Wrote: Endrit Berisha
Through two posts on TikTok, it has been claimed that the US Ambassador to Kosovo, Jeffrey Hovenier, has given a percentage prediction for Prime Minister Albin Kurti for the upcoming elections.
"If Kurti continues with this approach, he won't even get 70% of the votes in the next elections" is the quote that was placed on an image of Hovenier in two posts by the "folejadardanis" account on TikTok on Sunday (August 18).
What's wrong with these publications?
After verification, it turns out that such a statement was not made by Hovenier.
Hibrid.info has searched online search engines with the alleged quote (see here). No news was found in any credible information source.
In the posts in question, the logo of the Albanian language medium “Sinjali” was also used in the image. Hibrid.info has verified the posts on this medium’s Facebook page and has not found any such posts (See here).
"folejadardanis" posts on TikTok:
Ambassador Hovenier's last media interview in Kosovo was on August 13th. Radio Free EuropeThe published interview does not mention the issue of the upcoming elections. He spoke there about the issue of the Government's plan to open the Bridge over the Ibar River in Mitrovica.
In both posts, this account has received about 70 thousand views together. One has over 660 likes and 120 comments and the other 350 likes and over 75 comments. Among the comments, it is seen that there are TikTok users who have taken the image for granted and others who have questioned it. This is the reason why the material is being treated by hibrid.info.
The next elections are scheduled to be held on February 9, 2025 (See here).
Analyze:
In two posts on TikTok, the account "folejadardanis" claimed that the US Ambassador to Kosovo, Jeffrey Hovenier, had given predictions about the results of the upcoming elections for Prime Minister Albin Kurti.
After verification by hibrid.info, it turns out that the claim in question has not been found in any credible information medium. The content is not even found on the website whose logo is used in the image. This topic was not mentioned at all in the ambassador's last public interview.
Based on its work methodology, hibrid.info assesses posts published on Facebook as "Fake News".
Reasoning:
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.