Wrote: Fatbardh Dema
A post was shared on social media platforms Facebook and TikTok yesterday (May 20) claiming that the United States Embassy in Kosovo has praised the work of Albin Kurti's government in the north, stating: "Safe visit and free walking for the first time in 25 years."
This claim was published by the account "Rooster Flower"and the pages"Newspaper 17 February”And“Albania USA” on Facebook, as well as from the account “dardanis_foley" on TikTok.
The truth?
After conducting online research, hibrid.info has confirmed that such a statement was not made by the US Embassy in Kosovo.
On the official Facebook page of the US Embassy in Kosovo, a post was found published yesterday (May 20). The Chargé d'Affaires at the US Embassy in Kosovo, Anu Prattipati, yesterday (May 20) stayed in the north where she met with political representatives and the Kosovo Police.
Through this post, it was announced that Prattipati reiterated the US government's position that stability and security are essential and it is the responsibility of the Government of Kosovo to ensure that all citizens can live in a peaceful manner. (here)
Hibrid.info has researched through Google with the keywords "Safe visit and free walking for the first time in 25 years", but the results have not shown any official reporting or source confirming this statement. (here)
So, in no case has the American Embassy praised the work of the Kurti Government in the north by making the statement "Safe visit and free walking for the first time in 25 years."
Analyze:
A claim shared on May 20 on social media platforms Facebook and TikTok, attributing a statement praising the Kurti Government regarding security in the north to the US Embassy in Kosovo, turns out to be false.
After verifying the facts, it was confirmed that no such statement from the Embassy exists. The official Embassy post only mentions the visit of Representative Anu Prattipati to the north and emphasizes the importance of security and the Government's responsibility for peace, without mentioning any specific praise.
Based on the working methodology, hibrid.info assesses this claim as "Disinformation".
Reasoning:
"Disinformation" is defined as information content that contains a "mix" of inaccurate sources or even half-truthful attributes, and that is created and/or distributed with the deliberate intention of causing harm. The motive behind the producers/distributors of disinformation content lies in achieving a political, financial, psychological or social goal.