vWrote: Etrit Rexhepi
An image is published showing Elmi Reçica, a member of the Kosovo Assembly from the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), and another person from behind, who is alleged to be Berat Buzhala, director of the media outlet, "Nacionale.com".
image was published today (May 3) on Facebook by the account named "Fleta Press", claiming that these two met secretly before the start of the session of the Kosovo Assembly.
What did hibrid.info prove?
The investigation found that this photograph was published earlier and has no connection to the current context of events in the Kosovo Assembly.
Hibrid.info has verified through the automated search program, InVID, and has found the same photo published, no earlier than October 14, 2024, when it was published by Salih Zyba, a member of the Kosovo Assembly from the Vetëvendosje Movement (LVV) (see here).
Even the publication of Zyba implied that it was about Elmi Reçica in a meeting with Berat Buzhala.
Something that was also confirmed by an article found by hibrid.info, titled, "Salih Zyba 'checks' Buzhala with PDK MP: Free and independent media"published (October 14, 2024) on the medium "botasot.info" (see here).
Hibrid.info also found a status of Buzhala on his Facebook account, published three days after Zyba's post (October 17, 2024), where he criticized the action of the LVV MP, confirming that it was he himself who appeared in the image (see here).
Current situation in the Kosovo Assembly
The claim was made public today as MPs gathered for the tenth time to constitute the Kosovo Assembly. MPs have for the second time in a row refused to form a secret ballot committee to vote for the new head of the legislative body. The Democratic Party of Kosovo, the Democratic League of Kosovo, the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo and the Serbian List have again refused to propose a representative who would ensure the smooth conduct of the secret ballot.
The constitutive session will continue on Monday, May 5, at 10:00 (see here).
Analyze
The claim that Elmi Reçica and Berat Buzhala met secretly before the start of the Kosovo Assembly session is incorrect.
The photograph used to support this claim was published earlier (October 14, 2024) and is not related to current events in the Assembly.
Based on its work 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.