Kosovo has no way to fight dezinformation at the time of pandemic

Such content as the beginning of the spread of the virus to the discovery of the vaccine has been daily on social networks.

They have received numerous favors and distributions from the Albanian - speaking audience.

Besides the content has been unverified, such news has often contributed to the spread of panic.

Some countries of the world have developed mechanisms for combating false news at the time of the new Corleone pandemic, but in Kosovo, in addition to the legal base regulating sanctions to a degree for distributing false information, there is no proper mechanism.

Selatin Klokoqi, from the organisation “Democcy Plus”, last year has drafted an analysis dealing with legal sanctions for persons and media that spread false news, where, according to him, it has proved that the current legal base is not sufficient.

“There is a legal basis, but, apparently, it's not enough, because during these days or during these weeks I haven't heard yet that any case has happened, that has gone to court for spreading false news or panic, despite the fact that we've had many. I think even in us, in a better situation, after this pandemic passes and we have a functional government, we have to make arrangements for the laws that regulate this issue to be adopted even better so that we don't have this daily stream of false news”, says Klokoqi.

Dispersement of propaganda that promotes hatred and conduct of criminal acts is punishable with the Criminal Code in Kosovo, while prosecution in criminal cases is conducted in two forms, with the appearance of the case from the damaged side, but also by the prosecution itself.

The next mechanism for preventing false news is carried out through civil disputes, according to the Law on Slander and Futuration.

This law stipulates that the author of the news is responsible for distributing information that he has known to be false or had to know that he is a liar.

This legal arrangement is not enough to combat mismanagement at the time of the Coronavirus pandemic, says the lawyer, the Palushi Framework.

Thematic of false news is without legal coverage and, thus, the persons dealing with this phenomenon are subsequently without control. It means they can act free without being afraid that someone, any Whuptdog or any responsible institution is monitoring them. In this respect, then the need arises for this problem to be adjusted, if not by a special law, then to be regulated by sublegal acts, as by the Independent Media Commission, as well as by the Council for Free Media, and by the Council for Free Media, Palushi tells Radio Free Europe.

The Ministry of Health says that mismanagement and false news have great influence on citizens, especially now when they are isolated as a result of measures taken by institutions to try to prevent the spread of the coronary.

Such false content that has circulated on social networks has been denounced to the police, confirms Faik Hoti, director of the Health Ministry Information Office.

“Beyond daily and transparent communication, it has been managed to convince most of the population that stem information about Covid-19 [the disease that causes Coronavirus] to receive from the Ministry of Health and National Public Health. Despite heavy loads, a number of false news and false dezinformation and reporting have been denounced in cyber security and privacy mechanisms and security institutions, given the fact that dezinforms in public health situations also represent national security risk”, says Hoti.

Hoti says that the Ministry of Health has established an information plan from the start that, according to him, has had an effect, as citizens are largely being informed about the coronary by the Ministry of Health and the National Public Health Institute.

Challenged by the spread of false news and disinformations, some European countries for years have been integrated in media education in schools.

The introduction of this subject in Kosovo schools may be a solution to educate the population of the content it reads, says Alban Zeneli, legalist at the Faculty of Journalism at Pristina University. People would reject false content and give little to the season if they had preliminary information from their schooling.

This problem gets even bigger in Kosovo's case because society is not prepared. We don't have a public education, which also offers media education, because that would help prepare society for this problem. So, simply, people would reject false content and not be given much to the season if they had preliminary information from their schooling”, Zenelli says.

Within the framework of the Kosovo Police for years, there has been a specialised unit against cyber crimes, but this unit primarily deals with crimes of different natures related to serious criminal acts.

Since the proclamation of the coronary pandemic, various institutions have called on citizens to be informed by the media and the health - related health resources, such as the World Health Organization.