Original article (in Montenegrin) was published on 27/06/2023
Relations between Serbia and Kosovo have worsened in recent weeks, which was accompanied by strong reactions from the public – both citizens and the media.
The international community is working to stabilize relations between the two states, as is being attempted by Gabriel Escobar, the US Special Envoy to the Western Balkans, and Miroslav Lajcak, the European Union Special Representative for the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue.
Montenegrin web portal In4s and regional web portal Sputnik, following their recent appearances in the media, published articles with the following headlines:
A media hyena: American TV host calls Serbs a “fascist formation” twice in front of Escobar and Lajcak!
Scandal: American TV host calls Serbs a “fascist formation” in front of Escobar and Lajcak!
These articles were also published on the Vaseljenska and Iskra web portals, and the content was soon shared by individual Facebook users (1, 2, 3).
It is not true that the journalist referred to Serbs as a fascist formation in the conversation with Lajcak and Escobar.
One can verify this by watching the published video of the interview, which is available on YouTube (05:19).
The journalist asked the following question to her interviewees:
“How do you respond to Prime Minister Kurti’s concern about fascist militia being present in the north of Kosovo attacking journalists and KFOR troops? What is your evaluation of that concern?”
Therefore, the journalist referred to the statement of Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti, who recently stated in an interview with CNN that he would not hand over the country to a “fascist militia,” which was also reported by local media.
“We closely cooperate with international actors, especially with the US and EU, whom we consider very valuable allies and partners. We will do our best. But I will not surrender democratic republic to a fascist militia,” Kurti said.
From the above, it is clear that the TV host did not say that Serbs were a “fascist formation.” Instead, she formulated the question based on the words of the Kosovo Prime Minister, after which she requested a comment from the interviewees.
We rate the media coverage and Facebook posts as disinformation.
The “Disinformation” rating is given to a media report that contains a “mix”; of facts and incorrect or half-true content. In such cases, the media may not necessarily be aware of incorrect information being published alongside the true ones. Also, this grade will be given to media reports with false attributions or titles that do not reflect the text in terms of information accuracy.
