Disinformation trends Western Balkans

This report is based on a continuous monitoring process of domestic media in North Macedonia, Albania, Kosovo, Serbia, Montenegro, and BosniaHerzegovina conducted within the framework of the regional project Western Balkans Anti-Disinformation Hub: Exposing Malign Influences through Watchdog Journalism. It presents an overview of disinformation trends and narratives, their distribution between countries, and their sources for the period of July-December 2022.

 

During the monitoring period, the most frequent theme for disinformation in all Western Balkan countries was “The Russian war in Ukraine.” The narratives varied, but tended to present a negative picture of Ukraine as a neo-Nazi and war profiteer that sells military aid that other countries donate. The second most frequent theme was “The West is responsible for the war,” which means “The war is actually between the USA and Russia,” alongside the narrative that “NATO expansion is to blame for Russia’s aggression.”

Recommendations For Joint Action For Building Societal Resilience Towards Malign Influences Of Disinformation

As a result of the research process and the data analysis within the activities in the fight against disinformation, supplemented through the process of open consultations between the Metamorphosis Foundation for Internet and Society, the Council of Media Ethics of Macedonia (SEMM), the Association of Journalists of Macedonia, the Independent Trade Union of Journalists and […]

Visualization: Can we recognize digital addiction?

Remember: Excessive use of smartphones can negatively influence your life. Excessive social media use can lead to increased isolation, anxiety, less physical activity, depression, etc. Internet addiction can make it difficult to differentiate between reality and the virtual world, so use it with care. This visualization is available in English, Macedonian, Albanian, Serbian and Montenegrin […]

Proactive disclosure of information: Guidelines and practices

The state is a public matter. It is a general belief that democratic political orders can function optimally only when the public is informed about the work of state authorities and public officials. To achieve this goal, the constitutions of modern states lay down special guarantees, so the citizens in such modern democracies have a […]