Visegradfund KS Project

Countering False Information in Kosovo: Experience-Sharing between V4 and Prishtina

The project “Countering False Information in Kosovo: Experience-Sharing between V4 and Prishtina” supported by the Visegrad Fund and implemented by The Balkan Forum, aimed to strengthen the capacities of Kosovan society to identify and combat disinformation through experience exchange with experts from the Visegrad Group countries (Czechia, Poland, and Slovakia).

The project focused on building the capacities of local experts and journalism students in Kosovo to recognize and address the threats posed by misinformation to democratic processes, social stability, and the country’s Euro-Atlantic integration path. Through international cooperation, the project created an important platform for education, reflection, and concrete action in response to the challenges of harmful information.

Key results achieved:

Organization of an international lecture with journalism students at the Faculty of Philology, University of Prishtina, on trends and challenges of disinformation in Europe;
Participation of experts from Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, and Kosovo who shared their experiences and offered recommendations for measures that can be taken in Kosovo;
Building bridges of cooperation between academic and diplomatic institutions, with the presence of the Czech Ambassador and representatives of the Slovak mission in Prishtina;
Direct engagement of students who contributed with questions and discussions about the impact of disinformation on media and society;
Increased awareness of the importance of media literacy education and protection against misinformation, especially in the context of Euro-Atlantic integration efforts.

Project impact:

This project has paved the way for further international cooperation in combating disinformation and empowered Kosovo’s youth, especially journalism students, with knowledge and critical awareness to respond to the risks of manipulated information. Through the experience of the Visegrad countries, Kosovan students and experts had the opportunity to learn from best practices and build resilience against malicious foreign influences.

Project “Countering False Information in Kosovo: Experience-Sharing between V4 and Prishtina” seeks to bring together
experts on combating false information from the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, and Kosovo to share their experience and, most importantly, to help Kosovo experts enhance their knowledge regarding the necessary measures and tools to be implemented to protect the country from false information that could seriously harm Kosovo’s Euro-Atlantic Path and aspirations.

What is more, the project will train and educate university students to recognize and combat false information and, consequently, increase Kosovo’s society’s ability to tackle and prevent false information from impacting society.

Kosovo is a society under increasing threat from false information (misinformation, disinformation, malicious information, or
deepfake.) Increased use of social networks and the emergence of various online platforms, combined with the ease of disseminating information on the Internet, creates a suitable ground for spreading false information. That leads to conflict and
unrest caused by hate speech stemming from false information.

The Western Balkans, have long been the target of false information. Kosovo is a young country that still has to grapple
with foreign influence accompanied by the dissemination of false information by state and non-state actors. Despite the fact Kosovo has developed some measures to counter false information, the war in Ukraine and the current geopolitical situation pose an imminent threat to Kosovo society, as state and non-state actors are seeking to undermine the democratization effort and sabotage Kosovo´s path toward the membership in the European Union and NATO. Crucially, V4 countries have experience with such malign activities. Experts from Central Europe could provide Kosovo experts and university students with skills and knowledge to help Kosovo counter false information and avoid disrupting the country´s ambitions. Therefore, the project´s relevance is to make Kosovo experts and university students more resilient and capable of countering false information.

Lecture on Disinformation Held with Journalism Students at the Faculty of Philology

On April 25, a lecture on the prevalence of disinformation in Europe was held with students from the Faculty of Philology, Department of Journalism at the University of Prishtina. The event provided valuable insights from experts hailing from the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, and Kosovo on the challenges and trends of disinformation across Europe.

Professor Dr. Remzie Shahini Hoxhaj moderated the lecture, fostering an engaging discussion where students demonstrated great interest by asking thoughtful questions and actively participating in the conversation on how disinformation impacts society and the media landscape.

Distinguished guests included Bohumil Mazanek, Ambassador of the Czech Republic in Kosovo, and Michal Plsko, Deputy Head of Mission of the Liaison Office of the Slovak Republic in Pristina, who provided valuable insights and highlighted the importance of international cooperation in addressing disinformation.

The event underscored the importance of regional and cross-border collaboration in addressing disinformation and strengthening media literacy.