Category: News and Events

Organised by the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network (BIRN Kosovo) and the Kosovar Center for Security Studies (KCSS), the training focused on equipping participants with the knowledge and skills necessary to identify and counter misleading narratives that threaten local communities.

The first session, led by Labinot Leposhtica from BIRN Kosovo, addressed the influence of Russian and Chinese disinformation on Kosovo’s media and justice systems.

Leposhtica discussed how disinformation campaigns, often orchestrated by foreign powers, aim to destabilize the region by undermining trust in institutions and spreading false narratives.

He provided examples of how these actors manipulate information, particularly regarding the justice system, and introduced mechanisms for regulation and self-regulation that can help counter these efforts.

Students learned to differentiate between disinformation, misinformation and narratives, and were given practical tools to spot and debunk false narratives spread by state-controlled foreign media.

The second session, led by Skënder Perteshi from KCSS, shifted the focus to religious disinformation. Perteshi discussed how radical religious groups in Kosovo and abroad use disinformation as a strategic tool to promote extremist ideologies.

Participants were introduced to the various narratives used by these groups to mislead vulnerable audiences as well as the strategic goals these groups aim to achieve through disinformation.

Perteshi emphasized the importance of understanding the target audiences of religious disinformation and provided strategies for building positive alternative narratives to counteract extremist messaging.

The session also covered how secularism, democracy and the rule of law are often attacked by such disinformation campaigns, and how individuals can protect themselves and their communities from being misled​.

By the end of the training, students gained a stronger understanding of the dynamics of disinformation and were better prepared to act as critical consumers of information.

Leposhtica and Perteshi emphasized that tackling disinformation requires active participation from the community, especially from young people who play a key role in shaping Kosovo’s future.

The training was held by BIRN Kosovo and KCSS within the project “Increasing public awareness on Russian, Chinese influence and religious disinformation and equipping media students and journalists with the necessary tools to identify, analyze, and combat disinformation”, supported through the Digital Activism Program by TechSoup Global.

The training aimed to empower students with the knowledge and tools they need to identify and combat disinformation, particularly narratives originating from Russia and China, and religious ideologies.

The training tackled the complex nature of disinformation. The first session focused on foreign influence, specifically Russian and Chinese disinformation, and the second addressed religious-based misinformation that often targets vulnerable communities in Kosovo.

Visar Prebreza, from BIRN Kosovo, led the discussion on Russian and Chinese disinformation. He provided a deep dive into how foreign powers, especially Kremlin-led and Chinese state-controlled media, have disseminated misleading narratives that affect local perceptions in Kosovo.

Prebreza highlighted the challenges that Kosovo’s media face when addressing such disinformation. He walked participants through the key elements of identifying false narratives and offered real-world examples of how these tactics play out in the Kosovo media landscape.

Skënder Perteshi, from KCSS, led the second session, on how extremist religious groups use disinformation as a tool to spread radical ideologies.

In his presentation, he outlined the various strategies these groups use, including targeting specific audiences with narratives designed to undermine secularism, democracy and the rule of law in Kosovo.

He also explored the broader strategic goals of radical religious actors and how their disinformation campaigns aim to divide communities.

The session concluded with practical advice on how to build positive counter-narratives to disinformation and promote unity​.

The training allowed the students to engage directly with experts and discuss the role of media literacy in defending against disinformation.

Prebreza and Perteshi both emphasized the importance of youth involvement in creating resilient communities capable of identifying and responding to misleading information.

This training was held by BIRN Kosovo and KCSS within the project “Increasing public awareness on Russian, Chinese influence and religious disinformation and equipping media students and journalists with the necessary tools to identify, analyze, and combat disinformation”, supported through the Digital Activism Program by TechSoup Global.

The training aimed to provide practical tools and knowledge to identify and counter Russian, Chinese and religious disinformation in Kosovo.

The first day of the training, led by Skënder Perteshi from KCSS, focused on the context of religious radicalization and extremism in Kosovo and the broader region.

Perteshi highlighted the ways in which extremist groups, both Islamist and Orthodox Christian, utilize disinformation to promote their radical agendas. He discussed how these narratives often target vulnerable populations, aiming to disrupt secularism, democracy and social harmony.

The session explored key topics, such as the dynamics of religious extremism and online radicalization, how extremist groups use disinformation as a tool for recruitment and the importance of developing counter-narratives to combat extremism and false information.

Participants engaged in discussions about the real-world impact of religious disinformation on Kosovo’s communities and how journalists can play a crucial role in exposing and countering these harmful narratives.

On the second day, Visar Prebreza from BIRN Kosovo, introduced participants to the historical and ongoing influence of Russian and Chinese disinformation in Kosovo and the wider Balkans. Prebreza, an expert in fact-checking and disinformation mapping, delved into how these foreign actors use propaganda to shape public opinion and destabilize political and social environments.

Key topics of the second day included: the strategic objectives behind Russian and Chinese-driven disinformation campaigns in the Balkans; the role of investigative journalism in identifying and exposing sources of disinformation; how local media can strengthen their internal capacities to resist and counteract fake news.

Participants were encouraged to think critically about how disinformation affects Kosovo’s political landscape, especially in terms of electoral processes, public trust in institutions and media freedom. The session also emphasized the importance of building a professional foundation in fact-checking and sourcing reliable information.

The training concluded with participants working in groups to develop ideas for citizen activism against disinformation. The focus was on creating community-driven initiatives that empower individuals to recognize and reject false information.

This training was held by BIRN Kosovo and KCSS within the project “Increasing public awareness on Russian, Chinese influence and religious disinformation and equipping media students and journalists with the necessary tools to identify, analyze, and combat disinformation”, supported through the Digital Activism Program by TechSoup Global.

Led by experts from the Kosovo Centre for Security Studies (KCSS) and the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network (BIRN Kosovo), the event focused on equipping the participants with practical tools to identify and counter false narratives.

Skënder Perteshi, a researcher at KCSS, opened the training by discussing the strategic aims of radical religious organisations that use disinformation as a tool to undermine democratic institutions. Perteshi highlighted that these actors often target vulnerable audiences by spreading narratives designed to erode trust in secularism, democracy and the rule of law.

The second part of the training, led by Labinot Leposhtica, from BIRN Kosovo, shifted the focus to Russian and Chinese disinformation in Kosovo.

Leposhtica emphasized the global disinformation tactics used by these foreign actors to destabilize regions and influence public opinion. He presented several cases of how Russian and Chinese narratives have infiltrated media platforms in Kosovo.

The training was designed to be more than just a theoretical discussion; participants were actively involved in discussions. They were encouraged to question the information they consume and were provided with methods to fact-check and validate sources.

In addition to combating disinformation, the session underscored the importance of promoting a free and independent media in Kosovo. Perteshi and Leposhtica emphasized the need for ongoing vigilance, especially as foreign actors continue to exploit digital platforms to spread misleading information.

Students underlined that the need for these trainings is critical, as they are increasingly exposed to disinformation from various media channels. Such sessions help equip them with the skills to critically analyze information, identify false narratives and understand the strategies used by foreign and radical actors to manipulate public opinion.

This training was held by BIRN Kosovo and KCSS within the project “Increasing public awareness on Russian, Chinese influence and religious disinformation and equipping media students and journalists with the necessary tools to identify, analyze, and combat disinformation”, supported through the Digital Activism Program by TechSoup Global.