{"id":5864,"date":"2022-10-03T10:27:08","date_gmt":"2022-10-03T09:27:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/seecheck.org\/?p=5864"},"modified":"2024-06-20T21:37:02","modified_gmt":"2024-06-20T20:37:02","slug":"the-case-of-aida-corovic-when-fake-news-leads-to-violence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/seecheck.org\/index.php\/2022\/10\/03\/the-case-of-aida-corovic-when-fake-news-leads-to-violence\/","title":{"rendered":"The case of Aida Corovic: When fake news leads to violence"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Original article<\/a> (in Montenegrin) was published on 05\/08\/2022<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Disinformation is harmful in itself. When someone gives you false information they lead you to a wrong conclusion or action. Still, the actual harmfulness of disinformation is reflected in its ability to change people\u2019s lives and put them in danger, as it happened with Serbian activist Aida Corovic.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In late July, \u201cRebellion against the mafia\u201c rally was held in Novi Sad. The rally, as reported and explained by our colleagues in the Fake news Tracker<\/a>, was provoked by the violent treatment of protesters against the adoption of the General Urban Development Plan, when some of the participating activists \u2015 including Aida Corovic \u2015 were throwing paint at the offices of the Serbian Progressive Party.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fake news searcher cited local media reports about the protesters having removed Serbian flags from the walls of the SPP offices; Miran Poga\u010dar, one of the protesters said these were \u201cin safe hands\u201c.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, flags are often used to conceal untruths, as it turned out in the case of Aida Corovic.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Twitter account named Aida Corovic has emerged with the following post:  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI tore apart the flag of the Republic of Serbia in Novi Sad and I will tear it apart again! It is the flag of war crimes and genocide. Serbia is not the country of Serbs only, it is the country of all citizens of Serbia and nobody will impose on us the flag that we don\u2019t want! Autonomy for Vojvodina and Sand\u017eak! STOP TO SERBIAN WORLD!\u201c\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Serbian tabloids, openly critical of protesters in Novi Sad, reported that Serbian flag was torn apart at the rally.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Portal Espresso<\/a> published the following headline:  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTHEY THROW THINGS AT SPP OFFICES AND TEAR SERBIAN FLAG APART Violent haters of Serbia created chaos in Novi Sad (VIDEO)\u201c\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ve\u010dernje novosti<\/a> published this alleged tweet of Aida Corovic in an article titled as follows:  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDESTROY EVERYTING SERBIAN: This tweet describes Aida\u2019s action at the rally in Novi Sad\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Naturally,  Informer<\/a> jumps in by sharing the same tweet and adding the following:  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSTOP TO SERBIAN WORLD \u2013 Aida Corovic brags about TEARING SERBIAN FLAG APART while inciting to SEPARATISM! According to the law, she could even go to PRISON!\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

NSu\u017eivo<\/a> portal published a similar article.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Action against activist Aida Corovic continued on social media with numerous users sharing this tweet.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Aida \u0106orovi\u0107\u00a0celebrates<\/a> Republic of Serbia\u2019s flag being taken down and thrown away \u00a0in\u00a0Novi<\/a> Sad.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AIDA COROVIC<\/a>\u00a0AND HER GREAT SHAME \u2026\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I ask again whether Aida Corovic<\/a>\u00a0has been arrested and why not?! She hasn\u2019t because they all belong to the same team of A and D\u017dS puppets \u201dopposition\u201d and ruling parties!\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Aida Corovic <\/a>\u00a0was tearing apart Serbian flag in Novi Sad. This old bag has hated Serbia for a long time and advocates separation of Ra\u0161ka from Serbia, because she believes Serbia committed another genocide against Muslims there.\u00a0 Old bag has gone nuts and can\u2019t stand living in Serbia! She should go to Sarajevo if she has a problem with Serbian flag!\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

These are just some of the examples of how this activist was targeted for allegedly having torn apart the Serbian flag; for this, she has been exposed to avalanche of insults, including even death threats. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, as  explained by Aida Corovic <\/a>, the tweet about her \u201cadmitting\u201c to have torn apart the flag is a fake one, just like the account with her name.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI did not even see, let alone tear apart, the flag of Serbia in Novi Sad at the \u201cRebellion against the mafia\u201d rally, she said for \u201cDanas\u201c newspaper.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Koraci<\/a> Society explains this is a fake Tweeter account.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00a0\u201cSince Friday, when the content from a fake Tweeter account named Aida Corovic was disseminated through social media about the \u2018Rebellion against the mafia\u2019 rally held in Novi Sad, orchestrated hate speech has shown no signs of subsiding. This fake post includes Aida\u2019s alleged confession of tearing apart Serbian flag at the rally, her desire to do it again and her wish for Vojvodina and Sand\u017eak to be autonomous, while saying Stop to the Serbian world! The fake tweet that appeared also in tabloids and on rightist portals has initiated an avalanche of insults, hatred and direct death threats against Aida Corovic\u201d, reads the press release of Koraci Society.\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reputable Serbian photographer Dragoljub Zamurovi\u0107, who was at the scene, uses photos to debunk the allegations about Serbian flag having been torn apart at the rally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Novi Sad \u2013 28 July 2022. Given that primitive individuals close to the governing party told lies about someone (Aida Corovic) having torn apart the Serbian flag at the \u201cRebellion against the mafia\u201d rally held on 28 July 2022 in Novi Sad, I am posting this photo that I made when one of the protesters took down the flag to save it from accidentally getting damaged by the paint that protesters were throwing at the window of their \u201cfavourite\u201d sect and its leaders. Liar, liar, pants on fire\u201c, Zamurovi\u0107 explained.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following received threats and insults, Corovi\u0107 said<\/a> she was consulting a lawyer and planning to file reports.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Given that Aida Corovic, or any other participant of the Novi Sad rally, clearly did not tear apart the Serbian flag, our assessment is that the reporting having resulted in this activist being exposed to death threats are fake news.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFake news\u201d assessment is given to original media coverage (fully produced by the media outlet that published it) containing factually wrong allegations or information. The content assessed as fake news can be reliably determined to have been created and disseminated to disinform the public, i.e. present completely false information as a fact.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Original article (in Montenegrin) was published on 05\/08\/2022 Disinformation is harmful in itself. When someone gives you false information they lead you to a wrong conclusion or action. Still, the actual harmfulness of disinformation is reflected in its ability to change people\u2019s lives and put them in danger, as it happened with Serbian activist Aida […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":5887,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[316],"tags":[35,28],"class_list":["post-5864","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fact-checks","tag-montenegro","tag-serbia"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/seecheck.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5864","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/seecheck.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/seecheck.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/seecheck.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/seecheck.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5864"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/seecheck.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5864\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5890,"href":"https:\/\/seecheck.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5864\/revisions\/5890"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/seecheck.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5887"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/seecheck.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5864"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/seecheck.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5864"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/seecheck.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5864"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}