Content is published that presents statements by Joseph DioGuardi, former US Congressman William Walker, former OSCE Ambassador and journalist Nick Beake, claiming that they commented on the protests organized in Pristina in opposition to the decision of the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague against former KLA leaders.
The content was published on TikTok by an account named “politikasot1” (see here and here).
What is the truth?
Hibrid.info found that the published statements are fabricated.
Hibrid.info has searched through "Google" with the words "joseph dioguardi" (see here).
In a search for last week's publications related to Joseph DioGuardi, the results showed articles and news from the portal "the world today" that address recent political developments in Kosovo, including the former congressman's letter to political leaders calling for consensus on the election of the president, along with other congratulatory and archival posts from social media on the occasion of his birthday.
A similar search was also made with the words "william walker" (see here). Search results display articles, posts, and recent news from various media outlets (such as “Shqiptarja.com","ABCnews.al","Telegraph newspaper”And“Almakos.com") regarding the reactions of the American diplomat after the recent decisions and sentences of the Special Court against former KLA leaders.
Among the headlines and main topics are his statements where he describes this situation as a "gloomy day" or "black day for Kosovo", criticizes the European Union's stances and actions towards Albanians, expresses his admiration for the KLA and raises public questions about why Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić has not been summoned to The Hague.
Whereas, considering the fact that journalist Nick Beake is not well known for his connections with Albanians, the search for him was done with the words "nick beake kosovo" (see here). The results from this research did not show concrete evidence confirming how he has commented on recent developments in Kosovo.
Hibrid.info has also conducted research on the Facebook accounts of the quoted individuals, but has not been able to find any official or active profiles where they publicly express their positions (see here, here and here).
Following the first instance verdict of the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague against former KLA leaders, protests and rallies in their support were organized in Pristina. These protests opposed the court's decision and the sentences imposed in the first instance against former KLA leaders (see here).
Analyze
The content presenting statements by Joseph DioGuardi, William Walker and journalist Nick Beake, claiming that they commented on the recent protests in Pristina regarding the decision of the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague, is fabricated.
Research conducted by hibrid.info has not found reliable sources confirming that these individuals made the statements presented in the content published on TikTok. Searches for Joseph DioGuardi and William Walker have highlighted their recent statements and reactions regarding developments in Kosovo, but not the statements attributed to them in this content.
Meanwhile, no concrete evidence has been found for journalist Nick Beake that he has commented on recent developments in Kosovo in the manner presented in these publications. Also, research into the Facebook profiles of the individuals quoted has not identified any official or active profiles where they have published the statements in question.
Based on its work methodology, hibrid.info assesses this content as "Fake News".
rationale
The “Fake News” rating is given to informational content that is entirely fabricated or that contains factually incorrect claims or information. Content that is rated as fake news can be defined as having been created and distributed with the intent to misinform the public, i.e., to present a claim that is completely false as fact.