Clickbait articles occupied the largest space in the misinformation sphere in Kosovo during the past week. They were related to developments about the trust and events that had nothing to do with Kosovo. The second category that has dominated the misinformation sphere in the media ecosystem in Kosovo is disinformation. We had disinformation about aid in Syria, about weather forecasts in Kosovo, and about the danger of monkeypox.
Unverified content claiming that an earthquake hit Kosovo on January 14.
Conspiracy theories regarding the claim that Michael Jackson is alive and the existence of an old vending machine that takes you back in time.
Some Albanian-language media outlets have published US President Joe Biden's congratulations on the anniversary of Kosovo's independence, incorrectly translating part of the message: "with the eventual goal of mutual recognition."
Fake news claiming that Kurti wants the assassination of Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić.
disinformation
The photo shared by “Zëri.info” on their Facebook page claiming to show the aid convoy from Lebanon to Syria is not true. The photo shows the traffic column after the end of working hours as a result of snow in the Dahr Al Baydar area. (here)
The dubious portal “fb.cnews.com” has published an old interview (January 4) of meteorologist Sylë Tahirsylaj, who at the time had warned about the drop in temperatures. The dubious portal has tried to present this article as current, giving it a made-up title with the claim that Tahirsylaj has warned of a cold winter, which will be remembered. In addition to the dubious portal, the article was also shared on Facebook by the page “Lajme news”, which in the caption falsely claimed that Tahirsylaj has warned of weather with temperatures as low as -20 degrees Celsius. (here)
The dubious portals “newslink4.com” and “theglobalreport24.com” have published an old article (May 2022) regarding the danger of “monkey pox”. These dubious portals have tried to present this article as current, adding the rating as “LATEST” to the title. (here)
The dubious portal with content in Albanian “ingazetaa.com” has published an article titled “Germany approves new law for foreigners, here’s how to get a residence permit”. After fact-checking by hibrid.info, it has been confirmed that the news is old, published in July 2022. (here)
Clickbait
The Facebook page “33shi.com” has published an old article (January 3, 2023), with the statement of the initiator of the Draft Law on the withdrawal of the Trust, Bekim Haxhiu, who at the time had stated that this draft law would be on the agenda from the first session in the Assembly. The aforementioned page has published this old article with the claim to present it as current. (here)
The portal “Kosova-sot.info” has published an article about a woman whose body was found dismembered inside a bag in a Paris park. However, the title does not clarify where the incident took place. This online medium is a portal operating in Kosovo and has a dominant number of readers from Kosovo, based on the page's followers on Facebook. Therefore, not providing information about the location of the incident could easily misinform readers, making them think that this incident took place in Kosovo. (here)
Several Facebook pages have published an old article (October 2022) regarding the statement of Hetem Ramadani, who at that time on the show "Kojshia Show" had said that Albin Kurti is in danger of being killed by the mafia. However, the aforementioned pages, through the title, claim that "the mafia is known to kill Kurti". The content makes it clear that Ramadani has not specifically spoken about any name of the mafia group, but has only stated that he is in danger of being killed by people who have a material interest. So, through the title, it is implied that Ramadani has mentioned any specific name of individuals or mafia groups, who according to him could kill Kurti. (here)
The portal “Kosova-sot.info” has published an article regarding the expulsion of four Austrian diplomats from Russia. However, the title does not clarify which country made this decision. 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 page on Facebook. Therefore, not providing information about the place of the incident can very easily misinform readers, making them think that this event took place in Kosovo. (here)
The information portal “Insajderi.org” has published an article titled “Kurti comes to the defense of Dejona Mihalit”. After fact-checking by hibrid.info, it has been confirmed that the title of this article, based on the comments made by readers, implied that it was about Prime Minister Kurti. The content states that it is about the Vetëvendosje Movement MP, Tinka Kurti. (here)
The portal “Kosova-sot.info” has published an article about the German union “Verdi” in Frankfurt, which has demanded a 10 to 15% salary increase for public sector, railway and postal employees. 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 page on Facebook. Therefore, not providing information about the location of the event can very easily misinform readers, making them think that the demands for a salary increase are related to Kosovo. (here)
The Facebook page “Pamfleti.com” has published an article with a photo that does not correspond to the content. Although the article refers to a statement by Balkan expert Janusz Bugajski, the illustrative photo uses the image of French President Emmanuel Macron, implying that this statement was made by him. (here)
Conspiracy theory
TikTok account “bejevete” has posted a video from the show “Larry King Live” in which a person named Dave Dave is seen, who it claims is former singer Michael Jackson. After verifying the facts, the person seen in this video is conceptual artist David Charles Rothenberg, known by the stage name “Dave Dave,” who died at the age of 42 in 2018. (here)
The TikTok account “bejevete” has posted a video about an old soda machine that was in service from 2001 to 2018 in Seattle, USA, claiming that it was a portal to the past. Many conspiracy theories and urban legends were created about this machine, since the drinks that came out of it had old packaging or logos. During the research conducted by hibrid.info, no article was found that raised the same dubious claim, namely time travel. The only question that was raised was related to the dilemma of how this machine is being filled with drinks, but which has been clarified in previous articles and publications. (here)
Unverified content
The portal “Sinjali.com” has published an article claiming that an earthquake hit Kosovo on January 14, and that its tremors were felt in several cities. After verifying the facts, hibrid.info has confirmed that the epicenter of this earthquake was not in Kosovo, but in Romania, and that its tremors were also felt in our country. (here)
Clickbait / Error
The portal “Kosova-sot.info” has published an article claiming that the circulation of diesel and gasoline vehicles will be banned from 2035. The title of the article does not mention the year and country for which this decision was made, leaving room for misinformation for the reader. Also, the decision concerns the ban on the sale of new gasoline and diesel vehicles, not their circulation. (here)
Fake news
The “Monitor TV” channel on the Youtube platform has published a video material in which a child appears quoting verses from the Quran. This channel claims that the child was pulled out after 100 hours from the ruins of the February 6 earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria. However, after verifying the facts, hibrid.info has confirmed that the child shown in this video is not a survivor of the February 6 earthquake, while the same video material was found published on Twitter on January 7. (here)
The Serbian-language daily “Informer.rs” has published an article with the tendentious claim in the title that Kurti wants the assassination of Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić. Furthermore, according to the author, “Kurti and his media rejoice and thank him for the chaos created in Belgrade where the Serbian flag was trampled and where he called for the assassination of President Vučić”. Although in a question form, it is claimed without providing any evidence or citing any source that supports the claim that Kurti wants the assassination of Vučić. Based on the working methodology, hibrid.info evaluates these claims as “Fake News”, since the two claims raised as “Kurti wants the assassination of Vučić” and that “'Gazetaexpress.com is Kurti's medium”, are completely unfounded and have been created as a fabricated story. (here)
error
Some Albanian-language media have published the congratulations of US President Joe Biden on the anniversary of Kosovo's independence, incorrectly translating the part of the message: "with the eventual goal of mutual recognition". The error occurred in the translation of the meaning of the term "Eventual". So the term "Eventual" translated from English does not have the same meaning as the use of this word in Albanian as "possible". In fact, the term "Eventual" from English to Albanian means something that comes at the end - "final". (here)