BFMI ROUNDTABLE: Can free media help prevent a Kosovo-Serbia crisis?
On Monday, 28 February 2023, BFMI hosted an online roundtable of experts on the role of free media in the Kosovo-Serbia crisis.
The declining media environment in the Balkans plays a key role in rising tensions between ethnic Serbs and the ethnic Albanian-led government in Kosovo, which is now having a serious impact on the security situation. In August last year, an explosion of Russian disinformation threatened a breakout of conflict. As recently as December, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić has ordered that 'all measures be taken to protect the Serbian people in Kosovo’ and put troops on ‘high alert’ at the border.
Against this backdrop, BFMI brought together experts from Kosovo and Serbia, as well as international civil society organisations, to share insights and define networks for collaboration to counter disinformation and misinformation in the region and reduce tensions.
PARTICIPANTS
Balkan Free Media Initiative (BFMI)
Kosovar Institute for Policy Research and Development (KIPRED)
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) / Journalism Trust Initiative (JTI)
KEY FINDINGS
Disinformation is on the rise.
Disinformation and misinformation related to the situation in Kosovo has increased over the past year. Most of it originates from statements made by political actors, particularly from Serbia and its President Aleksandar Vučić. These statements are then disseminated through Serbian pro-government media organisations.
Nationalist media in both Serbia and Kosovo contribute to increasing tensions. Russia is another source of disinformation. Their aim is to destabilise the situation in the Balkans.
Media capture is the biggest challenge in the fight against disinformation.
The poor state of the media environment in the region and media capture by the Serbian government was identified as the biggest challenge in the fight against disinformation. Media outlets directly and indirectly controlled by the Serbian government constantly spread and amplify disinformation and incendiary narratives related to the conflict in Kosovo.
At the same time, independent media is under attack and journalists from these organisations face online abuse and threats for their reporting on Kosovo.
In Kosovo, the media environment is very polarised between the two ethnic groups and Albanian and Serb media cover issues from pro-Albanian/pro-Serb lenses.
Support for fact-checking organisations is essential, but fact-checking alone is not enough.
Fact-checking organisations are crucial to countering disinformation and misinformation in the media. These organisations face several challenges, including limited reach, lack of regular funding and a lack of professional expertise in the workforce.
Fact-checking alone is not an adequate countermeasure, as it is only a reactive measure with limited reach. The root of the issue lies in the political framing of the narrative and the state of media freedom in the Balkans.
PRIORITIES AND ACTIONS
The following priorities and actions were identified to help improve the media environment and diffuse tensions:
Advocate for international pressure against media capture and organisations that spread disinformation.
Advocate for international support for independent media.
Develop stronger regional alerts and response mechanisms to tackle flare-ups in disinformation.
Establish further networking and collaboration between civil society and media organisations in Serbia and Kosovo.
Improve media literacy and digital skills in both countries.
BFMI will continue to monitor the situation in Kosovo and raise the issues discussed in the roundtable with regional and international stakeholders. BFMI looks forward to future collaboration with civil society organisations to improve media freedom in the Balkans.
