Hybrid: In Kosovo, 60 to 80 news per month with disinformation content

2023-09-21 21:27:37, Kosova & Bota CNA

According to a study by this platform, in the first six months of this year, the issues related to the relations between Kosovo and Serbia were mostly used for misinformation.

Mr. Rizanaj says that the media in the Serbian language have created and distributed more misinformative content related to political developments, while the media in the Albanian language have used more social issues to distribute such content.

As for external influence through the spread of misinformation, he says that Russian-funded media stands out the most.

"The main influence is from Russian-funded media such as 'Russia Today' in the Serbian language but also 'Sputnik' - the information portal. The disinformation narrative against Kosovo is mainly conveyed through them. Recently, they have connected it with the war in Ukraine where, for example, they have tried to connect the Russian aggression in Ukraine with the intervention of NATO in Kosovo, the annexation of Crimea with the independence of Kosovo", says Mr. Rizanaj .

The truth against disinformation and the fight against malicious foreign influence in the Western Balkans was the topic of discussion on Thursday within the Peace and Democracy Summit, which is being held these days in Pristina.

The Chairman of the Independent Media Commission, Jeton Mehmeti, said that the increase in the spread of misinformation has led to a decline in the credibility of the media in the country.

"In Kosovo, trust in the media is 64 percent, compared to other countries in the region, this figure is still good, however, if the average in the entire region is calculated, the trust in the media is 54 percent. This means that trust in the media is falling rapidly and this situation is creating new challenges," he said.

The journalist, Ana Marija Ivkovi?, who operates in the north of Kosovo, said that misinformation during periods of tension in the north is causing further escalation of the situation.

"There are some similarities if you look at the media from both sides, Albanian and Serbian, because the fake news that spreads from them is escalating the situation in periods when there is any political tension between Kosovo and Serbia, especially when it comes to the north of Kosovo". she said.

The participants estimated that among the necessary steps to prevent these phenomena are the completion of the legal framework that regulates online media and the introduction of the subject of media education in pre-university education./ VOA