Original article (in Montenegrin) was published on 30/12/2021
Leaders of several Montenegrin political parties, some of which are part of the opposition and some part of the government, signed a Memorandum of Cooperation last week, which, according to the signatories, aims at reconciliation, economic development and Montenegro’s progress on the European path.
Leaders of several Montenegrin political parties, some of which are part of the opposition and some part of the government, signed a Memorandum of Cooperation last week, which, according to the signatories, aims at reconciliation, economic development and Montenegro’s progress on the European path.
Even before the signing of the Memorandum, it was speculated, as is often the case in politics, that it could be “a bridge for the return of the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) to power”.
Such suspicions were additionally heated up after their MP in the Assembly, Andrija Nikolic, spoke on behalf of the DPS, saying that the Memorandum was acceptable for that party. Nikolic’s words were the reason for the Serbian tabloid Informer to construct a story about how, thanks to the Memorandum, the DPS is returning to power.
What gives the text of the Informer a special meaning is a headline which quotes Montenegrin President Milo Djukanovic, who allegedly thanked Dritan Abazovic “for the return of the DPS to power”.
The title of the article published on the website Informer features the following: “Milo: Thank you Dritan for bringing me back to power!”.
Milo Djukanovic’s Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) is returning to power through a memorandum signed by URA Dritan Abazovic, SNP Vladimir Jokovic and minority Bosniak and Albanian parties on Wednesday!?! Announcements about the return, with undisguised enthusiasm for the new chance presented to them after only a year since the formation of the government headed by Zdravko Krivokapic, came yesterday from Milo’s DPS, from which they said that the Memorandum of Cooperation is the way to the new government of Montenegro”, the Informer writes.
DPS’ MP Andrija Nikolic said as a guest on the morning program of the Public Service that the Memorandum is acceptable to them because these are principles that have been part of the values on which the party’s policy to which he belongs is based for many years.
“The memorandum will find the support of the DPS. We are looking for a way to get rid of the incompetent and nationally irresponsible government as soon as possible, and I believe that we will do it with partners, with all those parties that inherit pro-European and civic values”, said Nikolic on his party’s attitudes.
Although Nikolic never mentioned Montenegrin president and party leader Milo Djukanovic, the Informer interpreted his words to attribute a non-existent quote to Djukanovic.
In addition, the text states that the DPS is returning to power, but the leader of GP URA and Deputy Prime Minister of Montenegro Dritan Abazovic said soon after the signing of the Memorandum that it will not allow the strongest opposition party to return to power.
“I do not have the irrational fears that others have. Before August 30, last year, the irrational fear was that Montenegro would disappear. It didn’t disappear. Now the irrational fear is that the DPS will return. It will not return. Personally, I would like everyone to support the memorandum,” Abazovic said, as reported by the website Vijesti.
Although the outcome of the political crisis in Montenegro is still uncertain, at this moment, we can say with certainty that none of the signatories of the Memorandum promised the DPS a return to power, least of all Dritan Abazovic.
Based on all the presented facts, we conclude that the Informer, speaking about the return of the DPS to power, used the words of the party’s MP Andrija Nikolic to attribute a false quote to Milo Djukanovic, who allegedly thanked Abazovic for returning to power.
That is why the Informer’s text is rated as fake news.
The “fake news” rating is given to the original media report (entirely produced by the media that published it) that contains factually incorrect claims or information. Content that is assessed as fake news can be said to have been created and disseminated to misinform the public, that is, to present a claim that is entirely false as fact.