Clickbait articles are what have dominated the misinformation ecosystem over the past week in content published in real media, social media, and dubious portals.
Clickbait articles were published on news portals, social media, and dubious portals related to weather conditions, deaths under various circumstances, and sports, which had nothing to do with Kosovo and were not disclosed in the article titles.
A hoax video of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy dancing was published on social media.
Manipulations of facts have been published on information portals about the dinar issue, including the statement of official France and Marko Pelec from the International Crisis Group.
It was incorrectly reported on information portals regarding an accident that had occurred in Gjakova-Prizren, which was claimed to have occurred on the Gjilan-Prizren road, as well as the number of people arrested in a Tirana Police operation for trafficking in explosives.
A fake news story has been published on TikTok related to images of various weapons allegedly being tested by the KSF.
Disinformation claiming that the Swiss state is looking for workers; as well as through an old image claiming that it represents the pre-election atmosphere in North Macedonia.
Conspiracy theory from the Office for Kosovo in the Government of Serbia, where they link the burning of a stable belonging to a Serbian citizen with a tendency to expel Serbs.
Unverified content about an image of the Sun and Moon on the horizon at close range, claiming to be a phenomenon seen in Argentina; as well as the claim that Dua Lipa and Rita Ora will perform at the opening ceremony of the 2030 Mediterranean Games.
Regarding promises, the mayor of Pristina, Përparim Rama, has published (February 7) the project that connects Arbërë with the Youth Palace and the Grand Hotel, where differences have been found between the project promised in the 2021 local election campaign and the one presented on February 7.
Lies
A Facebook account has posted a video showing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy dancing. Fact-checkers at Reuters have investigated the content, which has been found to be fabricated and shows a Russian dancer in the original video. The author has therefore tampered with the original video, replacing the Russian dancer's face with that of the Ukrainian president. (here)
Manipulation of facts
The information portal "ntv.al" published a video on Facebook on February 3, with the caption "France attacks Albin Kurti / Abolition of the Dinar, a provocation". Hibrid.info has verified that the video is a report of the French state's statement on the decision of the Central Bank of Kosovo (CBK), which foresees the use of only one currency (euro) for payments in the country. Based on research by hibrid.info, it has been confirmed that the statement did not use the word "provocation" or anything similar. (here)
The information portal “ntv.al” has published a video material on Facebook, with the caption “Kosovo will suffer badly/ Balkan expert speaks about the Dinar decision”. Hibrid.info has verified that the video material is a report of an interview with Marko Prelec, from the International Crisis Group, given to Radio Free Europe (REL). Based on the research conducted by hibrid.info, it has been confirmed that in this interview, Prelec did not in any case state that after the decision of the Central Bank of Kosovo (CBK) to ban the dinar, Kosovo will suffer badly, as claimed by the portal “ntv.al”. (here)
error
The information medium "EuroNews.al" with content in the Albanian language has published an article entitled "We Seized 203 Explosive Molds", Police details from the operation: 7 arrested". The same article also states that in one of the Police operations in Tirana, 7 people were arrested, due to trafficking in explosives. However, after research and verification of the facts carried out by hibrid.info, it has been confirmed that 3 people were arrested in this operation, and not 7 as claimed by the medium in question. (here)
Several portals have published an article with the title "Three injured in a traffic accident on the Gjilan-Prizren road". While from the content of this article it is understood that the event occurred on the Gjakova - Prizren road. The traffic accident on the Gjakova - Prizren road has also been confirmed by hibrid.info, based on the statement of the Police spokesman for the Gjakova region, Sheremet Elezaj. (here)
Clickbait
A suspicious portal with content in Albanian has published an article titled “Snow up to one meter in one part surprises”. After fact-checking by hibrid.info, it has been confirmed that the title of the article is a generalization, which does not clarify which place it is about and that this event is not current. The news is clarified only at the end of the article, where it is stated that “In Sunnegga near Zermatt VS. Webcam images show: Where yesterday there were green meadows and you could walk, today there is snow”. (here)
An information portal with content in the Albanian language has published an article titled “Serious/ Factory blows up, 8 dead and dozens injured (Video)”. After verifying the facts, hibrid.info has confirmed that the title of this article is general, as it does not clarify in which country the event occurred. The news is clarified only in the content, where it is announced that the event occurred in India. (here)
The information portal “Kosova-sot.info” has published an article titled “Kosova in a group with Malta and Cyprus”, attaching an illustrative photo of the Kosovo national football team in the men's competition. After fact-checking by hibrid.info, it has been confirmed that the title of the article is a generalization, which does not clarify that it is about the draw for the FIBA European Basketball Championship (Small States) in the women's competition, which is clarified only in the content of the article. (here)
A Facebook page with content in Albanian has published an article titled “Warm days are coming to an end/ Polar storm hits our country, the weather forecaster reveals details: The next day..”. After fact-checking by hibrid.info, it has been confirmed that the article is about the weather forecast in Albania and that it is old. So, the page in question has published an article about the weather forecast dated November 16 of last year, which it has presented as current. (here)
Fake news
The TikTok account with the name “mtkrs25” has published a video showing images of military equipment. The caption claims that these images show the beginning of testing of these devices in our country. Hibrid.info has verified and found that these are weapons produced and tested in Turkey, weapons that Kosovo does not possess. (here)
disinformation
A Facebook page has published an article claiming that the Swiss state is looking for workers for jobs that do not require a diploma. Hibrid.info has confirmed that the article is old and does not match the claim, and that Switzerland is not looking for workers without a diploma in some sectors. (here)
The portal “Kercova.net” has published a post on its Facebook page, which shows images of the asphalting of a road. This portal has captioned this image “Atmosphere in Macedonia before the elections”. After fact-checking by hibrid.info, it has been confirmed that the image is old and that it was not taken in North Macedonia. This portal has tried to present this image as current, taken somewhere in North Macedonia, before the parliamentary elections that are expected to be held on May 8 of this year. (here)
Conspiracy theory
The Office for Kosovo in the Government of Serbia has announced that in the village of Hodanoc, Kamenica, the stable of the Millenkovic family was burned. Through this announcement, it is claimed that "this is a continuation of the pressure and intimidation of Serbs in Kosovo", which according to this office this act is related to the recent decision of the Kosovo authorities to ban the dinar. This office does not argue these claims with any facts, since the purpose and perpetrators of the act are unknown. (here)
Unverified content
A Facebook account has published an image of the Sun and Moon on the horizon at close range, claiming that it is a phenomenon that occurred in Argentina. The image is accompanied by a caption that reads “UNBELIEVABLE ASTRONOMICAL PHENOMENON IN TDF: THE SUN AND THE MOON MET ON THE HORIZON”. After fact-checking by hibrid.info, it has been confirmed that this claim is false. (here)
Several media outlets have published an article titled "Finally Rita Ora and Dua Lipa are teaming up! Here's where they'll perform". While the title lacks clarification on where the two singers of Kosovar origin will perform, the content of the article indicates that it is about the possibility of two singers of Kosovar origin performing at the opening ceremony of the 2030 Mediterranean Games, which will be held in Kosovo. Hibrid.info has confirmed that the claim about the performance of the two world-famous singers in the framework of the opening ceremony of this event is based on a statement by the spokesperson of the Kosovo Olympic Committee (KOK), Kushtrim Krasniqi, who expressed the organizer's willingness to invite them. However, Krasniqi has not announced that he has received any confirmation for the realization of this plan, as implied by the title. (here)
Checking and evaluating statements
The Mayor of Pristina, Përparim Rama, has published (February 7) the project that connects Arbërëna with the Youth Palace and the Grand Hotel. In the initial presentation of this project during the 2021 election campaign, Mayor Rama had promised that it would be implemented within three years. After research by hibrid.info, differences have been found between the project promised in the 2021 local election campaign and the one presented two days ago (February 7). (here)