Kosova

TROLL OF THE MONTH: Albin Kurti and Vjosa Osmani
The Balkan Troll of the Month is an individual, a group of individuals or a media outlet that spreads hate based on gender, ethnicity, religion, or other diversity categories. The Balkan Troll is selected based on hate speech incidents identified across the Western Balkans region. This month another femicide happened in Kosovo, the second one …

THE INVISIBLE WOMEN
Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian women are among the most vulnerable groups in our society and, historically, they have been treated as citizens of the lowest order. They face contempt, hostility and social and institutional discrimination on a daily basis. This research carried out by QIKA scrutinizes the inter-sectoral nature of challenges which women of these …

Monthly Monitoring Highlight: Discrimination and hate in the Western Balkans media throughout November
Throughout the month of November, the RDN monitoring team has detected a range of hateful narratives and discourse. This month we have identified religious discrimination, sexism, anti-migrant rhetoric, and homophobia in the region. Religious discrimination in Montenegro The former president of the Municipal Assembly of Petnjica, Adnan Muhović, has made derogatory comments in reference to …

HISTORY OVER FOOTBALL: Tensions between Kosovo and Serbia rise during the 2022 FIFA World Cup
The focus and widespread conversations around the match between Serbia and Switzerland on Friday 2 December at the World Cup, was the ethnic hate and nationalistic incidents between Serbs and Albanians both on the field, between players and team members, and by fans in the audience. Before the game began, fans arrived at the stands …

STRUGGLING FOR THE TRUTH IN THE BALKANS
The general lack of balanced discussion in the media in the Balkans deprives the public of accurate information and damages professional journalism. Civil society actors are using social networks to send different messages and fight disinformation, but their reach is limited and often includes people who are already aware of the issues. Yet, these voices are important in the struggle for truthful information and a just society.

DISINFIRMATION EVERYWHERE
FROM UKRAINE AND THE NORTH OF KOSOVO TO INFLATION AND VISA LIBERALIZATION It’s become clear throughout 2022 that malinformation and disinformation are not a declining phenomena. Information disorder is spreading and changing its shape by adopting new digital tools, applications and platforms. Disinformation and malinformation about Covid-19 prevailed in 2020 and 2021. This year, the …

Monthly monitoring highlight: Sexism and homophoia across the Balkans
Throughout the month of October, the RDN monitoring team has detected a range of hateful narratives and discourse. This month there has been a rise in sexism, misogyny and homophobia, alongside hate speech against political opponents. Sexism in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Serbia and Albania In Bosnia and Herzegovina, a private user on Facebook spread extremely …

THIS IS NOT JOURNALISM
TURNING VIOLENCE INTO A MEDIA SPECTACLE DOES NOT SERVE THE PUBLIC INTEREST. A video of a nurse abusing an elderly woman was shared on social media and became the news of the day on Wednesday, November 2. The video, which was first published on Facebook, was shared everywhere within minutes. Photos with the face of …

Monthly monitoring highlight: Homophobia and other hateful content throughout September
Throughout the month of September, the RDN monitoring team have detected a range of hateful narratives and discourse. This month, there has been a rise in homophobia, but other forms of hatred have also been detected. Homophobia in Serbia and Albania This month, there was a significant rise in homophobia in Serbia across both traditional …