Serbian-language media have falsely claimed that a Serbian citizen died in a traffic accident in Austria on April 11.
"Kurir.rs" in the article published on Monday, April 13, reported with the title "SERBIANS INVOLVED IN A HORRIBLE CRASH IN AUSTRIA, TEENAGER DIED ON THE LAND: He was behind the wheel when he crashed into a truck, firefighters pulled out the body!"
Other Serbian media outlets have made the same claim, "Mondo.rs", which reported with this headline: "Serbian citizens involved in serious accident in Austria, young man dies: Firefighters are waiting for the vehicle to remove the body.
What did the Serbian media say next?
"Serbian citizens were involved in a horrific traffic accident in Austria, when a car and a truck collided, after which a teenager (19 years old) who was behind the wheel of the passenger vehicle died from injuries caused by the force of the collision!"
"In a serious traffic accident that occurred in Austria, a nineteen-year-old young man originally from Kosovo and Metohija died after a head-on collision with a truck driven by a 63-year-old man from central Serbia - Austrian media write", wrote the Serbian media, "Kurir", while the reference only said "the Austrian media write", without mentioning any source of information by name.
Meanwhile, quoting the media "Serbian Times", a medium that also publishes in English, "Mondo" writes: "A Serbian citizen (19 years old) has died in a serious traffic accident that occurred in Eferding, Austria, writes 'Serbian Times'. The accident occurred between a car and a truck, and a Serbian citizen, who died from injuries sustained from the force of the collision, was behind the wheel of the passenger car."
"The young man who died is originally from Kosovo and Metohija. The truck was driven by a man (63 years old) originally from central Serbia."
But, in the article quoted by "Mondo", it is not stated that the victim came from Serbia. It states that the young man who died in the accident "is from Kosovo and Metohija."
"A young man (19 years old) of Kosovo and Metohija origin lost his life in a serious traffic accident in Lower Austria after colliding with a truck driven by a 63-year-old Serb," "Mondo" further writes:
So, both "Kurir" and "Mondo" say in the introduction of the report that the victim was from Serbia, while in the continuation they say that he was "from Kosovo and Metohija".
How was it reported in the Austrian media?
The accident, which occurred on Saturday morning (April 11) in Eferding, Austria, was reported by local media. Media “ooe.ORF.at” reported thus:
"In Alkoven (Eferding district), a 19-year-old driver died in a traffic accident on Saturday morning. The young man had crossed into the opposite lane on the Eferdinger Straße (B129) and collided with a truck."
"The Kosovar, who lives in Eferding, was on his way to work in Eferding shortly after 7:00 a.m."
Other Austrian media, "oe24.at", also reported on this tragic accident, saying: "A 19-year-old car driver died in a traffic accident in Alkoven (Eferding district) on Saturday. The young man from Kosovo was driving his car (Mercedes E-Class) on the B129 road towards Eferding at around 6.40 am. He crossed into the opposite lane of the road and collided head-on with a semi-trailer truck driven by a 63-year-old Serb, police said."
So, in these reports, it becomes clear that the victim is from Kosovo, while the truck driver who encountered the young man is said to be Serbian, but without specifying from which country.
How does the truth stand?
Klankosova.tv reported on this case, stating that the young man who died in the accident was originally from a village in Rahovec, Kosovo. (here)
His death was also announced by Facebook pages that publish information about the village of Retijë, where the victim was reported to be from (here, hereThe official website of the Democratic League of Kosovo Branch in Rahovec also wrote about the tragic accident (here).
Meanwhile, on Tuesday (April 14), a local media outlet "Rahovec Inside", also published details about the victim's funeral ceremony.
Analyze:
Two Serbian-language media outlets claimed without evidence that a 19-year-old man who died on April 11 in Eferding, Austria, as a result of a traffic accident, was from Serbia. "Kurir" did not base its reporting on any source, but simply wrote "the Austrian media write." "Mondo.rs" referred to another media outlet, "Serbian Times", which had also reported on the accident, but that the latter did not say anywhere in its content that the victim was from Serbia. The same one said that the young man who died was from "Kosovo and Metohija".
However, official data from the Austrian Police, as reported by the media in Austria (ORF and OE24), indicate that the victim is from Kosovo, while the truck driver, who collided with the 19-year-old, is Serbian, but it is not specified from which country.
On the day of the accident, it was also reported in the Albanian-language media in Kosovo. Klankosova.tv, in its reporting, published details of the victim, who it said came from a village in Rahovec, Kosovo. In addition to this medium, various local websites in Rahovec also wrote about his death. While on Tuesday (April 14), one website also gave details about his funeral ceremony.
Therefore, based on the working methodology, hibrid.info considers this publication "Manipulation of facts".
Reasoning:
“Factual manipulation” is a rating given to informational content that uses facts known to be accurate but interprets them in a distorted manner. These reports typically use accurate information to draw incorrect conclusions or claims, thereby misleading consumers of media content about the actual meaning of the facts presented.