During the period 20–25 April, monitoring of media and social platforms evidenced a marked dominance of deceptive content and clickbait headlines, which were spread mainly through social networks and suspicious websites.
During this period, fraudulent content was mainly published on social networks and through direct channels such as telephone messages, aiming at visual manipulation and financial fraud of users. One case related to the distribution of a fake image that claimed to depict the transportation of stray dogs in Fushë Kosovë, but which turned out to be generated by artificial intelligence, while another form of fraud was spread through “phishing” messages that imitated financial institutions, claiming suspicious activity in accounts and encouraging users to click on dangerous links. These cases show that the main themes of the frauds were local issues of public sensitivity and the financial security of citizens, used to increase credibility and encourage immediate reaction.
Clickbait content during this period was published mainly on social networks and insecure websites, using sensational and vague headlines to encourage clicks. The main topics were political developments and economic issues affecting citizens. One case involved the false claim that “the date of new elections has been learned”, although there is no official decision from Kosovo institutions, while another related to the claim of salary increases for Kosovo citizens, which in fact referred to immigrants in Switzerland – a context that was only revealed after opening the article. These practices show the deliberate use of ambiguity and lack of context to attract attention and increase traffic, misleading the public.
Content involving manipulation of facts and biased reporting was published mainly on online portals and widely shared on social networks, addressing sensitive topics such as war crimes and political developments. One case of manipulation of facts relates to the unfounded claim that a war crimes suspect had discovered the location of mass graves in Drenas, incorrectly linking two separate events without official confirmation of their connection. Meanwhile, biased reporting was observed in a headline claiming as fact that one MP had written a speech for another, although this was based only on an unconfirmed statement and was denied by the parties involved. These cases show that the main topics were political and justice issues, treated in a distorted manner to create wrong perceptions among the public.
Disinformation and fake news content during this period has been published mainly on dubious pages on social networks and online portals, addressing economic and political topics with public impact. One case involves the distortion of an IMF report, where a projection for economic growth is presented as a fait accompli and is unfoundedly linked to the political leadership in the country. Meanwhile, another piece of content presents a purported poll on political party support, which turns out to be unreliable due to the lack of source, methodology and underlying data. These cases demonstrate the deliberate use of unverified information and false interpretations to influence public perception on key issues.
Conspiracy theory content has been distributed mainly on social networks and online media, addressing interethnic and security issues in northern Kosovo. One case involves the interpretation of graffiti with the inscription “KLA” near Lake Ujman as a “threat” and as part of an “anti-Serb policy”, without any verified evidence of the authors or links to any organized structure. These claims have been based mainly on political statements rather than confirmed facts, contributing to the incitement of conspiratorial narratives and interethnic tensions.
Manipulation of facts
The claim that after the arrest of a war crimes suspect he discovered the location of mass graves and that “civilian bodies” were found in Drenas is not accurate. The caption is based on an incorrect and unconfirmed interpretation of two separate events: the arrest of a war crimes suspect in Skenderaj and the discovery of mortal remains in Drenas. According to the information available to date, there is no official confirmation that these two events are connected, nor that the discovery of mortal remains is the result of any statement by the arrested person. (here)
disinformation
The Facebook post by the “Gazeta Minuti” page inaccurately presents the IMF report, referring to a forecast for Kosovo’s economic growth as a fait accompli. In reality, the report talks about growth projections in the coming years, not about current growth. Also, the mention of Kurti in this post is unfounded, as there is no reference in the report linking this forecast to his leadership or to any specific government. (here)
Clickbait
Images are published with the caption "The date for the new elections in the country has been announced.". The claim that the "date for new elections in the country has been learned" is not correct, as there is no official decision from Kosovo institutions to announce new parliamentary elections and consequently no confirmed date for their holding. (here)
A piece of content was published on social media with the caption "Salaries increased, these citizens from Kosovo benefit”, accompanied by images and links leading to articles with the same title. However, verification shows that the content is unclear and misleading. The title, caption and images do not clarify that the salary increase refers to Switzerland and Kosovar emigrants there. This context becomes clear only after clicking on the link and reading the article. (here)
Fake news
A content has been published that claims to present the results of a survey on the support of political entities in Kosovo, with a large lead for one party. However, based on verification by Hibrid.info, it turns out that this survey is not reliable, as key data such as the source, the implementing institution and the methodology used are missing, which makes it unverifiable and suspicious. (here)
Lies
Through an image that allegedly depicts the transportation of stray dogs in Fushë Kosovë, it turns out to be not authentic. Verification of the facts confirmed that the image was generated through artificial intelligence. Two main elements that make the content suspicious are: the vehicle license plate with the sign “KS”, which does not match the official license plate format in Kosovo, as well as the presence of the “Gemini” logo, linked by artificial intelligence tools (Google Gemini). (here)
A phone message claims that suspicious activity has been detected in the user's account and asks them to identify themselves to continue using the service, along with a link for immediate action. However, verifications show that it is a fraudulent (phishing) message, which does not contain the name of an official institution and uses a domain that imitates the name of a bank to create credibility. (here)
Conspiracy theory
The graffiti with the inscription “KLA” near Lake Ujman has been presented as a “new threat and provocation against the Serbian people” and as part of an “anti-Serbian policy” by Pristina. So far, there is no independent evidence or official confirmation of the authors of the graffiti, and there is no verified public investigation linking them to any specific organization or structure, while interpretations are based mainly on political statements. (here)
Biased reporting
The claim in the title "The MP who wrote Fatos Geci's speech is revealed, he is Ilir Kërçeli., cannot be taken as a confirmed fact. In public statements, MPs Fatos Geci and Ilir Kërçeli have denied this claim. Meanwhile, the title presents this as a fait accompli, although the content makes it clear that we are only dealing with a claim made by Nehat Geci through a Facebook post, which refers to a private conversation with Fatos Geci. (here)