Content has been published claiming that students at the University of Pristina pay only 35 euros per month for accommodation in dormitories and food in the cafeteria.
The measure is presented as an example of support for students by Prime Minister Albin Kurti, whom Albania's Prime Minister, Edi Rama, should take as a model for his policies towards youth.
The post published on Saturday (October 24) by the medium "KosovaPost.net" was accompanied by an image showing Prime Minister Albin Kurti in the student canteen.
What's wrong with the content?
The content does not clarify that the 35 euro fee for student housing and meals was set before Albin Kurti came to power, creating the impression that this is a result of his government's policies.
This content was posted on a Facebook page. The medium, which has over 84 thousand followers and is a member of the Council of Written Media (KMShK), a self-regulatory body formed for and by the written media sector (see here).
Research on visual framing in media communication shows that images, in interaction with text, can influence the way the audience interprets a message. In this case, the portrait of Albin Kurti in the student canteen, accompanied by the phrase “Learn from Albin Kurti”, links his figure to the mentioned fees (see here).
Hibrid.info has researched the Facebook page of the Student Center, the space that serves for student housing and meals (see here).
In the announcements on this information source, a post was found announcing the opening of the deadline for payment for accommodation and food for the month of November (see here).
After clicking to get more information, it was confirmed that students pay 20 euros per month for dormitory accommodation and 15 euros for food in the canteen, which in total amounts to 35 euros per month (see here).
This confirms that the claimed monthly fee for dormitory accommodation and canteen meals is correct.
In the information published on the website of this institution, it is clarified that fees are published in official announcements and may change according to institutional decisions.
But when was the final decision made to set these tariffs?
Hibrid.info found that the Kosovo Government, led by Hashim Thaçi, in April 2014 had decided to reduce the payment for students by 50 percent for accommodation and food in the student center (see here).
Based on a media article, it was found that after this decision, students would pay 20 euros for accommodation and 15 euros for canteen (see here).
This proves that the current tariffs for food and accommodation were determined before Albin Kurti came to power.
Analyze
The publication presents the 35 euro per month fees for housing and food for students at the University of Pristina as an example of Prime Minister Albin Kurti's support for students, comparing him to the Prime Minister of Albania, Edi Rama, who is suggested to take an example from Kurti.
However, verification of information published in the media regarding the determination of these fees found that they were set following a decision by the Government of Kosovo, led by Hashim Thaçi, in April 2014. Following this decision, students would pay 20 euros for accommodation and 15 euros for food in the canteen.
So, the information about the amount students pay is correct, but the publication does not clarify that these fees were determined before Albin Kurti came to power.
Furthermore, the wording "Learn from Albin Kurti" and the display of his portrait in the student canteen link this policy to the figure of the prime minister, creating the impression that the mentioned tariffs are a result of his government's policies.
Therefore, based on the working methodology, hibrid.info assesses the content as "Manipulation of facts".
rationale
“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.