Orav: Kosovo remains vulnerable to disinformation

Disinformation aims to undermine trust in institutions, polarize societies, and exploit divisions. Kosovo is no exception, EU Ambassador to Kosovo Aivo Orav said on Tuesday.

According to Orav, Kosovo remains vulnerable to manipulation and interference through disinformation in political and security matters.

“Across Europe and beyond, disinformation seeks to undermine trust in institutions, polarize societies, and exploit divisions—and Kosovo is no exception. According to hibrid.info’s findings, disinformation in Albanian is most commonly spread on social media, while in Serbian it is predominantly spread in traditional media with narratives that are often equated with Russian disinformation, especially on political and security issues. As a result, Kosovo remains vulnerable to manipulation and interference. Research by our partners such as BIRN and Demokraci Plus shows that critical thinking and source verification are not systematically addressed in schools and are not integrated into public education, leaving the population vulnerable to manipulation and disinformation. Kosovo ranks 40th out of 41 countries in the European Media Literacy Index, reflecting the weak awareness of media education among institutions,” he said.

Orav spoke at the Peace and Democracy Summit in Kosovo on the topic of “New global disorder: disinformation, mistrust, and the destruction of democratic norms.” Orav said that “disinformation, polarization, and attacks on democratic norms threaten the building of trust and civic engagement.” /The Geopost/