Wrote: Fatbardh Dema
"KFOR Commander Meets Osman/Tragic Details, Here's the Decision" is the headline used in a video published in "YouTube" from the "NTV Television" channel on Thursday (November 14).
The publication used an image as the cover of the video. It shows the President of Kosovo, Vjosa Osmani, and the Commander of KFOR, Enrico Barduani, and the caption "TRAGIC DECISION."
What's wrong with the title?
After verifying the official statements from the institutions, it turns out that no decision has been made. Furthermore, this claim in the title does not even match the content of the material.
What did KFOR say?
In a statement released by KFOR on Wednesday evening, it was announced that the KFOR commander and the Kosovo president discussed the current situation and cooperation between KFOR and Kosovo institutions. There was no mention of any decisions taken.
"They exchanged views on the current situation and on the cooperation between KFOR and the institutions in Kosovo. Major General Barduani reiterated KFOR's unwavering commitment to a peaceful and stable Kosovo through the implementation of the mandate from the United Nations. He also underlined KFOR's continuous and good cooperation with Kosovo security organizations and the importance of regular communication and coordination, in the interest of sustainable security throughout Kosovo and regional stability. The KFOR Commander noted KFOR's close cooperation with the European Union on the ground, including support for the EU-facilitated dialogue for the normalization of relations between Belgrade and Pristina.", it is said in KFOR's announcement on its Facebook page.
What did the Presidency say?
The Kosovo Presidency published a statement on Thursday about Osmani's meeting with Barduani. It states that Osmani expressed gratitude to KFOR for increasing the number of troops. According to the statement, both affirmed their joint commitment to maintaining a safe environment for all citizens.
"In this meeting, President Osmani underlined the continued commitment to a secure and stable Kosovo, as a prerequisite for development and prosperity, while reconfirming the importance of coordination between Kosovo institutions and international partners, on security issues, in order to protect all our citizens and protect the sovereignty of the country. In this regard, President Osmani continues to have regular meetings with the Commander of KFOR, in order to deepen cooperation with security partners, especially with NATO. President Osmani expressed gratitude to KFOR, which has increased the number of troops and who are supporting Kosovo institutions in patrolling the border with Serbia. The President re-emphasized the risks arising from Serbia's destabilizing tactics, especially due to the lack of accountability on the part of Serbia, both for the act of aggression in September 2023, and for the attacks on KFOR in May 2023. Among other things, in this meeting, President Osmani and Commander Barduani affirmed their shared commitment to maintaining a safe environment for all citizens, recognizing that cooperation and mutual trust are the basis for lasting peace and stability., said in the statement published in the Presidency website.
Content of the publication
The content of the article published by "NTV Television" on YouTube does not match the title. It does not mention any decision.
“The Commander of the NATO Mission in Kosovo, KFOR, Enrico Barduani, met with the President of Kosovo, Vjosa Osmani, on Wednesday. According to a press release issued by KFOR, during the meeting the Italian commander underlined “the importance of regular communication and coordination” for the benefit of sustainable security in Kosovo and the region. “They exchanged views on the current situation and on the cooperation between KFOR and the institutions in Kosovo. Major General Barduani reiterated KFOR's unwavering commitment to a peaceful and stable Kosovo," the statement said. During the meeting, as highlighted in the statement, Barduani also highlighted the close cooperation between KFOR and the EU Office in Kosovo. "This includes support for the EU-facilitated dialogue on the normalization of relations between Belgrade and Pristina," the statement said. KFOR continues to implement its mandate - based on UN Security Council Resolution 1244 of 1999 - to contribute to a safe and secure environment for all people and communities living in Kosovo and freedom of movement, at all times and in an impartial manner. KFOR works in close coordination with the Kosovo Police and EULEX (European Union Rule of Law Mission), in their respective roles as security responders.", the content says, which also appeared as a description of the video.
Hibrid.info, based on the content of the video, has found that it is the same as that presented in the article published by "albanianpost.com" on Wednesday. And this portal used the title "KFOR Commander meets Osman, talks about the importance of communication and coordination" for the same content.
Hibrid.info searched the online search engine with the keywords "KFOR Commander and Osmani – decision for Kosovo". This search did not yield any results indicating that any decision was made at the meeting between the KFOR commander and the president of Kosovo.
Analyze:
The "NTV Television" channel on YouTube has published a video titled "KFOR Commander meets Osman/Tragic Details, Here's the Decision" and with a cover with the caption "TRAGIC DECISION".
Hibrid.info has verified the content of the material and the official announcements of the institutions. Neither the content of the article nor the official announcements of KFOR and the Presidency of Kosovo indicate that any decision was made at the meeting.
Therefore, based on the working methodology, hibrid.info assesses this title as "Disinformation" and "Clickbait".
Reasoning:
"Disinformation" is defined as information content that contains a "mix" of inaccurate sources or even half-truthful attributes, and that is created and/or distributed with the deliberate intention of causing harm. The motive behind the producers/distributors of disinformation content lies in achieving a political, financial, psychological or social goal.
“Clickbait” is considered to be informational content whose title is general and does not disclose the location of the event, context and relevance. Such texts and articles aim to attract the attention of the audience with sensational headlines with misleading consequences, which do not accurately clarify the content of the article. “Clickbait” headlines are mainly made to attract readability in the case of media publications and/or to earn from clicks in the case of commercial publications.