Last week was characterized by a dominance of clickbait articles in the misinformation ecosystem in Kosovo.
The clickbait content was about the closure of TikTok in Albania, the "Superpuna" platform, and articles related to various developments that did not disclose the location of the event in the title, leaving room for it to be understood that the events took place in Kosovo.
The disinformation articles concerned the re-publication of an old statement by Kurti regarding developments in the north, as well as the claim that the departure of a large number of Albanians to Germany has caused this country to become impoverished.
Fake news that former Minister of Justice, Hajredin Kuqi, has begun work in defense of former KLA soldiers.
Unverified content regarding the claim that the Kosovo Police mistreated a woman and her child in Zveçan; that the green lighting of the chimney of the city heating plant in Pristina was due to the month of Ramadan; that the Serbian citizen, arrested at the border crossing in Jarinje, was mistreated in front of his children.
Manipulation of facts regarding a video sequence claiming that Albin Kurti previously stated that "the most monstrous crimes were committed by Albanians."
disinformation
Prime Minister Kurti's old statement that "Serbs in the north may erect barricades and attack the Police again" has been republished as current. While the above statement was made after the destruction of drug laboratories in northern Kosovo, various Facebook pages, by republishing it, have left room to understand it as related to the recent developments in the north of the country, where police officers were attacked in northern Mitrovica. (here)
Several Facebook pages have published an article with the claim in the title that the departure of Albanians to Germany has caused this country to become poorer. After verifying the facts, it was found that the title is misinforming and that the content shows that the reason for Germany's impoverishment is inflation and not the departure of a large number of Albanians there. (here)
Unverified content
The Serbian List, through a published video showing a woman with her child communicating with the police units of the Kosovo Police, has claimed that the woman in question was mistreated by these police units. All that can be deciphered with complete certainty is a short part of the dialogue developed by the woman in question with the police officers, which is not sufficient to understand the full flow and context of the discussion. The Kosovo Police has clarified the case by emphasizing the fact that the woman in question together with the child were not detained at all by the Kosovo Police, but she herself went to the police unit to communicate with them and the police officers politely responded to the woman, informing her that they are there to provide security and that they are at the service of all citizens/residents of Zveçan. (here)
The Islamic Community Council in Pristina has made an incorrect claim, describing the green lighting of the chimney of the city heating plant in Pristina as the reason for the month of Ramadan. While the city heating plant "Termokos" itself has published an image of its green chimney on its official Facebook page, with the caption "The future is green", implying that the lighting was not done in honor of the month of Ramadan. (here)
The Office for Kosovo in the Government of Serbia has published a response claiming that the citizen of Serbian nationality, arrested at the border crossing in Jarinje, was mistreated in front of his children. From the fact-checking and verification, it is understood that the claim of the Office for Kosovo in the Government of Serbia makes a claim that has no basis in facts, such as photo and video material, or even statements of the persons involved in the event. On the other hand, the Kosovo Police, in their official response, publishes images of a person in uniform who appears to be injured and bloodied. After analyzing these facts, it is not possible to understand the full truth of the event. However, since the claim was initially raised by the Serbian institution, hibrid.info evaluates this, classifying it as “unverified content”. (here)
Fake news
Several Facebook pages have published an image of Hajredin Kuçi taken at the premises of the Special Court in The Hague, claiming that the former Minister of Justice has begun work in the defense of former KLA soldiers. After verifying the facts, hibrid.info has confirmed that the photo was published in February 2022, at the time when Kuçi had become part of Kadri Veseli's defense at the Special Court in The Hague. (here)
Clickbait
Several Albanian-language media outlets have published an article with a general headline regarding the request to ban TikTok in Albania, implying that the request was made at the national level. The news is clarified in the content, which states that the request was made to ban TikTok in public institutions. (here)
The portal “Kosova-sot.info” has published an article that reports on the rejection of the government's offer for salaries by teachers in England. Knowing that the medium in question is registered in our country and the majority of its audience are Albanian speakers from Kosovo, the title placed on the article implies that the news item is about an event that occurred in our country. (here)
The information portal “Kosova-sot.info” has published an article about the suspicion of a murder that occurred in Edinburgh, but the title does not clarify the location of the event. Knowing that the medium in question is registered in our country and the majority of its audience are Albanian speakers from Kosovo, the title placed on the article implies that the news item is about an event that occurred in our country. (here)
The portal “Kosova-sot.info” has published an article about an accident that occurred in the Albanian city of Elbasan, where two children were hit by a car. While the title does not clarify in which country the event occurred. The news is clarified only in the content, where it is announced that the case in question occurred in the city of Elbasan. Also, the photo placed in this article does not correspond to the content, since in this image a Kosovo Police car is presented and this leaves room for misunderstanding among readers, making them think that the event occurred somewhere in Kosovo. (here)
The information portal “Kosova-sot.info” has published an article regarding the arrest of a minister in Uganda, but the title does not clarify in which country the event took place. This online medium is a portal that operates in Kosovo and that has the dominant number of readers from Kosovo, based on the followers of the Facebook page. Therefore, not providing information about the place of the event can very easily misinform readers, making them think that this arrest of the minister took place in Kosovo. (here)
The Facebook pages “Exclusive Albania Today” and “Feja Ime” have published an article titled “A person is kidnapped at gunpoint in the middle of Pristina like in the movies”. After verifying the facts, hibrid.info has confirmed that the aforementioned Facebook pages have published an old news item from February, claiming to present it as current. (here)
The old news of the launch of the youth employment platform "Superpuna" has been republished as current with a sensational title. From the fact-checking and verification made, it is understood that these Facebook pages have distributed old, outdated news, aiming to present it as current. (here)
Manipulation of facts
A video sequence is circulating on social networks with the claim that Albin Kurti has previously stated that “the most monstrous crimes were committed by Albanians”. After verification of the facts carried out by hibrid.info and the reaction of the media secretary of the Vetëvendosje Movement, a full video has been found and published where Kurti gives his speech regarding the special court. This video has been shortened and taken out of context. Kurti, in the assembly session on the special court on April 23, 2014, had stated that “after this special court it will be said that, yes, the Serbs have committed more crimes but the most monstrous crimes were committed by Albanians, the harvesting and trafficking of organs”. (here)