Prepared by: Festim Rizanaj
Fake news is what has dominated over the past week in terms of misinformation published in the media, dubious portals, and social media pages and accounts.
Several fake news stories published on platforms such as Facebook, TikTok and online portals. The fake news includes unfounded claims about Turkey's engagement in preventing terrorist attacks in Kosovo and about recognizing Kosovo's independence from Syria, which were proven to be false. Also, false information has been discovered about Prime Minister Kurti's decision to distribute 100 euros to citizens, about the Albanian origin of a person suspected of murder in the US and Besarta Jashari's candidacy for MP with Vetëvendosje.
A piece of content published on Facebook claiming that former US President Donald Trump had made a statement in support of Kosovo and the release of KLA leaders, which turned out to be generated with artificial intelligence, has been deemed fake news/hoax.
Two unverified contents that have circulated on information portals. First, an information portal “demokracia.com” incorrectly reported that there were no Kosovo flags at Prime Minister Albin Kurti’s meetings in Bosnia and Herzegovina, but the photographs published by the Government of Kosovo prove the opposite. Second, some media, referring to “Paparaci.com”, claimed that former Deputy Prime Minister Hajredin Kuçi had been arrested by the Special Court, but it turned out that only a raid was carried out at his home and there was no arrest. These cases illustrate the importance of verifying information before publication.
Two conspiracy theories have been spread by Serbian-language media, attempting to link a Serbian citizen from Novi Sad, Miloš Rakić, to the concept of "Greater Albania" and Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti, and that Kosovo media reports on the protests in Serbia are evidence of "Albin Kurti's support for the destruction of Serbia."
Serbian-language media outlet "Mondo.rs" spread disinformation on December 8, claiming that singer Anna Oxa changed her name due to "shame of her Albanian origin."
Another Serbian-language media outlet, "Telegraf.rs," manipulated the facts by claiming in the headline of an article that the Kosovo flag was unfurled at Milan's stadium before the match against Red Star Belgrade in the Champions League.
The portal "Periskopi.com" used a clickbait headline: "Kurti is left off the list: I have decided not to run again", creating the wrong impression that it was about Albin Kurti, while the content reveals that the news is about MP Tinka Kurti.
A hoax has been spread through a fake image on social media showing the front page of a German newspaper with claims that Prime Minister Albin Kurti is a Serbian spy and that communism is returning to Kosovo.
Untrue and unsubstantiated claims: The Minister of Infrastructure, Liburn Aliu, claimed on December 7 that the Gjilan-Bujanovac road with special infrastructural features has been completed. However, the claim is untrue as the expansion project includes only 2.9 km of the 23 km of the Kosovo section of the highway. Similarly, Deputy Minister Taulant Kelmendi claimed that a photo of the Mayor of Peja, Gazmend Muhaxheri, with Dragomir Kariqin is linked to the construction of a shopping center by Bogolub Kariqin in Peja, an unsubstantiated claim, as the photo does not include Bogolub Kariqin and there is no evidence to support this connection.
Fake news
Through a Facebook post, it is claimed that based on official sources, the Turkish Government has undertaken that by February 9, 2025, it will prevent any kind of terrorist attack in Kosovo. In this content, it is also stated that the Turkish Foreign Minister, Hakan Fidan, has stated that the Turkish intelligence agency will be committed to protecting Kosovo from any kind of threat. This post was published on December 6 by the page “Lajme Nga Bota”. After research conducted by hibrid.info, it has been confirmed that there is no official announcement from the Turkish Foreign Minister regarding this claim. (here)
It is alleged that the Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, has decided to allocate 100 euros to each citizen of Kosovo for the end-of-year holidays. This claim was published on December 6 in the form of a post on TikTok by the account “zotishqiptar”. After research conducted by hibrid.info, it has been proven that this claim is false. Such a decision has not been found published in any official source. (here)
The suspect in the murder of the CEO of the US health insurance company, “UnitedHealthcare”, is alleged to be of Albanian descent. After verification of the facts conducted by hibrid.info, it was confirmed that there is no data that supports this claim. Based on the platform “ancestory.com”, no family with the surname Mangione has Albanian descent. (here)
The article by “klankosova.tv” on December 11 claiming that Besarta Jashari will be a candidate for MP in the ranks of the Vetëvendosje Movement is incorrect. The report was initially denied by LVV officials and then by the Jashari family. Later, with the publication of the candidate lists, Jashari’s name did not appear in Vetëvendosje. (here)
Through a Facebook post, it has been claimed that Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has stated that as soon as the new government is formed in Syria, this country will immediately recognize the independence of Kosovo. The claim that Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has said that Syria will recognize Kosovo immediately after the formation of the Government is false. Such a statement allegedly made by Fidan has not been found in any credible media. (here)
Fake news/Hoax
A photo has been published showing the portrait of Donald Trump, the US president-elect, wearing a hat with the inscription “KOSOVO” and with the inscription claiming that he declared: The American people will stand by the state of Kosovo, we will do our utmost to release the KLA leaders as soon as possible. This content was published (December 11) on Facebook by a page called “Images from Kosovo”. Hibrid.info has found that the photo in question is content generated by artificial intelligence (AI) and that the alleged statement did not come from Trump. (here)
Unverified content
Through an article, the Albanian-language portal “demokracia.com” reported that there were no Kosovo flags at Kurti’s meetings in Bosnia and Herzegovina. But after verifying the facts, hibrid.info found photographs published by the Kosovo Government of the meeting that Kurti had with the Vice President of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Refik Lendo, in which the Kosovo flag is seen on the table. (here)
The claim of the arrest of Hajredin Kuçi, former Deputy Prime Minister of Kosovo, by the Special Court has been published. For this claim, some of these media have referred to the reporting of the medium “Paparaci.com”. However, it seems that this medium has interfered with the content of the information by indicating that a raid was carried out at Kuçi’s house. A few days later, the Special Court announced that Kuçi was not arrested. (here)
Conspiracy theory
An unfounded claim has been published by at least one Serbian media outlet, where a photograph of a person identified as Miloš Rakić has been attempted to be linked to “Greater Albania”. The claim came from a photograph taken at a protest in Novi Sad, Serbia, which shows a citizen with his hands crossed, which somewhat resembles the double-headed eagle symbol, but the hands are positioned further apart. This Serbian-language media outlet has used this photograph to link the person to the Prime Minister of Kosovo, labeling him as a “satellite” of Kurti. The claim is entirely unfounded, as it is not based on facts and there is no evidence linking the photograph and the message to Prime Minister Kurti. (here)
Through articles, it has been claimed that the reporting of Albanian-language media in Kosovo on the protests in Serbia is evidence of “Albin Kurti’s support for the protests for the destruction and burning of Serbia”. Some Serbian-language media have claimed that “Kurti-controlled media in Pristina have announced support for the protests in Belgrade, with the aim of destroying Serbia”. In the publications made, the Serbian-language media have not provided any facts that support the claim in question. (here)
disinformation
The Serbian-language media outlet “Mondo.rs” published an article on December 8, claiming that singer Anna Oxa changed her name due to “shame of her Albanian origin”. This outlet refers to an interview Anna gave to “Ticino Welcome” in August 2023. However, in her interview, Oxa does not mention this claim. In fact, the article does not mention her origin at all, except at one point where it is said that Anna is the third most influential person in Albania. Consequently, the Serbian-language media does not support the statement with evidence. Anna Oxa is an artist with a long and successful career, known for her Albanian origin, which she has often mentioned in interviews and discussions as part of her cultural identity. (here)
Manipulation of facts
The Serbian-language media outlet “Telegraf.rs” has published an article that, through the headline, claimed that the Kosovo flag was unfurled at the Milan stadium, before the match that this team is expected to play against Red Star Belgrade in the Champions League. After verification of the facts carried out by hibrid.info, it was confirmed that this is not a Kosovo flag, but a flag from the Kosovo fans of the Milan team (MILAN CLUB KOSOVA). This media outlet falsely presents it in the headline as the unfurling of the Kosovo flag and baselessly interprets this action as a “provocation”. (here)
Clickbait
“Kurti is left off the list: I have decided not to run again”, is the title of an article published (December 11) by the information portal “Periskopi.com”. The logo of the Vetëvendosje Movement appears in the photo of this article. The unclear titles in these articles, due to the context of the event, have led some readers to understand that the announcement was made by Albin Kurti. While the news is clarified only in the content, which states that VV MP Tinka Kurti has announced that she will not run again in the upcoming elections. (here)
Lies
An image has been published showing the front page of a newspaper with headlines in German, which, when translated into Albanian, claim that Albin Kurti, the Prime Minister of Kosovo, is a Serbian spy and that communism is returning to Kosovo. This content was created using an application that has several forms available that look like newspaper front pages, which can be modified by uploading photos, as desired, and placing them, creating an image that looks like a newspaper front page. (here)
False statement
Liburn Aliu, Minister of Infrastructure, announced that the Gjilan-Bujanovac road has been inaugurated, through a Facebook post on December 7. The post indicated that the project worth 3 million euros, in addition to the 2900m-long road with four lanes, also includes a bicycle lane, sidewalks on both sides, cable, fecal and atmospheric sewerage, lighting in the middle and signaling. The written statement of the Minister of Infrastructure, Liburn Aliu, about the completion of works on the expansion of the Gjilan-Bujanovac road, is incorrect. Hibrid.info has found that the Gjilan-Bujanovac highway is 41,3 km long (23 km of the Kosovo part), while the expansion project includes only 1,9 km of this road. (here)
Unsubstantiated statement/Unverified content
A photo from January of this year showing the mayor of Peja, Gazmend Muhaxheri, and next to him Dragomir Karic, one of two Serbian businessmen brothers, was used by the Deputy Minister of MESTI, Taulant Kelmendi, to link it to a news story published on December 8 by a Serbian-language media outlet, which claimed without evidence that Bogolub Karic is building a shopping center in Peja. Deputy Minister Kelmendi's claim that there is a connection between the photo of Gazmend Muhaxheri and Dragomir Karic and the claim of the Serbian-language media outlet about Bogolub Karic building a shopping center in Peja is unfounded. Mayor Muhaxheri does not have a photo with Bogolub Karic, but with his brother, Dragomir. (here)