RTÉ says the Stormont review uncovered nothing. The Irish Times says nothing was sent to it.
The Northern Ireland Assembly's review of Jeffrey Donaldson's conduct ended with a null finding, and the three reports we hold write that null three ways: a search that looked, a postbox that stayed empty, and a warning from the review's own spokesperson that the absence of reports "does not determine that no incidents occurred". No headline we hold carries the warning.
Uncovered, or never received. The Northern Ireland Assembly's review of Jeffrey Donaldson's conduct at Stormont produced nothing to act on. RTÉ says no relevant information "was uncovered in a review" — a search that looked. The Irish Times says no reports "were received by a review team" — the narrower claim, about what arrived rather than what was sought. TheJournal.ie's headline follows RTÉ; its opening line quotes the review's spokesperson instead.
| Reported by | How the finding is written | The qualification |
|---|---|---|
| RTÉ News | uncovered nothing relevant | not in the text we hold |
| The Irish Times | received no reports | under the headline |
| TheJournal.ie | found nothing relevant | its opening sentence |
The conviction. Donaldson was convicted this year of 18 sex offences, including one count of rape, against two women who were children at the time. RTÉ alone names Newry Crown Court and dates the offences to between 1985 and 2008. The Irish Times alone dates the review's commissioning to July, a month after the conviction. No report carries both.
Where our two readings split. Both were made without the mastheads attached. They agree that no headline carries the qualification, and differ on whether the Irish Times' summary line counts as leading on it — one counted one report leading, the other two.
Not settled. Whether the review went looking or waited, and how it sought reports: none of the three says.
This story is about how the institutions around Jeffrey Donaldson are checking whether anyone else was harmed, now that a court has convicted him of sex offences against children.
How it got here. - The Northern Ireland Assembly at Stormont is the devolved parliament set up under the Good Friday Agreement of 1998. Unionists and nationalists share power there. - Donaldson was one of the best-known unionist politicians of his generation. He was an Ulster Unionist before he joined the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP). He was the MP for Lagan Valley and went on to lead the DUP. RTÉ and The Irish Times report that he sat in the Assembly from 2003 to 2010, served as a junior minister, and visited Stormont often as an MP. - In March 2024 he was charged with historical sexual offences. He resigned as DUP leader. - The Irish Times dates his conviction to June this year. The charges were 18 sex offences, including one count of rape, against two women who were children at the time. RTÉ dates the offences to between 1985 and 2008. - The Irish Times reports that the Assembly commissioned its review in July. TheJournal.ie dates the launch to 10 July.
Who is involved, and why. - The Assembly. Its Speaker, Edwin Poots, a DUP member, asked the Assembly's chief executive to hold the review. - The DUP. It has commissioned its own review, led by child safeguarding expert Jim Gamble, The Irish Times reports. - The Ulster Unionist Party and the Northern Ireland Civil Service. Each is running its own process, covering his years in the party and his time as a minister. - The PSNI, the Police Service of Northern Ireland. Anyone who reports a crime is referred to it.
What is at stake. The question is whether anyone at these institutions knew something or was harmed, and whether they had a safe way to say so. A null finding reads very differently depending on whether that door was really open.
Where it stands. The Assembly's review has closed. Three other reviews are still open. Donaldson is in Maghaberry prison and is appealing his conviction. TheJournal.ie reported that he was due to be sentenced on 25 September. We hold no report of that hearing.
The story so far
Earlier stories The AI Times filed on this thread.
What is being argued about
- Whether the review searched for reports or only received them — RTÉ and the Irish Times write the same finding as two different things.
- How the review went looking: no report we hold says over what period it ran, whom it contacted, or how anyone was meant to reach it.
- What the Assembly's scope leaves out — its wording covers matters requiring investigation, referral to the PSNI or referral to another statutory agency, and nothing beyond that.
- Why the qualification the review's own spokesperson attached to the finding appears in no headline we hold.
One finding, three ways of writing itSide by side
| Reported by | What the headline says happened | Caveat in the headline | Where the qualification sits in the report |
|---|---|---|---|
| RTÉ News | The review uncovered no relevant information | no | not in the text we hold |
| The Irish Times | No reports of inappropriate behaviour were received by the review team | no | the summary line under the headline: the absence of reports or records "does not" mean no incidents occurred |
| TheJournal.ie | The review found no relevant information | no | the opening sentence: the absence of reports "does not determine that no incidents occurred" |
Headline wording as published, and where each report puts the review's own qualification.
Sources
R
RTÉ News
'No relevant information' in Stormont Donaldson review
Open this report in The AI Times →
Read it at RTÉ News →
What we have measured
Abstraction as the actor the dispute acts and no one in it is named ×1Account taken as default the police description of the crowd as 'hostile' is carried with no other account ×1Accuracy the Slovenia entry in the country list repeats Austria's name ×1Active voice offender Donaldson is named as the one who did the abuse, in the active voice. ×1
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
T
The Irish Times
No reports of inappropriate behaviour by Jeffrey Donaldson received by review into Stormont conduct
Open this report in The AI Times →
Read it at The Irish Times →
What we have measured
Actor framing The release is framed as a joint agreement, with no pressure mentioned ×1Actor named Names the residents as the ones who blocked the road ×1Actor named killers named as 'loyalist gunmen'; verb 'shot dead' ×1With no actor named construction no actor named for the theft or the driving in the standfirst ×1
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
T
TheJournal.ie
'No relevant information' found by Stormont review of Jeffrey Donaldson's conduct
Open this report in The AI Times →
Read it at TheJournal.ie →
What we have measured
Accuracy of attribution The report calls the Tánaiste the Taoiseach partway through. That puts his words under another office. ×1Accusation carried without a reply a charge against a named party, no answer from it in the text held ×1Actor labelling calls the accusers 'opposition parties' when the named accuser is the deputy First Minister ×1Actor mislabelled The first line calls the accusers 'opposition parties', but the accuser quoted is the DUP deputy First Minister, who sits in the same executive ×1
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
Centre
estimate · not a score
RTÉ News
🇮🇪IE ·
digital · PUBLIC
'No relevant information' in Stormont Donaldson review
Open this report in The AI Times →
Read it at RTÉ News →
What we have measured
Abstraction as the actor the dispute acts and no one in it is named ×1Account taken as default the police description of the crowd as 'hostile' is carried with no other account ×1Accuracy the Slovenia entry in the country list repeats Austria's name ×1Active voice offender Donaldson is named as the one who did the abuse, in the active voice. ×1
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
T
The Irish Times
Centre
estimate · not a score
The Irish Times
🇮🇪IE ·
digital ·
No reports of inappropriate behaviour by Jeffrey Donaldson received by review into Stormont conduct
Open this report in The AI Times →
Read it at The Irish Times →
What we have measured
Actor framing The release is framed as a joint agreement, with no pressure mentioned ×1Actor named Names the residents as the ones who blocked the road ×1Actor named killers named as 'loyalist gunmen'; verb 'shot dead' ×1With no actor named construction no actor named for the theft or the driving in the standfirst ×1
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
T
TheJournal.ie
Centre
estimate · not a score
TheJournal.ie
🇮🇪IE ·
digital ·
'No relevant information' found by Stormont review of Jeffrey Donaldson's conduct
Open this report in The AI Times →
Read it at TheJournal.ie →
What we have measured
Accuracy of attribution The report calls the Tánaiste the Taoiseach partway through. That puts his words under another office. ×1Accusation carried without a reply a charge against a named party, no answer from it in the text held ×1Actor labelling calls the accusers 'opposition parties' when the named accuser is the deputy First Minister ×1Actor mislabelled The first line calls the accusers 'opposition parties', but the accuser quoted is the DUP deputy First Minister, who sits in the same executive ×1
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
What each report carries about the convictionChart
Counted across the three reports we hold on this finding. The zero is the point: the qualification reaches no headline.
Sources
R
RTÉ News
'No relevant information' in Stormont Donaldson review
Open this report in The AI Times →
Read it at RTÉ News →
What we have measured
Abstraction as the actor the dispute acts and no one in it is named ×1Account taken as default the police description of the crowd as 'hostile' is carried with no other account ×1Accuracy the Slovenia entry in the country list repeats Austria's name ×1Active voice offender Donaldson is named as the one who did the abuse, in the active voice. ×1
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
T
The Irish Times
No reports of inappropriate behaviour by Jeffrey Donaldson received by review into Stormont conduct
Open this report in The AI Times →
Read it at The Irish Times →
What we have measured
Actor framing The release is framed as a joint agreement, with no pressure mentioned ×1Actor named Names the residents as the ones who blocked the road ×1Actor named killers named as 'loyalist gunmen'; verb 'shot dead' ×1With no actor named construction no actor named for the theft or the driving in the standfirst ×1
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
T
TheJournal.ie
'No relevant information' found by Stormont review of Jeffrey Donaldson's conduct
Open this report in The AI Times →
Read it at TheJournal.ie →
What we have measured
Accuracy of attribution The report calls the Tánaiste the Taoiseach partway through. That puts his words under another office. ×1Accusation carried without a reply a charge against a named party, no answer from it in the text held ×1Actor labelling calls the accusers 'opposition parties' when the named accuser is the deputy First Minister ×1Actor mislabelled The first line calls the accusers 'opposition parties', but the accuser quoted is the DUP deputy First Minister, who sits in the same executive ×1
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
Centre
estimate · not a score
RTÉ News
🇮🇪IE ·
digital · PUBLIC
'No relevant information' in Stormont Donaldson review
Open this report in The AI Times →
Read it at RTÉ News →
What we have measured
Abstraction as the actor the dispute acts and no one in it is named ×1Account taken as default the police description of the crowd as 'hostile' is carried with no other account ×1Accuracy the Slovenia entry in the country list repeats Austria's name ×1Active voice offender Donaldson is named as the one who did the abuse, in the active voice. ×1
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
T
The Irish Times
Centre
estimate · not a score
The Irish Times
🇮🇪IE ·
digital ·
No reports of inappropriate behaviour by Jeffrey Donaldson received by review into Stormont conduct
Open this report in The AI Times →
Read it at The Irish Times →
What we have measured
Actor framing The release is framed as a joint agreement, with no pressure mentioned ×1Actor named Names the residents as the ones who blocked the road ×1Actor named killers named as 'loyalist gunmen'; verb 'shot dead' ×1With no actor named construction no actor named for the theft or the driving in the standfirst ×1
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
T
TheJournal.ie
Centre
estimate · not a score
TheJournal.ie
🇮🇪IE ·
digital ·
'No relevant information' found by Stormont review of Jeffrey Donaldson's conduct
Open this report in The AI Times →
Read it at TheJournal.ie →
What we have measured
Accuracy of attribution The report calls the Tánaiste the Taoiseach partway through. That puts his words under another office. ×1Accusation carried without a reply a charge against a named party, no answer from it in the text held ×1Actor labelling calls the accusers 'opposition parties' when the named accuser is the deputy First Minister ×1Actor mislabelled The first line calls the accusers 'opposition parties', but the accuser quoted is the DUP deputy First Minister, who sits in the same executive ×1
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
What the reporting establishesFacts
optional section
- Donaldson was convicted at Newry Crown Court earlier this year of 18 sex offences, including one count of rape, relating to the abuse of two women when they were children. RTÉ News →
- The offences were committed between 1985 and 2008. RTÉ News →
- The Assembly commissioned the review in July, a month after the conviction. The Irish Times →
- The Assembly confirmed on Friday that "no matter has arisen within the scope of the review requiring further investigation, referral to the PSNI, or referral to another statutory agency", and cautioned that the conclusion is necessarily qualified. The Irish Times →
- A spokesperson for the review said the absence of reports "does not determine that no incidents occurred". TheJournal.ie →
Each fact as one report gives it.
Sources
R
RTÉ News
'No relevant information' in Stormont Donaldson review
Open this report in The AI Times →
Read it at RTÉ News →
What we have measured
Abstraction as the actor the dispute acts and no one in it is named ×1Account taken as default the police description of the crowd as 'hostile' is carried with no other account ×1Accuracy the Slovenia entry in the country list repeats Austria's name ×1Active voice offender Donaldson is named as the one who did the abuse, in the active voice. ×1
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
T
The Irish Times
No reports of inappropriate behaviour by Jeffrey Donaldson received by review into Stormont conduct
Open this report in The AI Times →
Read it at The Irish Times →
What we have measured
Actor framing The release is framed as a joint agreement, with no pressure mentioned ×1Actor named Names the residents as the ones who blocked the road ×1Actor named killers named as 'loyalist gunmen'; verb 'shot dead' ×1With no actor named construction no actor named for the theft or the driving in the standfirst ×1
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
T
TheJournal.ie
'No relevant information' found by Stormont review of Jeffrey Donaldson's conduct
Open this report in The AI Times →
Read it at TheJournal.ie →
What we have measured
Accuracy of attribution The report calls the Tánaiste the Taoiseach partway through. That puts his words under another office. ×1Accusation carried without a reply a charge against a named party, no answer from it in the text held ×1Actor labelling calls the accusers 'opposition parties' when the named accuser is the deputy First Minister ×1Actor mislabelled The first line calls the accusers 'opposition parties', but the accuser quoted is the DUP deputy First Minister, who sits in the same executive ×1
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
Centre
estimate · not a score
RTÉ News
🇮🇪IE ·
digital · PUBLIC
'No relevant information' in Stormont Donaldson review
Open this report in The AI Times →
Read it at RTÉ News →
What we have measured
Abstraction as the actor the dispute acts and no one in it is named ×1Account taken as default the police description of the crowd as 'hostile' is carried with no other account ×1Accuracy the Slovenia entry in the country list repeats Austria's name ×1Active voice offender Donaldson is named as the one who did the abuse, in the active voice. ×1
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
T
The Irish Times
Centre
estimate · not a score
The Irish Times
🇮🇪IE ·
digital ·
No reports of inappropriate behaviour by Jeffrey Donaldson received by review into Stormont conduct
Open this report in The AI Times →
Read it at The Irish Times →
What we have measured
Actor framing The release is framed as a joint agreement, with no pressure mentioned ×1Actor named Names the residents as the ones who blocked the road ×1Actor named killers named as 'loyalist gunmen'; verb 'shot dead' ×1With no actor named construction no actor named for the theft or the driving in the standfirst ×1
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
T
TheJournal.ie
Centre
estimate · not a score
TheJournal.ie
🇮🇪IE ·
digital ·
'No relevant information' found by Stormont review of Jeffrey Donaldson's conduct
Open this report in The AI Times →
Read it at TheJournal.ie →
What we have measured
Accuracy of attribution The report calls the Tánaiste the Taoiseach partway through. That puts his words under another office. ×1Accusation carried without a reply a charge against a named party, no answer from it in the text held ×1Actor labelling calls the accusers 'opposition parties' when the named accuser is the deputy First Minister ×1Actor mislabelled The first line calls the accusers 'opposition parties', but the accuser quoted is the DUP deputy First Minister, who sits in the same executive ×1
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
The bias in this coverageBias
Uncovered, or received — one finding, two different meanings
Two reports say the review found nothing; one says nothing was ever sent to it, which is a narrower claim about a smaller thing. One leads on the spokesperson's warning that the absence of reports settles nothing, and one quotes the review's formal wording in full. The three headlines do not carry the same caveat.
2 reports whose headline says the review found nothing
1 reports whose headline says nothing was received
1 reports leading on the caveat
1 reports quoting the review's formal wording
The women, the dates and the court
Two of the three reports say who the offences were against; one, in the text we hold, mentions the conviction and the victims not at all. Only one dates the offences or names the court, and only one dates the review's commissioning against the conviction. The two facts are split across different reports, so no single report we hold carries both.
2 reports saying who the offences were against
1 reports dating the offences
1 reports naming the court
1 reports dating the review's commissioning
Scored without the mastheads. Where the two passes differ, both are kept.
Sources
T
TheJournal.ie
'No relevant information' found by Stormont review of Jeffrey Donaldson's conduct
Open this report in The AI Times →
Read it at TheJournal.ie →
What we have measured
Accuracy of attribution The report calls the Tánaiste the Taoiseach partway through. That puts his words under another office. ×1Accusation carried without a reply a charge against a named party, no answer from it in the text held ×1Actor labelling calls the accusers 'opposition parties' when the named accuser is the deputy First Minister ×1Actor mislabelled The first line calls the accusers 'opposition parties', but the accuser quoted is the DUP deputy First Minister, who sits in the same executive ×1
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
R
RTÉ News
'No relevant information' in Stormont Donaldson review
Open this report in The AI Times →
Read it at RTÉ News →
What we have measured
Abstraction as the actor the dispute acts and no one in it is named ×1Account taken as default the police description of the crowd as 'hostile' is carried with no other account ×1Accuracy the Slovenia entry in the country list repeats Austria's name ×1Active voice offender Donaldson is named as the one who did the abuse, in the active voice. ×1
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
T
The Irish Times
No reports of inappropriate behaviour by Jeffrey Donaldson received by review into Stormont conduct
Open this report in The AI Times →
Read it at The Irish Times →
What we have measured
Actor framing The release is framed as a joint agreement, with no pressure mentioned ×1Actor named Names the residents as the ones who blocked the road ×1Actor named killers named as 'loyalist gunmen'; verb 'shot dead' ×1With no actor named construction no actor named for the theft or the driving in the standfirst ×1
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
Centre
estimate · not a score
TheJournal.ie
🇮🇪IE ·
digital ·
'No relevant information' found by Stormont review of Jeffrey Donaldson's conduct
Open this report in The AI Times →
Read it at TheJournal.ie →
What we have measured
Accuracy of attribution The report calls the Tánaiste the Taoiseach partway through. That puts his words under another office. ×1Accusation carried without a reply a charge against a named party, no answer from it in the text held ×1Actor labelling calls the accusers 'opposition parties' when the named accuser is the deputy First Minister ×1Actor mislabelled The first line calls the accusers 'opposition parties', but the accuser quoted is the DUP deputy First Minister, who sits in the same executive ×1
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
R
RTÉ News
Centre
estimate · not a score
RTÉ News
🇮🇪IE ·
digital · PUBLIC
'No relevant information' in Stormont Donaldson review
Open this report in The AI Times →
Read it at RTÉ News →
What we have measured
Abstraction as the actor the dispute acts and no one in it is named ×1Account taken as default the police description of the crowd as 'hostile' is carried with no other account ×1Accuracy the Slovenia entry in the country list repeats Austria's name ×1Active voice offender Donaldson is named as the one who did the abuse, in the active voice. ×1
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
T
The Irish Times
Centre
estimate · not a score
The Irish Times
🇮🇪IE ·
digital ·
No reports of inappropriate behaviour by Jeffrey Donaldson received by review into Stormont conduct
Open this report in The AI Times →
Read it at The Irish Times →
What we have measured
Actor framing The release is framed as a joint agreement, with no pressure mentioned ×1Actor named Names the residents as the ones who blocked the road ×1Actor named killers named as 'loyalist gunmen'; verb 'shot dead' ×1With no actor named construction no actor named for the theft or the driving in the standfirst ×1
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
Claims and verdicts
misleading
The Northern Ireland Assembly's review cleared Jeffrey Donaldson.
RTÉ's headline says "no relevant information" was uncovered, which reads as a search that looked; the Irish Times says no reports were received and quotes the Assembly's scope-limited wording — no matter requiring "further investigation, referral to the PSNI, or referral to another statutory agency". Both the Irish Times and TheJournal.ie carry a spokesperson saying the absence of reports "does not determine that no incidents occurred"; RTÉ's headline carries no caveat.
Checked against 3 sources:
T
TheJournal.ie
'No relevant information' found by Stormont review of Jeffrey Donaldson's conduct
Open this report in The AI Times →
Read it at TheJournal.ie →
What we have measured
Accuracy of attribution The report calls the Tánaiste the Taoiseach partway through. That puts his words under another office. ×1Accusation carried without a reply a charge against a named party, no answer from it in the text held ×1Actor labelling calls the accusers 'opposition parties' when the named accuser is the deputy First Minister ×1Actor mislabelled The first line calls the accusers 'opposition parties', but the accuser quoted is the DUP deputy First Minister, who sits in the same executive ×1
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
R
RTÉ News
'No relevant information' in Stormont Donaldson review
Open this report in The AI Times →
Read it at RTÉ News →
What we have measured
Abstraction as the actor the dispute acts and no one in it is named ×1Account taken as default the police description of the crowd as 'hostile' is carried with no other account ×1Accuracy the Slovenia entry in the country list repeats Austria's name ×1Active voice offender Donaldson is named as the one who did the abuse, in the active voice. ×1
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
T
The Irish Times
No reports of inappropriate behaviour by Jeffrey Donaldson received by review into Stormont conduct
Open this report in The AI Times →
Read it at The Irish Times →
What we have measured
Actor framing The release is framed as a joint agreement, with no pressure mentioned ×1Actor named Names the residents as the ones who blocked the road ×1Actor named killers named as 'loyalist gunmen'; verb 'shot dead' ×1With no actor named construction no actor named for the theft or the driving in the standfirst ×1
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
Centre
estimate · not a score
TheJournal.ie
🇮🇪IE ·
digital ·
'No relevant information' found by Stormont review of Jeffrey Donaldson's conduct
Open this report in The AI Times →
Read it at TheJournal.ie →
What we have measured
Accuracy of attribution The report calls the Tánaiste the Taoiseach partway through. That puts his words under another office. ×1Accusation carried without a reply a charge against a named party, no answer from it in the text held ×1Actor labelling calls the accusers 'opposition parties' when the named accuser is the deputy First Minister ×1Actor mislabelled The first line calls the accusers 'opposition parties', but the accuser quoted is the DUP deputy First Minister, who sits in the same executive ×1
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
R
RTÉ News
Centre
estimate · not a score
RTÉ News
🇮🇪IE ·
digital · PUBLIC
'No relevant information' in Stormont Donaldson review
Open this report in The AI Times →
Read it at RTÉ News →
What we have measured
Abstraction as the actor the dispute acts and no one in it is named ×1Account taken as default the police description of the crowd as 'hostile' is carried with no other account ×1Accuracy the Slovenia entry in the country list repeats Austria's name ×1Active voice offender Donaldson is named as the one who did the abuse, in the active voice. ×1
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
T
The Irish Times
Centre
estimate · not a score
The Irish Times
🇮🇪IE ·
digital ·
No reports of inappropriate behaviour by Jeffrey Donaldson received by review into Stormont conduct
Open this report in The AI Times →
Read it at The Irish Times →
What we have measured
Actor framing The release is framed as a joint agreement, with no pressure mentioned ×1Actor named Names the residents as the ones who blocked the road ×1Actor named killers named as 'loyalist gunmen'; verb 'shot dead' ×1With no actor named construction no actor named for the theft or the driving in the standfirst ×1
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
unverified
No reports of inappropriate behaviour reached the review team.
The source is the Assembly itself, restated by all three reports rather than tested by any of them. None says how the review sought reports, over what period it ran, or whom it contacted.
Checked against 3 sources:
T
The Irish Times
No reports of inappropriate behaviour by Jeffrey Donaldson received by review into Stormont conduct
Open this report in The AI Times →
Read it at The Irish Times →
What we have measured
Actor framing The release is framed as a joint agreement, with no pressure mentioned ×1Actor named Names the residents as the ones who blocked the road ×1Actor named killers named as 'loyalist gunmen'; verb 'shot dead' ×1With no actor named construction no actor named for the theft or the driving in the standfirst ×1
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
R
RTÉ News
'No relevant information' in Stormont Donaldson review
Open this report in The AI Times →
Read it at RTÉ News →
What we have measured
Abstraction as the actor the dispute acts and no one in it is named ×1Account taken as default the police description of the crowd as 'hostile' is carried with no other account ×1Accuracy the Slovenia entry in the country list repeats Austria's name ×1Active voice offender Donaldson is named as the one who did the abuse, in the active voice. ×1
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
T
TheJournal.ie
'No relevant information' found by Stormont review of Jeffrey Donaldson's conduct
Open this report in The AI Times →
Read it at TheJournal.ie →
What we have measured
Accuracy of attribution The report calls the Tánaiste the Taoiseach partway through. That puts his words under another office. ×1Accusation carried without a reply a charge against a named party, no answer from it in the text held ×1Actor labelling calls the accusers 'opposition parties' when the named accuser is the deputy First Minister ×1Actor mislabelled The first line calls the accusers 'opposition parties', but the accuser quoted is the DUP deputy First Minister, who sits in the same executive ×1
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
Centre
estimate · not a score
The Irish Times
🇮🇪IE ·
digital ·
No reports of inappropriate behaviour by Jeffrey Donaldson received by review into Stormont conduct
Open this report in The AI Times →
Read it at The Irish Times →
What we have measured
Actor framing The release is framed as a joint agreement, with no pressure mentioned ×1Actor named Names the residents as the ones who blocked the road ×1Actor named killers named as 'loyalist gunmen'; verb 'shot dead' ×1With no actor named construction no actor named for the theft or the driving in the standfirst ×1
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
R
RTÉ News
Centre
estimate · not a score
RTÉ News
🇮🇪IE ·
digital · PUBLIC
'No relevant information' in Stormont Donaldson review
Open this report in The AI Times →
Read it at RTÉ News →
What we have measured
Abstraction as the actor the dispute acts and no one in it is named ×1Account taken as default the police description of the crowd as 'hostile' is carried with no other account ×1Accuracy the Slovenia entry in the country list repeats Austria's name ×1Active voice offender Donaldson is named as the one who did the abuse, in the active voice. ×1
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
T
TheJournal.ie
Centre
estimate · not a score
TheJournal.ie
🇮🇪IE ·
digital ·
'No relevant information' found by Stormont review of Jeffrey Donaldson's conduct
Open this report in The AI Times →
Read it at TheJournal.ie →
What we have measured
Accuracy of attribution The report calls the Tánaiste the Taoiseach partway through. That puts his words under another office. ×1Accusation carried without a reply a charge against a named party, no answer from it in the text held ×1Actor labelling calls the accusers 'opposition parties' when the named accuser is the deputy First Minister ×1Actor mislabelled The first line calls the accusers 'opposition parties', but the accuser quoted is the DUP deputy First Minister, who sits in the same executive ×1
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
true
Donaldson was convicted of 18 sex offences, including one count of rape, against two women who were children at the time.
RTÉ and the Irish Times give the same count and the same charge, and each adds detail the other lacks: RTÉ names Newry Crown Court and dates the offences to between 1985 and 2008, the Irish Times dates the review's commissioning to July, a month after conviction. TheJournal.ie's stored text is a single sentence and does not carry the conviction detail.
Checked against 2 sources:
R
RTÉ News
'No relevant information' in Stormont Donaldson review
Open this report in The AI Times →
Read it at RTÉ News →
What we have measured
Abstraction as the actor the dispute acts and no one in it is named ×1Account taken as default the police description of the crowd as 'hostile' is carried with no other account ×1Accuracy the Slovenia entry in the country list repeats Austria's name ×1Active voice offender Donaldson is named as the one who did the abuse, in the active voice. ×1
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
T
The Irish Times
No reports of inappropriate behaviour by Jeffrey Donaldson received by review into Stormont conduct
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Read it at The Irish Times →
What we have measured
Actor framing The release is framed as a joint agreement, with no pressure mentioned ×1Actor named Names the residents as the ones who blocked the road ×1Actor named killers named as 'loyalist gunmen'; verb 'shot dead' ×1With no actor named construction no actor named for the theft or the driving in the standfirst ×1
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Centre
estimate · not a score
RTÉ News
🇮🇪IE ·
digital · PUBLIC
'No relevant information' in Stormont Donaldson review
Open this report in The AI Times →
Read it at RTÉ News →
What we have measured
Abstraction as the actor the dispute acts and no one in it is named ×1Account taken as default the police description of the crowd as 'hostile' is carried with no other account ×1Accuracy the Slovenia entry in the country list repeats Austria's name ×1Active voice offender Donaldson is named as the one who did the abuse, in the active voice. ×1
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T
The Irish Times
Centre
estimate · not a score
The Irish Times
🇮🇪IE ·
digital ·
No reports of inappropriate behaviour by Jeffrey Donaldson received by review into Stormont conduct
Open this report in The AI Times →
Read it at The Irish Times →
What we have measured
Actor framing The release is framed as a joint agreement, with no pressure mentioned ×1Actor named Names the residents as the ones who blocked the road ×1Actor named killers named as 'loyalist gunmen'; verb 'shot dead' ×1With no actor named construction no actor named for the theft or the driving in the standfirst ×1
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Who wrote it
J
Jane Moore
TheJournal.ie
What the bias passes found in their reporting
Accusation carried without a reply
a charge against a named party, no answer from it in the text held×1
Children exact
This report gives the exact number of children.×1
Counterweight
Sets the healthy figure against children's choices×1
Dated versus vague
death dated Thursday×1
Claims we checked that rest on their reporting
1 misleading2 disputed6 unverified4 true
From 117 reports we hold under this byline, at
TheJournal.ie. Two independent readings, each made without the masthead, a quote attached to every tag. A record, never a rating.
Their full record →
S
Seanín Graham
The Irish Times
What the bias passes found in their reporting
Demeanour colour
The report describes how the defendant looked in court.×1
Harm counted
The only harm count is the police's own: no one injured. It is quoted, not checked.×1
Harm reported
The only person described as hurt is a child who was verbally abused. The account is second-hand, through a party leader, and the report does not check it.×1
How hard the claim is stated
The same null narrowed to what arrived rather than what was searched for — "were received", in the first clause×1
Claims we checked that rest on their reporting
1 misleading8 unverified3 true
From 20 reports we hold under this byline, at
The Irish Times. Two independent readings, each made without the masthead, a quote attached to every tag. A record, never a rating.
Their full record →
The bylines on the reports this story is built from. Hover one for what our passes have measured on their reporting.
· 1 report we hold carries no byline — we do not invent one.
Coverage, outlet by outlet
T
TheJournal.ie
'No relevant information' found by Stormont review of Jeffrey Donaldson's conduct
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Read it at TheJournal.ie →
What we have measured
Accuracy of attribution The report calls the Tánaiste the Taoiseach partway through. That puts his words under another office. ×1Accusation carried without a reply a charge against a named party, no answer from it in the text held ×1Actor labelling calls the accusers 'opposition parties' when the named accuser is the deputy First Minister ×1Actor mislabelled The first line calls the accusers 'opposition parties', but the accuser quoted is the DUP deputy First Minister, who sits in the same executive ×1
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—
Centre
estimate · not a score
TheJournal.ie
🇮🇪IE ·
digital ·
'No relevant information' found by Stormont review of Jeffrey Donaldson's conduct
Open this report in The AI Times →
Read it at TheJournal.ie →
What we have measured
Accuracy of attribution The report calls the Tánaiste the Taoiseach partway through. That puts his words under another office. ×1Accusation carried without a reply a charge against a named party, no answer from it in the text held ×1Actor labelling calls the accusers 'opposition parties' when the named accuser is the deputy First Minister ×1Actor mislabelled The first line calls the accusers 'opposition parties', but the accuser quoted is the DUP deputy First Minister, who sits in the same executive ×1
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— Opens on the qualification the other two carry lower or not at all: a spokesperson said the absence of reports "does not determine that no incidents occurred".
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more. The 63-year-old was found guilty in June of 18 sexual offences following a four-week trial at Newry Crown Court. He was convicted of one count of rape, 13 counts of indecent assault and four counts of gross indecency, which he committed against two women when they were children, on dates between 1985 and 2008. He was remanded in custody to Maghaberry Prison near Lisburn in Co Antrim and is due to be sentenced on 25 September, with a review date ahead of that on 11 September. Donaldson is appealing the convictions. A number
How hard the claim is stated: The headline says the review found nothing; the body says the absence determines nothing. The two pull against each other. — “'No relevant information' found by Stormont review of Jeffrey Donaldson's conduct”
Read it at TheJournal.ie →
https://www.thejournal.ie/no-relevant-information-jeffrey-donaldson-ass…
R
RTÉ News
'No relevant information' in Stormont Donaldson review
Open this report in The AI Times →
Read it at RTÉ News →
What we have measured
Abstraction as the actor the dispute acts and no one in it is named ×1Account taken as default the police description of the crowd as 'hostile' is carried with no other account ×1Accuracy the Slovenia entry in the country list repeats Austria's name ×1Active voice offender Donaldson is named as the one who did the abuse, in the active voice. ×1
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— PUBLIC
Centre
estimate · not a score
RTÉ News
🇮🇪IE ·
digital · PUBLIC
'No relevant information' in Stormont Donaldson review
Open this report in The AI Times →
Read it at RTÉ News →
What we have measured
Abstraction as the actor the dispute acts and no one in it is named ×1Account taken as default the police description of the crowd as 'hostile' is carried with no other account ×1Accuracy the Slovenia entry in the country list repeats Austria's name ×1Active voice offender Donaldson is named as the one who did the abuse, in the active voice. ×1
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— PUBLICThe only report that names Newry Crown Court and dates the offences to between 1985 and 2008. Writes the finding as something the review uncovered, and its headline carries no caveat.
'No relevant information identified' in Stormont Donaldson review Updated / Friday, 4 Sep 2026 19:42 Donaldson was convicted at Newry Crown Court earlier this year of 18 sex offences No relevant information was uncovered in a review carried out by the Northern Ireland Assembly following the conviction of former DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson for historical sex offences. Donaldson was convicted at Newry Crown Court earlier this year of 18 sex offences, including one count of rape, relating to the abuse of two women when they were children. The offences were committed between 1985 and 2008. He is
How hard the claim is stated: The null stated as a search that found nothing — "uncovered" — with no caveat in the headline or the opening — “No relevant information was uncovered in a review carried out by the Northern Ireland Assembly following the conviction of former DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson for historical sex offences.”
Who is named as acting: The offences become "the abuse of" — a noun with no one doing it — in the same sentence that names the convicted man — “including one count of rape, relating to the abuse of two women when they were children”
Dating and attribution: The only report dating the offences at all, and the only one naming the court — “The offences were committed between 1985 and 2008.”
How hard the claim is stated: Writes the null as a search result, that nothing was uncovered, and the line we hold carries no qualification of it. — “No relevant information was uncovered in a review carried out by the Northern Ireland Assembly following the conviction of former DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson for historical sex offences.”
Who is named as acting: The offences become a noun with nobody doing them: convicted of offences relating to the abuse of two women. — “Donaldson was convicted at Newry Crown Court earlier this year of 18 sex offences, including one count of rape, relating to the abuse of two women when they were children.”
Read it at RTÉ News →
https://www.rte.ie/news/ulster/2026/0904/1590373-donaldson-stormont-uls…
T
The Irish Times
No reports of inappropriate behaviour by Jeffrey Donaldson received by review into Stormont conduct
Open this report in The AI Times →
Read it at The Irish Times →
What we have measured
Actor framing The release is framed as a joint agreement, with no pressure mentioned ×1Actor named Names the residents as the ones who blocked the road ×1Actor named killers named as 'loyalist gunmen'; verb 'shot dead' ×1With no actor named construction no actor named for the theft or the driving in the standfirst ×1
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
—
Centre
estimate · not a score
The Irish Times
🇮🇪IE ·
digital ·
No reports of inappropriate behaviour by Jeffrey Donaldson received by review into Stormont conduct
Open this report in The AI Times →
Read it at The Irish Times →
What we have measured
Actor framing The release is framed as a joint agreement, with no pressure mentioned ×1Actor named Names the residents as the ones who blocked the road ×1Actor named killers named as 'loyalist gunmen'; verb 'shot dead' ×1With no actor named construction no actor named for the theft or the driving in the standfirst ×1
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
— The only report to quote the review's scope — no matter requiring "further investigation, referral to the PSNI, or referral to another statutory agency" — and the only one to date the commissioning to July, a month
No reports of inappropriate behaviour by former DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson were received by a review team investigating his conduct at the Northern Ireland Assembly. The inquiry was commissioned by the Assembly in July, a month after Donaldson was convicted of 18 sex offences, including one count of rape, committed against two women when they were children. The Assembly on Friday confirmed “no matter has arisen within the scope of the review requiring further investigation, referral to the PSNI, or referral to another statutory agency”. It cautioned, however, that the conclusion is “necessar
How hard the claim is stated: The same null narrowed to what arrived rather than what was searched for — "were received", in the first clause — “No reports of inappropriate behaviour by former DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson were received by a review team investigating his conduct at the Northern Ireland Assembly.”
How deeply it is sourced: The only report quoting the review's formal wording, including what it did not refer onward — “The Assembly on Friday confirmed “no matter has arisen within the scope of the review requiring further investigation, referral to the PSNI, or referral to another statutory agency”.”
How hard the claim is stated: Writes the narrower claim: nothing was received by the review team, not that nothing was found by it. — “No reports of inappropriate behaviour by former DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson were received by a review team investigating his conduct at the Northern Ireland Assembly.”
Who is named as acting: Writes the same conviction as offences committed against the two women, which keeps them as the party the offences were done to. — “The inquiry was commissioned by the Assembly in July, a month after Donaldson was convicted of 18 sex offences, including one count of rape, committed against two women when they were children.”
Read it at The Irish Times →
https://www.irishtimes.com/ireland/2026/09/04/stormont-review-receives-…
We could not read these
R
RNZ
Centre
estimate · not a score
RNZ
🇳🇿NZ ·
digital · PUBLIC
What we have measured
Headline against body headline claims a 20-year decline reversed; the first line of the body reports a new low in reading ×1Headline against body headline claims a turnaround; the text carries a record low and puts it on boys ×1
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ABC News (Australia)
Centre
estimate · not a score
ABC News (Australia)
🇦🇺AU ·
public broadcaster · public-service
What we have measured
Actor label and hedge The same man is called 'far-right' and named by his legal name. The act is hedged with 'allegedly', where the longer report states it flat. ×1A different count, stated flat one dead and 140 missing, unattributed, earliest of the four ×1Affected counted The only report to count the local people affected ×1Are the dead named one of the dead named, through a relative at the hospital ×1
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BBC News
Centre
estimate · not a score
BBC News
🇬🇧UK ·
public broadcaster · public-service
What we have measured
Dating and attribution 'It was not until Tuesday' is a judgement about delay, not a date. No other report we hold comments on how long the German finding took. ×1How hard the claim is stated Headline says the UN voted to adopt and replace; the last sentence of the report says the vote is non-binding ×1How hard the claim is stated The qualification arrives in the last sentence and is immediately overridden by an effect the report gives no source for. ×1Which figure is used States the replacement as done — the Assembly voted to replace the map — where the resolution urges states to use a different projection. ×1
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The Daily Telegraph
Right
estimate · not a score
The Daily Telegraph
🇬🇧UK ·
newspaper · independent
What we have measured
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
The Guardian
Centre-left
estimate · not a score
The Guardian
🇬🇧UK ·
newspaper · independent
What we have measured
Actor named Denial in the passive voice, with no one named as the person who dismissed it ×1Actor named names Israel as acting and states the death toll flat, with no source ×1Actor named Ireland named as the side that ended the conference ×1Allegation omitted the police statement is cut with an ellipsis where the other two reports carry the controlling or coercive behaviour allegation ×1
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The Times
Centre-right
estimate · not a score
The Times
🇬🇧UK ·
newspaper · independent
What we have measured
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C
CBC News
Centre-left
estimate · not a score
CBC News
🇨🇦CA ·
public broadcaster · public-service
What we have measured
Asserted vs attributed the measure is attributed to the three governments; the territory is called occupied in the outlet's own voice ×1Attribution kept in the headline the sourcing travels with the claim into the headline ×1Figure rounded in the headline more than 600 in the headline; the body sources it to a flight-tracking site ×1How the sourcing is hedged the claim is hedged to an unnamed newspaper in both headline and body; the reporting is not held by this report ×1
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These are must-cite outlets for this desk that we did not manage to read
when we built this story. That is a gap in our reach, not a silence on their part, and
it is not evidence of anything about this story.