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Stephen McDermott

@stemcdermott.bsky.social

Editor of The Journal FactCheck | Journalist with @thejournal.ie | Royal Canal local living in Grand Canal exile Dublin, Ireland. Email: Stephen.mcdermott@thejournal.ie

134 Posts2367 Follower614 Folgt
Stephen McDermott@stemcdermott.bsky.social · 3w ago

This week's Internet Diaries column. Meta's multibillion-dollar settlement is a reminder that the way social media platforms work isn't inevitable. They're decisions that can change when big tech companies face harsh enough penalties for failing to keep users safe. @thejournal.ie jrnl.ie/7143869

Ireland should ask Mark Zuckerberg the next time we need billions to look like money well spent

Our FactCheck editor details the internet trends seen by a thirtysomething-year-old man.

jrnl.ie

Aidan O’Brien@aidanobrien.bsky.social · 4w ago

EDMO Ireland has released our report on platform election integrity efforts during the Rapid Response System for Disinformation (RRS), which operated during the Irish Presidential election in October 2025. Platforms failed to remove 87% of the disinformation reported, and in some cases removed 0%

About EDMO and EDMO Ireland The European Digital Media Observatory (EDMO) was established in 2020 as part of an EU-wide effort to promote research on disinformation; advance fact-checking; support media literacy; and assess the implementation of the EU Code of Conduct on Disinformation. The EDMO Network comprises 14 hubs operating across 27 countries in the EU and EEA. While hubs are co-funded by the EU and committed to common principles, they operate with full autonomy at national and regional levels. EDMO Ireland includes the DCU Institute for Media, Democracy, and Society; TheJournal FactCheck; and NewsWhip.Summary During elections in EU member states, Signatories of the Code of Conduct on Disinformation establish a Rapid Response System for communication between online platforms and actors monitoring disinformation and manipulation. The European Commission facilitates the process as Chair of the Code’s Taskforce. The regional hubs of the European Digital Media Observatory (EDMO) are invited to flag election-related content to platforms for review by participating platforms: Microsoft (LinkedIn), Meta (Instagram and Facebook), Alphabet/Google (YouTube) and TikTok. Platform participation is voluntary, but all platforms signatories have committed to participate under the Code. They are not obliged to do anything with the flagged content. For the Irish Presidential Election in October 2025, EDMO Ireland monitored relevant platforms to identify content that appeared to be in breach of platforms’ stated terms of services. This content was reported during the five week period of the Rapid Response System (24 September - 04 November). During this time: Meta, TikTok, YouTube and LinkedIn didn't act on 77% of misinformation reported during Áras race No action was taken on about 87% of non-AI election-related disinformation. 8.01am, 26 Aug 2026 2.5k SOCIAL MEDIA COMPANIES failed to act on the vast majority of electoral disinformation reported by researchers ahead of last year’s presidential election, a new report shows. The report also criticised the companies for not demonstrating an understanding of the context around the election, which was held in October last year. The 2025 election, which resulted in Catherine Connolly becoming the tenth President of Ireland, saw the use of AI-generated deepfake videos and smear campaigns, as well as a coordinated drive on social media to encourage people to spoil their votes. The research, published today by the Ireland hub of the European Digital Media Observatory (EDMO), showed that no action was taken on 72 of the 85 items that were reported for breaking the platforms’ own rules on election-related disinformation.The Journal @thejournal.ie · 1h “During meetings, platform representatives often appeared unfamiliar with the context of the unfolding election,” the report on misinformation in Ireland reads. “Many were unable to articulate the rationale for content-moderation decisions.” jrnl.ie/7139970
EDMO Ireland@edmoireland.bsky.social · 4w ago

📄 NEW REPORT: Did tech companies act to protect Ireland's 2025 election? Overall, our evidence shows that responses were slow, inconsistent, and deeply uneven across platforms, with only 13 of 85 electoral disinformation cases addressed. Full report available 👇 edmohub.ie/index.php/ne...

EDMO Ireland@edmoireland.bsky.social · 4w ago

📄 NEW REPORT: Did tech companies act to protect Ireland's 2025 election? Overall, our evidence shows that responses were slow, inconsistent, and deeply uneven across platforms, with only 13 of 85 electoral disinformation cases addressed. Full report available 👇 edmohub.ie/index.php/ne...

New report examines if tech companies acted to protect Ireland's 2025 presidential election

EDMO Ireland has published the report Are Tech Companies Meeting Obligations to Protect Democratic Elections? Evidence from Ireland’s Presidential Election, authored by Aidan O'Brien and Dr Eileen Cul...

edmohub.ie

Alexios Mantzarlis@mantzarlis.com · 2y ago

"Several fact-checkers over the years have suggested to Meta how it could improve this labeling to be less intrusive and avoid even the appearance of censorship, but Meta never acted on those suggestions." -- @factchecknet.bsky.social www.poynter.org/ifcn/2025/an...

An open letter to Mark Zuckerberg from the world’s fact-checkers, nine years later - Poynter

From person-to-person coaching and intensive hands-on seminars to interactive online courses and media reporting, Poynter helps journalists sharpen skills and elevate storytelling throughout their car...

poynter.org

The Journal Investigates@investigates.thejournal.ie · 2y ago

The US government has branded Dublin's 2023 riots as "white identity terrorism", carried out by Irish white supremacists and ultranationalists. Report by our journalist @trishdevlin.bsky.social http://www.thejournal.ie/dublin-riots-white-identity-terrorism-6589040-Jan2025/

US government brands Dublin riots as terrorism by Irish white supremacists

New report monitoring global terror incidents lists Ireland as one of six countries targeted by white supremacists.

thejournal.ie

The Journal FactCheck@factcheck.thejournal.ie · 2y ago

The evacuation of Connolly Station in Dublin yesterday immediately led to a spate of false claims and unfounded speculation online about what had happened. Some social media users suggested it had something to do with foreign nationals or asylum seekers. www.thejournal.ie/debunked-fac...

Debunked: Man arrested at Connolly Station was Irish and not a foreign national

A video of gardaí searching people at the train station was shared on a number of social media platforms.

thejournal.ie

David Rand@dgrand.bsky.social · 2y ago

🚨In Nature🚨 Meta is dropping fact-checking to avoid anti-conservative bias- but is there actually evidence of bias? We this test empirically & find that conservatives * ARE suspended more * BUT share more misinfo So suspension isn't necessarily evidence of bias www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Differences in misinformation sharing can lead to politically asymmetric sanctions - Nature

We find that conservatives tend to share more low-quality news through social media than liberals, and so even if technology companies enact politically neutral anti-misinformation policies, political...

nature.com

The Journal FactCheck@factcheck.thejournal.ie · 2y ago

Ireland's decision to intervene in South Africa’s case against Israel at the International Court of Justice and Israel’s subsequent decision to close its embassy in Dublin have been surrounded by false claims about the Irish government’s position on the war in Gaza. www.thejournal.ie/israel-claim...

FactCheck: False claims about Ireland's position on Gaza ramp up after embassy closure

Many false claims have come from social media users but they have also come from official Israeli sources.

thejournal.ie

Mark Little@marklittle.bsky.social · 2y ago

See the incentives at play here in the influencer economy … a great communicator with a tight focus sees the YouTube data … moves into the “secret knowledge” that trigger the dark sides of our brains … monthly views have increased from nine million to 15 million. www.bbc.com/news/article...

Steven Bartlett sharing harmful health misinformation on Diary of CEO podcast

Disproven health claims are accepted with little challenge by host on number one podcast, BBC investigation finds.

bbc.com

Stephen McDermott@stemcdermott.bsky.social · 2y ago

Kerry far-right election candidate and personality Michelle Keane was jailed yesterday for contempt of court over social media posts (which usual suspects are comparing to Enoch Burke's case). Understanding is that she has already appared back in court to purge her contempt this morning.

Election candidate Michelle Keane jailed for contempt of court | | RadioKerry.ie

The injunction also ordered Michelle Keane and any other party acting in concert with her from making future statements about Sgt Walsh online

radiokerry.ie

Bill McCarthy@billmccarthy.bsky.social · 2y ago

There appear to already be a lot of fake Instagram accounts posing as Luigi Mangione, the man arrested in Pennsylvania today over the killing last week of the United Healthcare CEO in New York.

Bild
Malachy Browne@malachy.bsky.social · 2y ago

Amid scenes of prisoners being freed in Syria, incl. from the "human slaughterhouse" at Sednaya, read Anne Barnard's investigation based on the Caesar files exposing systematic torture and extra-judicial executions by the Assad regime. (Gift article) www.nytimes.com/2019/05/11/w...

Inside Syria’s Secret Torture Prisons: How Bashar al-Assad Crushed Dissent (Gift Article)

Hundreds of thousands of Syrians have been locked away in filthy prisons where thousands were tortured to death — and the pace of arrests and executions is accelerating.

nytimes.com

Stephen McDermott@stemcdermott.bsky.social · 2y ago

In 2020, no far-right candidate in Ireland won more than 2% of first preference votes in an election; this time around, the figure had risen to 20. This week's (final) FactCheck election newsletter looks at why Ireland's far-right failed - but failed better - in #GE24.

The Journal FactCheck@factcheck.thejournal.ie · 2y ago

Ireland's far-right failed in the general election, but despite the setback, the movement still managed to show signs of growth. In the final edition of our #GE24 newsletter, we look at why far-right candidates did so badly - and why the movement isn't going anywhere yet.

The Journal FactCheck@factcheck.thejournal.ie · 2y ago

Conspiracy theories that the general election result was rigged or manipulated are being spread by far-right candidates who failed to gain seats in the 34th Dáil. It follows similar claims of vote-rigging during and after the local and European elections in June.

Disappointed by failed campaigns, far-right candidates turn to claims of election rigging

One conspiracy theory alleges criminal charges were dropped against a candidate for splitting “the nationalist vote”.

jrnl.ie

Stephen McDermott@stemcdermott.bsky.social · 2y ago

🧵A Day 2 update on how far-right candidates are doing in #GE24. Some high-profile names have fallen this morning, including Independents Gavin Pepper (Dublin North-West), Dolores Webster and Phil Sutcliffe (Dublin South Central) and Stephen Kerr (Mayo)...

Stephen McDermott@stemcdermott.bsky.social · 2y ago

Three far-right candidates eliminated on the first count of #GE24 in Fingal West: - Ben Gilroy (Liberty Republic) with 417 votes (finishes 9th of 12) - John Oakes (Irish Freedom Party) with 392 votes (10th of 12) - Mark Joseph Parsons (Irish People) with 157 votes (11th of 12)