Facebook page “Kurti 4" published content on August 20 claiming that the former Minister of Education and Public Administration, Arsim Bajrami, declared that the acting Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, has restored the dignity of the state of Kosovo in relation to internationals and Serbia.
The caption of the photo claims that Bajrami said:
"I appreciate Albin Kurti for one thing: He has managed to restore the dignity of the state of Kosovo in relation to the international community and Serbia. He is not a politician who can be blackmailed. Kurti has a stability that perhaps we have lacked in the past to say 'No' to processes that damage the substance of the state."
What's wrong with this content?
After fact-checking by Hibrid.info, it has been confirmed that this statement was not made by Arsim Bajrami. The content has been circulating on the internet since December 2025 and has been republished several times on social media.
FACTS
A Google search using the phrase "statement" did not yield any results that prove it was published by credible media or sources. Also, no credible source was found linking this statement to Arsim Bajrami (see here).
Through the automated program "InVID", Hibrid.info has found that this content has been circulating on the internet since at least December 23, 2025, when it was published by a Facebook account named "Sabit Salihu".
In the found publication, Arsim Bajrami had left two comments, through which he denied having made such a statement, describing it as "manipulation". (see photo below).
The same content has also been found and published by other pages and accounts on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok (see here, here, here, here and here).
Why is misinformation being republished?
According to the scientific article "Exploring factors that mitigate the ongoing impact of misinformation"(Exploring factors that mitigate the continued influence of misinformation) by Kan et al. (2021), even after information has been corrected, individuals' beliefs and perceptions often continue to be influenced by the original information. This phenomenon is known as the Continued Influence Effect (CIE).
Information that is central to the flow of the story or narrative has strong connections to other details of the story and is more resistant to correction, while peripheral information is republished less frequently and has a weaker impact. The article suggests that providing an alternative to false information or addressing it directly is essential. In contrast, false information may continue to be republished and remain embedded within the individual’s mental model.
Analyze
Through content published by the "Kurti 4" page, it is falsely claimed that Arsim Bajrami has stated that Albin Kurti has restored Kosovo's dignity in relation to internationals and Serbia.
After verification conducted online by hibrid.info, it was confirmed that Bajrami did not make this statement. He has even publicly denied it, calling it "manipulation."
The same content has been circulating on social media since December 2025 and has been republished by other pages and accounts.
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.