Unlike some countries in the region, the Government of Kosovo has not taken any legal initiatives that could condition the freedom of journalists to practice their profession or that would result in increased self-censorship. Journalists in Kosovo face similar challenges as in the countries of the region, however, compared to neighboring countries, Kosovo continues to rank better than them in the Press Freedom Index of 'Reporters without Borders'. Kosovo is also the only country in the Western Balkans region that has improved for the fifth year in a row in the report of the organization 'Freedom House' on the democracy of the countries.
Written by: Dren Gërguri
During the pandemic, the media in Kosovo has been accurate in reporting, with minor exceptions. The media has tried to keep society informed with verified information based on official sources. The Kosovar media began to pay greater attention to COVID-19 only when the first cases were registered in Albania. From March, the media in Kosovo began reporting on the coronavirus. Televisions and most online media professionally handled the cases of people affected by the virus, respecting their privacy and preserving their identity.
Mainstream media reported accurately on the pandemic crisis
The first case in Kosovo was registered on March 13 and since then, all media outlets have covered every development related to the coronavirus. In addition to interviews with experts in the field, the media also continuously reported on the confirmation of cases of the coronavirus, the measures being implemented by the Government, the state of the Infectious Diseases Clinic at UCCK, the challenges faced by the white coats, the situation in the municipalities with a focus on those municipalities where cases of COVID-19 appeared. During this period, the situation in other countries was often reported on, sometimes even making comparisons between Kosovo and those countries.
The political crisis and its impact on media reporting corona virus
Less than two weeks after the appearance of the coronavirus in Kosovo, the political crisis deepened when the Kosovo Assembly voted for a no-confidence motion and the Kurti Government was overthrown. As of March 25, Kosovo remained with the Government in office. Since then, political topics have often occupied the main place in the Kosovo media. Developments related to the new political situation created in the country after the fall of the Government were often the main news of the day on television and online media, which affected reporting on the coronavirus on different days, to remain in the shadow of political developments. The news of the day was often the communication of the government mandate of President Hashim Thaçi with the acting Prime Minister, Albin Kurti, the leader of the Vetëvendosje Movement (LVV), the winning party in the October 2019 elections. Subsequently, the involvement of the LDK in the initiative to create a new government, the LDK's talks with other political parties, the LVV's refusal to form a new government, demanding new elections after the pandemic crisis passes, President Thaçi's decree on the new mandate for the formation of a new government, the temporary suspension of the implementation of the decree by the Constitutional Court of Kosovo after Vetëvendosje requested that the constitutionality of the president's decision be assessed, all these developments influenced the media to often give more space to political developments than to news related to the coronavirus.
Misinformation goes viral on social media
Numerous and varied misinformation has been spread since the coronavirus began to be reported, mainly on social media. In Kosovo, social media such as Facebook is one of the main sources of information, but also of disinformation. Citizens have been exposed to a multitude of misinformation that, above all, has caused panic among citizens and, as a result of citizens' tendency to spread any information they read, unverified and often false, it has penetrated an even wider public. Misinformation such as: Children are immune to the coronavirus; There is a coronavirus vaccine; The Chinese government built a hospital overnight, etc., have been spread by Kosovar citizens, who, unaware of the damage, have become part of the manipulation. An analysis presents the five main disinformation spread in the Albanian language with high interactivity on Facebook. During this period, the mainstream media did not seem to be very committed to combating disinformation. Political developments resulted in limited coverage of the coronavirus in the mainstream media, as the focus on political topics was on the main television shows, while online media also lacked ongoing reporting or analysis of the disinformation being spread in society.
Newspapers stopped printing, distributed for free online
Koha Ditore and Epoka e re stopped printing the newspaper when the first government measures began. However, both used their digital editions to continue publishing the newspaper. In fact, all issues during the pandemic are being published for free on koha.net and epokaere.com. Most journalists have worked from their homes, however, there were also many who continued to practice their profession by going out in the field or doing their work in the office.