Blog: Salvini – puppet of Russia?
The number of attacks on migrants has increased in Italy. Matteo Salvini is accused of this. Also, he is accused in connections with Russia.
Blog: Kitchen made news
News is everywhere, in these times everybody is a journalist. You can start your own newsblog or pick up your phone and make a video about a popular subject. Therefore it is hard for traditional media to compete with these free sources. But are they just as correct as our beloved newspaper? News is there…
Mostly true: “Hungary spends 18 million euros on campaign against Sargentini”
Sargentini: “Hungary spends 18 million euros on campaign against me”. This is what the Dutch radio news show Met het Oog op Morgen (‘In View of Tomorrow’) reported on 5 February 2019 on its website. The claim is mostly true.
Blog: EU elections in the risk of cyber-attacks
The second report on the EU Fact Check concerns a publication on the risk of cyber-attacks, ahead of the European elections next May. We have chosen this subject because it is a matter of broader interest and involves state governments, especially in Europe, giants of digital services, public opinion, and the media. It is of…
Blog: Citizens’ voice in European Union decision-making – Can it be heard?
It isn’t enough for us to feel that we are EU citizens. We also need some concrete ways to get our voices heard. We were born after 1995 when Finland joined the EU, so we have lived our whole lives as EU citizens. It doesn’t always feel like that because decision-making feels very distant. In…
True: “Microsoft: Fear of cyber attacks ahead of EU elections”
On 20th February 2019 Athens Voice published an article “Microsoft: Fear of cyber attacks ahead of EU elections”, according to which the American software company Microsoft in Germany, issued a notice, aimed at politicians and civil society organizations, striking the risk of a possible hacker attack, ahead of the European elections next May. Microsoft report…
Mostly false: “Turnout at national elections in Europe is between 70 and 80 percent”
In a recent publication on the opinion page of the Dutch newspaper De Volkskrant, historian Ronald Havenaar tries to combat rising cultural pessimism in Europe by pointing to average voter turnouts of between 70 and 80 percent. We rate the claim as mostly false.
Blog: Berlusconi and the European union: a story of ambivalence
The news came unexpected in mid-January. The 83-year-old entrepreneur Silvio Berlusconi, four times Prime minister of Italy, will run for a seat in the European parliament at the general elections due to be held on May 26th. It’s the last coup de theatre from a man who his adversaries have considered many times as politically…
Blog: Skipping class for climate
As Belgians, the past few weeks we have experienced weekly youth demonstrations for a better climate policy. Since the youth demonstrations of May ’68, which changed the political landscape at that time, we haven’t had such relentless passion for change. There is no doubt that climate change is one of the hottest topics right now.
Mostly true: “The way Facebook works is simple: the more money you spend, the wider your audience”
During elections, some candidates buy advertisements on Facebook to increase the visibility of their posts. Some see this as necessary to gain the upper hand in an election. In an election period, do wealthy candidates have an advantage thanks to Facebook? “The way Facebook works is simple: the more money you spend, the wider your…