Prepared by: Festim Rizanaj
In the period February 02–08, 2026, clickbait dominated the information ecosystem in Kosovo.
During this period, clickbait has been published mainly in online media and social networks, especially on Facebook, through articles and posts with sensational or ambiguous titles that create misunderstandings. Thematically, they have focused on issues of high public interest, such as energy and electricity tariffs (incorrect claims that ERO will not increase prices), political developments and institutional relations (the claim of President Vjosa Osmani’s “threat” to Prime Minister Albin Kurti without clarification of the source), electoral speculation (the alleged list of Kurti’s future government cabinet), as well as security and Euro-Atlantic integration topics (images that present Kosovo’s membership in NATO as a fait accompli). In all cases, the titles or visual content have been formulated in such a way as to attract clicks, leaving ambiguity or distorting the real context of the information.
During this period, conspiracy theories, misleading content and unverified information have been identified, distributed mainly on Facebook and online media. Conspiracy theories have included unfounded claims about Mother Teresa, linking her to criminal networks and controversial figures, claims that are not supported by evidence and contradict historical and documentary facts. In the category of hoaxes, an image generated with artificial intelligence has been distributed depicting a fake meeting between MP Shaip Kamberi and US President Donald Trump, which has been taken as real by a part of the public. Meanwhile, unverified content has focused on claims about an attack on the Serbian Police near Kursumlija, where without official sources Albanian perpetrators have been suggested, fueling speculation and sensitive narratives without institutional confirmation.
Clickbait
Articles have been published with headlines claiming that the Energy Regulatory Office (ERO) has declared that there will be no increase in energy tariffs. The claim that ERO has declared that there will be no increase in energy prices for consumers is incorrect. The headlines published by some media have created this misunderstanding by not specifying that the latest decision only concerns NEMO tariffs, which is not related to the price that citizens pay for energy consumption. ERO has held a Board meeting to review NEMO’s requests for tariffs for the period 2026–2028, while tariffs for consumers are determined annually on April 1 and are not related to the latest decision on NEMO. (here)
The article titled “Osmani’s Threat to Kurti for a Second Term: “If You Don’t Make Me President, You’ll Have Trouble with the USA” has been published. The claim about the “threat” of the President of Kosovo, Vjosa Osmani, to the acting Prime Minister, Albin Kurti, stems from an article in the German newspaper “Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung” (FAZ), but this is not made clear in the title. The lack of clarification about the source of the information presents the claim as if it were a direct statement by Osmani. (here)
Several Facebook posts have claimed that the incumbent Prime Minister and the candidate of the Vetevendosje Movement (LVV) for Prime Minister in the December 28 elections, Albin Kurti, has revealed names from the cabinet with which he intends to lead the new Government. The posts on the “1shipost” page lead to a video article where Kurti speaks only in general terms, without mentioning specific names or positions. He left open the possibility of changes, while not confirming any composition of the new government. (here)
One image has the caption “KOSOVO IN NATO”, presented as a factual statement and described as “Big News”. The caption of the image clarifies that the post has an attached link, while the caption of this post clarifies that we are dealing with a statement by the elected MP, Enver Hoxhaj. However, from the content of the video, it is understood that Hoxhaj did not present Kosovo’s membership in NATO as a fait accompli, but spoke about the good opportunities for the country to join this organization, in the next three, four or five years, based on the current political circumstances that he mentioned. (here)
Conspiracy theory
Claims that Mother Teresa was in the same “business” as Jeffrey Epstein, trafficking children and generating millions of dollars for the Vatican have been spread by several Facebook pages. However, research shows that these claims are not supported by credible evidence. Mother Teresa’s activity was humanitarian, had no connection to Epstein’s financial business and the accusations of child trafficking are completely false. The connections with controversial figures, such as Baby Doc Duvalier, Charles Keating and Robert Maxwell, were only for charitable purposes or formal honors, not criminal collaboration. As for the claim that Mother Teresa collaborated with Hillary Clinton on an orphanage in Washington DC, this center existed and was intended to help women and infants, but there is no evidence that it is connected to criminal activity or trafficking. (here)
Lies
The Facebook page “Kosova Lindore” has published an image showing MP Shaip Kamberi shaking hands with US President Donald Trump. After verifying the facts, it turns out that the image was generated with artificial intelligence with a probability of 99.8%. Although the content has received thousands of reactions and many users have taken it as real, there is no official confirmation of such a meeting. Although Kamberi is currently in the US and has announced various meetings, he has not announced any meeting with the American president. (here)
Unverified content
Articles claiming an attack on the Serbian Police in the village of Parada near Kuršumlija in Serbia were published two days before the publication of these contents. The claim that the perpetrators of an attack on the Serbian Police near Kuršumlija are Albanians has not been confirmed. The media outlets that reported the incident did not refer to official and public sources and did not publish information about the identity of the suspects. Furthermore, the incident has not been confirmed by official institutions in Serbia. (here)