Prepared by: Festim Rizanaj
Over the past week, fake news has been in the spotlight, dominating as the main form of misinformation spread in the media, dubious portals, and social media accounts.
Over the past week, fake news on various topics involving political figures and important events in Kosovo have been spreading on social media, especially TikTok, and several Facebook pages. The claims include a false statement by an imaginary American general praising Prime Minister Albin Kurti, slander about the death of former Prime Minister Isa Mustafa, fabricated polls on political support in Kosovo, and fabricated news about the conditional release of former President Hashim Thaçi. An image was also shared claiming close ties between Kurti and US President Joe Biden, as well as a false statement linking Albin Kurti to the UDB. After fact-checking by hibrid.info, all of these claims were found to be untrue and not based on credible sources.
Clickbait articles are published mainly on dubious and informative portals, as well as distributed on relevant social media pages, using sensational and misleading headlines to attract readers. The main characteristic of these articles is that after clicking, the content does not match the claims of the headline, providing general or false information. The topics covered include tragic cases, misinterpreted sports matches, and manipulated statements by politicians or public figures, often using photographs and descriptions that create false perceptions of the events.
A social media post was deemed fraudulent/disinformation, falsely claiming that Ramush Haradinaj had proposed a rotation model for the leadership of the Government, including the Srpska Lista, which after verification proved to be untrue. Haradinaj had emphasized the rotation among opposition parties, without mentioning the Srpska Lista.
Fact-based manipulation and disinformation have been present in several recent cases on social media. An image published on TikTok on November 16 shows the percentage and number of votes for Bedri Hamza and Albin Kurti, without giving the source. After verification by Hibrid.info, it was found that this data belonged to a 2021 survey conducted by Radio Televizioni Dukagjini, which addressed a question related to the then elections. Another case involved a shared video, which claimed that Prime Minister Edi Rama had ordered the closure of TikTok in Albania. This claim stemmed from a statement by the Prime Minister, where he had mentioned reviewing measures to combat violence and bullying on social media, including the closure of several platforms, but without taking concrete action.
An erroneous report about "Lifelong Learning Week" was published on November 13 by an information portal, which used a photograph from a parliamentary activity in Albania that is unrelated to the content.
A video published on November 14 on Facebook and Instagram, which claims to show several young people from Vlora waving the Albanian flag in Belgrade, was deemed unverified content, but after verification it turns out that the video was not made in the Serbian capital.
A video published on November 20 on TikTok claiming that Prime Minister Albin Kurti was pelted with eggs by a citizen, using the words “Kurti Government,” was deemed disinformation. However, after verification, it was confirmed that the incident occurred on February 23, 2018, when Albin Kurti was in opposition and Ramush Haradinaj was the prime minister, and not during his term as prime minister.
Fraud/Disinformation
Through a post, it was claimed that the leader of the AAK, Ramush Haradinaj, has proposed that the leadership of the Government be done in rotation, one year AAK, one year LDK, one year PDK and another year Srpska Lista. After verifying the facts, it was confirmed that this claim is false and that Haradinaj did not make this proposal. The leader of the AAK, in an interview given to RTV21, said that he wants the leadership of the Government, even if it is in rotation so that the three opposition parties agree on one year, the other one year, the other one year. So, he has never mentioned the Srpska Lista. (here)
Manipulation of facts
An image has been published showing the percentage and number of votes for two candidates for prime minister of Kosovo, Bedri Hamza and Albin Kurti. There is no description of where this result came from, but it is known that this photo was published (November 16) on TikTok by an account named “mentor.g.me”. Hibrid.info has found that this percentage was taken from a television poll, conducted on February 12, 2021, by Radio Television Dukagjini, asking the audience whether they believe Albin Kurti will be able to become prime minister after the February 14 elections. (here)
Manipulation of facts/Disinformation
A video has been published with the caption that claims that TikTok has been closed in Albania, on the orders of the Prime Minister, Edi Rama. This content was published yesterday (November 20) on TikTok by an account named “blero_show”. Hibrid.info has found that this claim was presented through a statement taken from the Albanian Prime Minister’s conference, where he mentioned the measures being considered to stop violence and bullying on social networks, one of which is the closure of the TikTok and Snapchat platforms. (here)
Fake news
It has been claimed that an American general spoke about Kosovo's Prime Minister, Albin Kurti, and that he allegedly praised him, saying that Kosovo needs people like him to resist Russian influence in the Balkans. "American General Eric Friedman: Kosovo needs people like Albin to resist Russian influence in the Balkans," reads the post published on TikTok by the account "rejas04". The TikTok publication features a photo of a soldier and Prime Minister Albin Kurti. After verifying the facts, it turns out that this claim is completely false. Initially, there is no such statement made by any American general. There is no American general named Eric Friedman. Also, the photo used in the claim is of someone else. (here)
On the social media TikTok, a content is circulating claiming that the former Prime Minister and former leader of the Democratic League of Kosovo, Isa Mustafa, has died. The content with this claim was published (November 18) by two TikTok accounts “lot.dhe.vuajtje1” and “milaimzeka.exe.69”. After research conducted through online search engines, hibrid.info has not found any information published by credible sources claiming that the former leader of the LDK, Isa Mustafa, has passed away. (here)
An image is published that presents a survey regarding citizen support for political entities in Kosovo, which is claimed to have been conducted by the American company SDGs Global Survey. The content, which lists the political parties as follows: PDK: 28.2%, VV: 27.01%, LDK: 24.5%, AAK: 13.9% and other entities with 6.39%, was published yesterday (November 18) by a Facebook page named "Universal". Hibrid.info's research has not found that such a survey has not been published by credible sources and by the company, which is referred to in the claim. (here)
The Tik Tok page, “faktehistorikeShqip”, has published a photo of Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti with the US Ambassador to Kosovo, Jeff Hovenier. Through this post, it is claimed that the American media outlet “Washington Post” has published an article according to which it reported that Prime Minister Kurti is in full coordination with US President, Joe Biden. This page further states that there is an internal American report, according to which “Kurti will win 70% of the votes in the upcoming elections and will unite Kosovo with Albania”. From the research of 'Hibrid', there is no Washington Post report that Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti has coordination with US President Joe Biden. (here)
The TikTok social media page, “faktehistorikeShqip”, on August 11, published a photo of journalist Halil Matoshi, and the caption of the image reads “Halil Matoshi: Albin Kurti is a UDB man”. The page then asks followers what they think about Matoshi’s “statement”. After research conducted by hibrid.info, it was confirmed that Matoshi has never claimed, either in television appearances, media articles or Facebook posts, that Kurti is an agent of the Yugoslav State Security Service (UDBA). (here)
“Official: Sami Lushtaku will be made official as a candidate for President of Kosovo, if PDK wins”, is the claim published on TikTok on November 20 by the account “faktehistorikeshqip”. This claim was placed as a caption on a photo in which the Democratic Party of Kosovo’s candidate for prime minister in the February 9 elections, Bedri Hamza, and the member of the PDK Steering Council, Sami Lushtaku, are seen from the party’s rally in Skenderaj, on November 15. The Democratic Party of Kosovo has not mentioned Lushtaku’s name as an option for a candidate for president of Kosovo. Such a claim cannot be found in any article by any credible media outlet. (here)
A TikTok post claims that former Kosovo President Hashim Thaçi has been released on bail by the Special Court in The Hague. The post was made by the account “kadriveseliofficial_” on November 22. “HASHIM THAQI DECLARES INNOCENT. President Thaçi received the news late tonight that he has been released on bail by the Special Court in The Hague,” reads the caption of a photo of Thaçi. After verifying the facts, it appears that the Special Court has not made a decision to release former President Thaçi on bail, who, along with Kadri Veseli, Rexhep Selimi and Jakup Krasniqi, is in custody in The Hague on charges of war crimes. (here)
Clickbait
The headline claims that Liridona Ademaj's brother declared on November 16 of this year that her children had seen Ademaj's murder. But, after clicking on the article, there is not a single piece of information except that it says "November 29 marks one year since the tragedy that shocked all of Kosovo, the murder of Lirdona Ademaj, a 30-year-old from Gjakova". "The shocking statement of Liridona Ademaj's brother: The children saw everything!", is the title of this article published by the dubious portal "bilgininadresi.net". The statement of Liridona Ademaj's brother, given to the medium "Telegrafi" on November 16 was, "the children are most worried about the fact that they were in the car and how their father squeezed their mother's arm at the critical moment so that the murder could be carried out as easily as possible". (here)
On November 23, a new Kosovo-Romania duel will take place: “Our chance to write history”. This is the title of a post published on the information portal “Paparaci.com”. The article was also shared on the official Facebook page of this medium and is accompanied by a photo of the Kosovo national team during the match with Romania on November 15, 2024. While after clicking on the article, another photo appears showing some fans. After clicking on the article, it becomes clear that this is not another football match between Kosovo and Romania, as the title and photo might suggest, but a men's handball match within the framework of the EHF European Cup. The match in question will take place between KH Rahoveci and the Romanian team Minaur Baia Mare. (here)
An image is published on Facebook with the caption “Peci leaves everyone speechless: The Kurti government does not deserve a second mandate”. The photograph, which shows the figures of Albin Kurti, the Prime Minister of Kosovo, and the ministers in his government cabinet, Hekuran Murati, the Minister of Finance, and Faton Peci, the Minister of Agriculture, was published (November 20) by the media outlet “kosova-sot.info” on Facebook. For additional information, this Facebook page has also attached to the image a link to the article published on the media outlet’s portal, “kosova-sot.info”. After checking this article, it was understood that it is a public statement by Lulzim Peci, the director of the KIPRED Institute. (here)
error
An article has been published about the celebration of `Lifelong Learning Week`. But in this case the photo does not correspond to the content and does not correspond to the event of any educational activity in Kosovo. The photo that illustrates the text is a photo that was taken on the internet and is a photo that illustrates a parliamentary activity in Albania. The article was published on November 13 by the information portal “gazetaexpress.com”. (here)
Unverified content
A video showing several young people from Vlora waving the Albanian flag has been posted on Instagram and Facebook. The video was posted on November 14 by the “JOQ Albania” page on Facebook and Instagram. Through the description, it is claimed that this took place in Belgrade, presenting it as a courageous and symbolic act in the heart of the Serbian capital. But, behind these images, lies a completely different truth. After verifying the images through verification tools, it turns out that this video was not made in Belgrade. (here)
disinformation
“Kurti government is stealing a lot, citizen throws eggs at Kurti” is the caption of a video posted on TikTok by the “newsilir” account on November 20. The video shows Albin Kurti being thrown eggs by a citizen. Due to the words “Kurti government”, the description suggests that the attack on Kurti took place while he was prime minister. However, research by hibrid.info shows that this incident took place on February 23, 2018, while Albin Kurti was in opposition, as the leader of the Vetëvendosje Movement (results of the 2017 elections). The prime minister at the time was Ramush Haradinaj. (here)