Given that it is impossible to predict what disinformation will occur this year, we know that this year too there will be events and developments that will capture the attention of citizens and the media, and consequently of producers of disinformation.
There are some topics that when we see articles about them, we should always keep in mind that we have to read them with a critical eye, because even in the previous year we came across a lot of misinformation about them.
north
The North of Kosovo will continue to be a topic of discussion due to the dialogue process and the process of establishing the Association of Municipalities with a Serbian majority. On the other hand, we have the local elections that must be held, and the Serbian public administration workers who resigned in November 2022 and have not yet returned to their jobs. Until these processes are completed, disinformation seems to be the main target of this topic.
Wars around the world
The war in Ukraine is entering its third year and there is no end in sight. As a target of Russian propaganda and disinformation, the war in Ukraine will continue to serve as material for information disorder. The same way the war in Gaza is expected to serve to produce inaccurate content.
US elections
This year, elections are expected to be held in the USA, where current President Joe Biden will compete against former President Donald Trump for a second term in the White House. Considering that the very term 'fake news' and the fight against disinformation has taken on a completely different focus due to the 2016 elections, when Trump was elected president, the chances that we will have misinformation again are very high.
National elections in Kosovo
Besides the elections in America, this year is a pre-election year for Kosovo as well. Next year, the mandate of the government led by the Vetëvendosje Movement will end and general elections will be held at the country level. However, the misinformation that will originate from the political parties themselves about each other, and from other sources for these parties, will not wait for 2025, but will start much earlier to influence the election result. So, keep your emotions at bay and read with a critical eye.
visas
From this month, we will be able to move freely in Europe, but in the first months there will be many uncertainties because there are many citizens who do not know the procedures for free movement in the Schengen area or the restrictions. This topic can be used by producers of disinformation who will try to solve your uncertainties. So, get information from credible sources, always.