The crowdfunding to establish Factwire surpassed the HK$3 million goal to reach HK$4.75 million via the crowdfunding platform FringeBacker.
Train quality exposé In July 2016, the agency published an exposé on the secret recall of
Mass Rapid Transit (MRT)
C151A trains to their manufacturer,
CRRC Qingdao Sifang Co., Ltd. The trains reportedly suffered from a multitude of quality issues including underframe cracking, which can threaten the structural integrity of an entire train car. The agency quoted a former
Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation executive who stated that cracks forming in new components was "very unusual" and a sign of quality issues. A whistleblower emailed the bureau in January 2015, but absent any government intervention the
MTR Corporation awarded a HK$6 billion contract for 93 new trains to CSR Sifang in July 2015. The
Land Transport Authority blamed the cracks on impurities in the car body, and stated that the trains remained safe for service. The agency denied that its reporting was politically motivated and explained that "every investigative report published by FactWire must be founded on impregnable evidence and cover serious public interests at stake. We will never allow commercial or political considerations to override our professional journalistic judgement." The anonymous message stated "the subway train story has caused a big reaction, someone sent/ sending some trouble your way". The boiler had cracked during testing, and that welding on the component was termed "problematic". Factwire questioned why the nuclear power plant should be allowed to go online despite these defects and plausible danger to nearby neighborhoods. On June 29, 2018, Taishan 1 proceeded to be connected to the grid and became the first
EPR to enter commercial operation on December 13, 2018. CGN Power, the plant's major shareholder, did not respond to FactWire's enquiries. == Closure ==