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.
The Balkan Forum
Association for International Affairs
In an era marked by the rapid spread of misinformation, “The Balkan Forum” in partnership with three significant organizations from Central Europe, has initiated an impactful project titled “Countering False Information in Kosovo: Experience-Sharing between V4 and Pristina.” This initiative brings together the “Association For International Affairs – AMO” from the Czech Republic, “The Institute of Central Europe” from Poland, and “The Balkan Views” from Slovakia and “The Balkan Forum” from Kosovo. The aim is to forge a robust partnership that tackles the challenges posed by disinformation, which is increasingly prevalent in digital platforms.
Moreover, the presence of distinguished guests, such as Czech Ambassador Bohumil Mazanek and Slovak Deputy Head of Mission Michal Plsko, and civil society personas, NGOs, and successful journalists made the event even more remarkable by accentuating the support and unity in responding to the global challenge of misinformation. This way, the media interest in the project was great, and the initiative was featured in some of Kosovo’s media such as TV Dukagjini and RadioKosova, illustrating the importance and relevance of this initiative for the community.
From March 26 to 29, 2024, representatives from all sectors gathered in Prishtina under the project’s headline: “Strengthening Democracy in the Western Balkans through Vigilance Against Disinformation.” It gathered professionals, media, NGOs, and academic students, including representatives from the area of journalism and political science.
It started with discussion on the current state of disinformation in V4 countries and Kosovo, with special attention paid to the critical role of various actors in the diffusion and control of untruthful information. In a multi-perspective approach involving keynote speeches, plenary, and interactive discussions of the participants, the focus was on situational awareness and the role of non-state and state actors in these developments and effects, effective countermeasures, and regulatory frameworks.
One of the key recurrent themes throughout this conference is the role of civil society in conjunction with governmental efforts to counter the scourge of misinformation. Speaker after speaker has stressed strategies that run from enhancing public education to the deployment of technology, like artificial intelligence, in the better detection and response to fake news.
The discussion among experts, journalists, and students took on special importance, since they raised the relevance of progressive educational initiatives in schools and universities to act preventively against disinformation. Therefore, the discussion rested on the incorporation of critical thinking and media literacy into the curriculum from a very early age to prepare the next generation to detect and fight against misinformation properly.
Then in April 2024, the activity followed with the targeted lecture at the University of Prishtina, which was part of the series of deepening the understanding of tactics of disinformation and countermeasures at the students. The event was attended by many students, who were quite active during the lecture and displayed a great interest in the fight against disinformation.
This comprised the technical details of how disinformation is being fought, the role of regulations, tools, and modern technologies including artificial intelligence, among others.
The project, serving as a demonstrator of such an approach with the support of the International Visegrad Fund, addressed urgent education needs but was aimed at building the solid basis for further cooperation within the complex of activities aimed at increasing societal resilience.
This initiative is rooted in the belief that only by working with others at an international level can the integrity of information and democratic processes truly be assured in the digital era. As “The Balkan Forum” and partners build from this basis, their work can bring about the development of additional strategies and interventions that promise to protect societies from the negative impacts of misinformation and secure an informed public able to protect democratic values.
Projekti “Luftimi kundër Informacionit të rremë në Kosovë: Shkëmbimi i eksperiencave në mes shteteve të V4 dhe Prishtinës” ka vazhduar edhe sot. “Dezinformata që rrezikon Ballkanin Perëndimor – si të njohim dezinformimin dhe pasojat e tij në rajon” ishte tema mbi të cilën studentët kanë marrë ligjërata nga ekspertët prej organizatave: Asociace pro mezinárodní otázky/Association for International Affairs nga Çekia, Instytut Europy Środkowej nga Polonia dhe @TheBalkanViews nga Sllovakia në bashkëpunim me të cilat “The Balkan Forum” e implementon projektin.Projekti “Luftimi kundër Informacionit të rremë në Kosovë: Shkëmbimi i eksperiencave në mes shteteve të V4 dhe Prishtinës” mbështetet nga “International Visegrad Fund”.–
The project “Countering false information in Kosovo: experience-sharing between V4 and Pristina” has continued today.“Disinformation endangering Western Balkans – how to recognize disinformation and their consequences in the region” received lectures from experts of the organizations: Association for International Affairs (AMO)” from the Czech Republic, “The Institute of Central Europe” from Poland and “The Balkan Views” from Slovakia in cooperation with which “The Balkan Forum” implements the project.The project “Fighting against False Information in Kosovo: Exchange of experiences between the V4 countries and Pristina” is supported by the @visegradfund #VisegradFund#TheBF#TheBalkanForum#AMO#TheInstituteofCentralEurope#thebalkanviews