The Balkan Investigative Reporting Network (BIRN Albania) and the Science and Innovation Center for Development (SCIDEV) published two research reports on disinformation and news manipulation in Albania.<\/p>\n
Based on observation of Russian, Chinese, and Iranian propaganda on events in Ukraine and beyond, it was found that Albanian media are generally careless in spreading fake news, but overall tend to spread pro-Ukraine news.<\/p>\n
The authors stated that Albanian newsrooms lack reporters and editors to independently inform themselves about international events, making them susceptible to the amplification of inaccurate news.<\/p>\n
The studies indicated that the influence of Russian, Chinese, and Iranian propaganda remains limited, even through their media outlets in the Albanian language.<\/p>\n
Among the key findings of BIRN\u2019s study on disinformation in Albania, 41 fake news stories about Russian aggression against Ukraine were identified, which were republished more than 780 times during the past ten months.<\/p>\n
More than half of them circulated in Albanian media, the rest in Kosovo and North Macedonia.<\/p>\n
The fake news stories primarily focused on the number of casualties, demonizing the enemy, and exaggerating the scale of the war.<\/p>\n
However, pro-Ukraine news stories were twice as prevalent as pro-Russian ones, and interactions with such news on social networks were significantly higher in favor of Ukraine.<\/p>\n
Besar Likmeta, one of the authors from BIRN, stated that mistakes with fake news are less common in radio, TV, and newspapers, and more prevalent in social networks and online media.<\/p>\n
\u201cOften, republished news does not have any ideological profile. Media outlets republish them not because they have a purpose to spread Russian disinformation, but to get clicks and increase traffic on their websites, thus falling victim to disinformation,\u201d said Likmeta.<\/p>\n
Most online media outlets do not exercise caution with republishing. In a thorough search, it was found that out of over 380 registered disinformation reports, 86 of them, or 22% of the total, were disseminated by Albanian-language media.<\/p>\n
These news stories were republished 377 times by 156 media outlets, with the majority (65%) originating from media based in Albania, and fewer in Kosovo and North Macedonia.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe average of fake news or disinformation in Albanian media is similar to the average in other Balkan countries, as well as in more developed countries. Albania simply falls behind, revealing the weaknesses of Albanian media, which lack strong editorial structures. Newsrooms often lack dedicated reporters and editors for international topics and instead only republish articles from other sources. We have noticed that the more republishing increases, the more disinformation proliferates,\u201d said Likmeta.<\/p>\n
The propaganda of Iran and China through media outlets in the Albanian language was part of a detailed analysis, revealing that their international writings raise doubts about the European Union and portray it as an economy with problems, strikes, and crises.<\/p>\n
These media outlets are critical of human rights respect in Western democratic countries and tend to present the economies of China and Iran as growing and influential, said Bleriana Bino, one of the authors representing SCIDEV.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn both cases, whether it\u2019s Chinese or Iranian Albanian media, especially the latter, there is a clear bias in favor of Russia regarding the conflict in Ukraine, as well as highlighting the difficulties of the European Union, its challenges, and tensions between EU countries or between the EU and the US. While in the case of China, there is more economic propaganda in Albanian, intertwined with culture and current events. It emphasizes China\u2019s presence and influence in the Balkans,\u201d said Bino.<\/p>\n
According to a survey on information in Albania, it was found that the public trusts TV stations the most, followed by other media outlets and social networks, and significantly less trust is placed in radios. Over three-quarters of respondents stated that fake news is a problem in Albania.<\/p>\n
The majority of them admitted encountering disinformation every day and at least once a week, but few take care to verify the news from more reliable sources.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Balkan Investigative Reporting Network (BIRN Albania) and the Science and Innovation Center for Development (SCIDEV) published two research reports on disinformation and news manipulation in Albania. Based on observation of Russian, Chinese, and Iranian propaganda on events in Ukraine and beyond, it was found that Albanian media are generally careless in spreading fake news, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":57336,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[153],"tags":[270,932,3397,1076,1890,1252,243,151,1253,3398,3399,284,285],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n