Disinformation and unverified content are the two categories that have dominated the misinformation ecosystem in Kosovo over the past week.
Misinformation that has been categorized as disinformation has been published primarily by social media sites, including videos about the Israel-Hamas conflict.
The unverified content has included videos published on social media regarding the Israel-Hamas conflict.
Clickbait articles were mainly published by information portals regarding tragic events without indicating that they were about other countries and not Kosovo.
Misinformation content that Switzerland is looking for workers and a video related to the Israel-Hamas conflict have been assessed as disinformation/clickbait.
Meanwhile, a photo published on social media showing two doctors performing an operation in a destroyed facility, claiming to represent Palestinian resistance, has been assessed as unverified content/disinformation.
The amount of the fine imposed in the sentencing of the Minister of MINT, Rozeta Hajdari, for hitting a minor (9 years old) with a car in April of last year (2022) is incorrectly reported.
A video has been published on TikTok, showing Albin Kurti, the Prime Minister of Kosovo, speaking in Arabic.
Fake news has been published on social media and dubious portals about the Israel-Hamas conflict, namely the claim that an Albanian doctor cures diabetes in one day.
In checking the declarations, it was found that Prime Minister Kurti's promise to invest 70 million euros in Trepça in the first two years of his government was not kept.
disinformation
A Facebook page named "Tempulli" published a video on October 20th with the caption "Pro-Palestinian protesters attacked the Israeli embassy in Bahrain." After fact-checking conducted by hibrid.info, it has been confirmed that the video footage is from 2012 and depicts scenes of an attack by demonstrators on a police station in the capital of Bahrain, Manama. (here)
The Albanian-language Facebook page “The Reis” has published a video claiming that the footage shows the bombing of a water tank, near which several children are seen. Based on the posts this page has made in recent days, it is implied that the same page has claimed that the video shows Israeli bombing, shooting at Palestinian children near a water tank. After fact-checking by hibrid.info, it has been confirmed that the video was shot in Sudan and shows footage of a drone attack by the Sudanese army against the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. (here)
The Albanian-language Facebook page “Support for Erdogan from Presheva” has published a video claiming that Israel is arresting and restricting Christians in Jerusalem. The aforementioned page also claims that the video was shot on October 21 of this year. After fact-checking by hibrid.info, it was confirmed that the footage is old. (here)
Unverified content
The Facebook account “Al Khattab” with content in Albanian has published a post with images showing moments of bombings, which the author claims took place in Gaza. The author has attached the caption “The most violent night since the beginning of the aggression against Gaza.. non-stop bombing. Dozens of martyrs and wounded are now in all areas of the Gaza Strip". But after fact-checking by hibrid.info, it has been confirmed that one of the images shows old footage of the bombings in Gaza. (here)
The Facebook page with Albanian content “Support for Erdogan from Presheva” published a video on October 16 showing a pressure tanker passing through the Bosphorus Strait. Through this video and a caption in Turkish, the aforementioned page claims that an unidentified weapon, manufactured by Turkey, is shown. After fact-checking by hibrid.info, it was found that the device seen in the published video is not a weapon. (here)
The information portal “Indeksonline.net” has published an article claiming that the Kosovo national football team has fallen in the rankings of the world’s largest football organization “FIFA”. The aforementioned media outlet in this article writes that Kosovo has lost six positions within a month, now ranking 111th. After fact-checking by hibrid.info, it has been confirmed that the claim of “Indeksonline.net” is incorrect and that Kosovo has risen six positions this month, from 111th to 105th. (here)
The Facebook page “Gardens of Happiness”, which has over 60 thousand followers, published a video on October 25 with the caption “Freedom for Palestine!”. The video shows destroyed buildings, and the aforementioned page claims that the footage shows the destruction of Palestine in the current Hamas-Israel conflict. After fact-checking by hibrid.info, it was confirmed that the video was made in February and the footage shows the destruction of the Turkish city of Hatay after the earthquake of February 6. (here)
Misinformation / Clickbait
Several Facebook pages have published an article titled “Switzerland is looking for workers – here are the jobs that are being sought without a diploma”. After fact-checking by hibrid.info, it has been confirmed that the title of this article does not correspond to the content. After clicking on the article, it is clarified that it concerns five professions in Switzerland, which do not require a diploma, but which have several other criteria. Also, in no case is it mentioned that Switzerland has announced a competition for vacancies in these professions, as falsely claimed through the title of the article published by several Facebook pages. (here)
Several Facebook pages with content in Albanian have published images showing large clouds of smoke in several settlements. These publications, through the caption, have claimed that the images depict moments of the current bombing in Gaza. However, after fact-checking by hibrid.info, it has been confirmed that the image published in these posts was taken in 2018. (here)
Clickbait
The information medium "Kosova-sot.info" has published an article entitled "Serious/ Mother kills her twin children”. After verifying the facts by hibrid.info, it has been confirmed that the title is generalizing as it does not clarify in which country the event took place. The news is clarified only in the content of the article, which states, ”A serious incident has occurred in the US, where a mother is suspected of killing her twin children, a 5-year-old boy and a 5-year-old girl.". (here)
The information medium "Kosova-soti.nfo" has published an article entitled "Police have arrested a person in connection with the terrorist attack investigation.”. Hibrid.info has verified the facts and has confirmed that the title of this article is general because it does not clarify in which country the event took place. The news is clarified in the content of the article, more precisely in its heading, where it says, ” Belgian police have arrested a person as part of the investigation into the October 16 terrorist attack in Brussels, where two Swedish citizens were killed."(here)
The news outlet “Kosova-sot.nfo” has published an article titled “Over 1.000 cats rescued, were being transported to be sold as lamb”. While in the Facebook post, the caption “Ç?????????? ë????????????ë ???? ????????????ë?????????? ë???????????????ë ???? ????????????ë?????????????ë??????????!” has been added to this title. Hibrid.info has verified the facts and has confirmed that the title of this article is general because it does not clarify in which country the event occurred. The news is clarified in the content of the article, more precisely in its heading, where it is stated that, “police in China have saved more than 1,000 cats from being slaughtered and sold as pork or lamb”. (here)
Fake news
The Facebook page “Islamic Messages”, which has over 26 followers, has published a photo showing two women dressed in military uniforms, one of whom is seen creating fake wounds on the other soldier’s face using makeup. Through this photo, the aforementioned page claims that the women depicted in the image are Israeli soldiers and that through makeup they are lying about being injured in the current Hamas-Israel conflict. After fact-checking by hibrid.info, it has been confirmed that the photo was taken in 2012 during exercises and tests in the Israeli army. (here)
The Facebook page "Atdheu Lajm" has published an article titled "Fantastic News: Albanian Doctor Cures Diabetes in One Day". This article claims that Kosovar surgeon Arbër Morina has stated that he cures diabetes in one day. Hibrid.info, after researching Morina's personal Facebook account, has found that he has denied this article, calling it false and that it was not written by him. (here)
error
Several Albanian-language news portals have published an article with the headline claiming that the Minister of the Ministry of Industry, Entrepreneurship and Trade (MINT), Rozeta Hajdari, has been fined 1,250 euros for hitting a 9-year-old girl with a car. After fact-checking by hibrid.info, it has been confirmed that the headline of this article is incorrect, as Minister Hajdari has been fined 200 euros, and the remaining part of the fine is included in the costs of the misdemeanor procedure. (here)
Unverified content / Misinformation
Mustafa Bajrami, through an image posted on his Facebook account, which shows two doctors performing an operation on a destroyed building, claims that it represents the resistance of Palestine. After verifying the photo with applications that detect content with artificial intelligence, it is said that there is a high probability that the image was created with artificial intelligence. (here)
Lies
The TikTok account named “kanalist” has published a video showing Albin Kurti, the Prime Minister of Kosovo. Prime Minister Kurti is heard speaking in Arabic, which is what the caption on the video claims. However, after verification by hibrid.info, it was confirmed that the video was tampered with using Artificial Intelligence (AI). (here)
Checking and evaluating statements
The Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, in a visit to the Trepça enterprise on October 20, after the end of the first round of the 2021 local elections, had promised that, within two years of the governing mandate, the Government he leads will allocate at least 70 million euros in investments for Trepça. Given the history of funds allocated by the Government led by Prime Minister Albin Kurti for the "Trepça" enterprise (an allocated amount of 20 million euros has not yet been realized), which do not reach the total of 70 million euros, as well as based on the statement of the Deputy Minister of Finance, Getoar Mjeku, who stated that the total investments by this government for Trepça are 15 million euros, hibrid.info has verified that the statement of October 20, 2021, by Prime Minister Albin Kurti, regarding the promise for the investment in question, has not been realized. (here)