directly affected. The topic Transidentity…
Experts warn of the consequences of rising seas due to climate change. Our reporter Lennart Platz travelled to a place where future generations will soon be getting their feet wet – the Wadden Sea World Heritage. RESEARCH | ARTICLE – Lennart Platz and Moritz Orth, Jade University of Applied Sciences, Germany Leave your comments, thoughts,…
In today’s fast-paced media landscape, discussions about older people’s ability to drive often drift into tricky territory, rife with stereotypes and prejudice. But is there more to the stereotypes than meets the eye? In this blog post, we have a closer look at how senior citizens are portrayed in the media and what responsibility the…
“You’re not from the FAZ or another major media outlet.” This incidental comment during our research for our factcheck on the rise in cholera numbers resonates in our minds and illustrates a bitter reality: journalists outside of large editorial offices are fighting against invisibility and a lack of respect. Our research work during the factcheck,…
A video titled “Bulgaria in the EU”, was published on April 7th 2024 in the YouTube channel EU Made Simple, in the video main topics are Bulgaria’s representation in the European Parliament and the European Commission. We decided to check how our country is represented in the video before European election in June. Bulgaria as part…
EUFACTCHECK is the fact-checking project of the European Journalism Training Association (EJTA) that intends to build a sustainable curriculum unit on fact-checking within a European network of Journalism schools.
Through fact-checking European political claims and trying to tackle misinformation, we want our students and our public to grow a deeper insight and interest in democratic processes, both on national and European level.
EUFACTCHECK wishes to motivate fact-based debate in the EU and to stimulate media and information literacy.
After the success of the students’ publications, the participants of EJTA’s fact-checking project EUFACTCHECK decided at the EJTA AGM in Paris (July 2019) to move on with the project and to take new steps in the academic year 2019-2020.
By January-February 2019 a manual with guidelines and tips & tricks was published. In February 2020 a second Bootcamp will be organised in Ljubljana, with financial help from the Evens Foundation. This Train the Trainer focused on Central Eastern European countries, some new schools joined this project.
During corona the EJTA-schools continued to verify claims and publish fact checks. Now we are looking ahead to the 2024 EU elections.
For information about the EUfactcheck project please contact the programme manager: carien.touwen@hu.nl
