Wrote: Endrit Berisha
It has been claimed that people who do not participate in the population census will not be able to receive services from the state.
The article with this claim in the title was published on May 24 in the media “kosovanews.net” and “kosovapost.net”. Both were based on a statement by the head of the Kosovo Agency of Statistics, Avni Kastrati, to “Radio Dukagjin”. (see here)
But what's wrong with this article?
"Persons who did not participate in the population census will not be able to receive services from the state" is the title published in the articles on the two portals in question.
After verification by hibrid.info, it turns out that the title does not match Kastrati's own statement.
Initially, in the news of two media outlets, he was quoted as saying that "those people who are not registered 'cannot receive services from the state,'" if the experience of other countries is taken".
Article links:
And he stated the same thing at the press conference of the Kosovo Agency of Statistics on Monday (May 27). He even emphasized that this concerns several services and that he is not sure whether all institutions will be strict in this regard. According to him, this is because many institutions require personal numbers and if they are not listed, then the services cannot be provided.
Excerpts from Kastrati's statement at the press conference on Monday, following the population census process:
"Throughout the entire time, through conferences, interviews, but also articles and letters, we have called on citizens because the Government's investment in this project... the expectations are that many institutions will use the data. I am not sure if all institutions will be strict because there are other laws that must serve citizens, but as far as I know, as far as I have access, some services will not be offered to citizens. I am talking about some services. For citizens who were not part of the population census. Of course, this comes after 6 months when we clean the data. Without cleaning the data, we cannot provide information to other institutions.". (see here)
What does the law say about those who refuse to register?
Based on Article 23 of the Law on Population, Households and Housing Census, a person who refuses to provide the data requested by the registrar or other person authorized for the Census, or knowingly provides incomplete and inaccurate information, shall be punished with a fine of 30 euros to two thousand euros, while a legal entity shall be punished with a fine of up to 20 thousand euros. The exception is the paragraph that specifies that every resident is free not to declare his/her ethnic and religious affiliation. (see here)
Analyze:
It was claimed through the headline that "Persons who did not participate in the population census will not be able to receive services from the state."
After verification, it turns out that the title was taken from a statement by the head of ASK, Avni Kastrati, but who, according to the content of the articles, did not say it as a finished thing, but added that this could happen if the practices of other countries are taken. Moreover, in the conference held today, Kastrati stated that this could apply to "some" institutions and that "he is not sure if all institutions will be strict".
Based on its working methodology, hibrid.info evaluates this content as "Clickbait".
Reasoning:
“Clickbait” is considered to be informational content whose title is general and does not disclose the location of the event, context and relevance. Such texts and articles aim to attract the attention of the audience with sensational headlines with misleading consequences, which do not accurately clarify the content of the article. “Clickbait” headlines are mainly made to attract readability in the case of media publications and/or to earn from clicks in the case of commercial publications.