Original article (in Montenegrin) was published on 08/11/2023; Author: Marko Vukajlović
The Population and Housing Census in Montenegro commenced on December 3, amidst political and some ethnic tensions. A Serbian nationalist Telegram group shared disinformation about census results in Niksic, a city in the west of the country.
The nationalist group “Bunt (Rebellion) is a state of mind” with approximately 90,000 followers on Telegram, shared what they claim to be early results from the census in Niksic. This information was also posted on Facebook, stating:
“Yesterday’s census results in Niksic. The sample size is quite small, and there are no Bosniaks and Albanians in it.
Total number of individuals counted: 2,016 (according to the 2011 census, the city of Niksic has a population of over 50,000)
Breakdown by nationality:
Montenegrins 1,165 – 57.8%
Serbs 779 – 38.6%
Others 72 – 3.5%
Language spoken:
Serbian 1,077 – 53.4%
Montenegrin 859 – 42.6%
Other languages 76 – 3.8%
During the 2011 census in Niksic, 63% of respondents identified as Montenegrins, and only 25% as Serbs. 45% said they spoke Serbian and 44% Montenegrin.”
Monstat, the official statistics body, refuted these claims after being queried by the Raskrinkavanje platform:
“The Administration of Statistics forcefully dismisses the public claims that anyone other than the Administration can release the census results.
Specifically, regarding the national composition, the alleged census results surfaced on various social networks only four days after the census began, meaning during the ongoing data collection phase, which is statistically absolutely impossible. This assertion is further reinforced by the fact that data collection is carried out using paper forms. The data will be transferred into the designated data entry and processing software only once the enumeration process is fully finished.”
Monstat further clarified that it would announce the preliminary results of the census within 30 days from the completion of the census.
This post is, therefore, rated as Fake news.
The “Fake news” rating is given to an original media report (completely produced by the media that published it) that contains factually incorrect claims or information. Content that is rated as fake news can be reliably determined to have been created and disseminated with the intent to misinform the public, that is, to present a completely false claim as fact.