Case Study: Ana Marija Ivković – Challenging disinformation in Kosovo 

Ana Marija Ivković, journalist and editor at Alternativna, Kosovo, was driven to journalism by the pervasive disinformation targeting the Serbian community in Kosovo. “One of the most effective ways to capture and divert attention is through spreading disinformation about the Serbian community in Kosovo,” she notes. “This often includes hate speech.” Facing unprecedented levels of disinformation and hate speech, Ana Marija saw journalism and fact-checking as essential tools to combat false narratives. 

“Typically, from early morning, I monitor the media, focusing on Serbian tabloids and certain pro-regime media, as well as some Albanian-language media in Kosovo. If there’s an article I need to work on, I try to publish an explanatory piece debunking the disinformation as soon as possible.”

Armed with tools like Google reverse image search and the InVid tool, she swiftly exposes disinformation through explanatory pieces published promptly.

Painstaking verification 

Ana Marija’s verification process involves gathering and analysing information, verifying claims with multiple sources, and consulting with her editorial team and experts. When writing articles debunking false information, she makes sure they’re clear, objective and refer to concrete evidence. “We also monitor reactions to our articles in case new information becomes available,” she adds.

Objectivity and impartiality are paramount. “I insist on having someone else proofread the text, ensuring multiple sources are used, and sometimes including sources from both Serbian and Albanian sides,” she says. “It’s particularly challenging when working on articles about northern Kosovo, where I live and work.

Challenges 

The main challenges to championing the facts include institutional opacity, reader distrust, and the emotional toll of combatting daily conspiracy theories. Ana Marija’s fact-checking work has also led to unwanted consequences. Threats followed her debunking of a false state of siege claim in northern Kosovo, highlighting the stakes involved in her mission to counter fear-mongering. 

That mission is immense, considering how rife disinformation is in Kosovo. As Ana Marija explains, it is present in many contexts, including: “social media platforms, with Telegram channels being prevalent among the Serbian community, Twitter accounts for the Albanian community in Kosovo, and some tabloid media—Serbian in Serbia and Albanian in Kosovo.” 

Unsurprisingly, the relentlessness of her work in such a politically charged context has been wearying psychologically. “Initially, it was very difficult, especially when I realised that both Serbian and Albanian media were reporting the same disinformation but for different purposes,” she admits. “That was a moment when I almost quit fact-checking.” 

Keeping public fears in check 

But Ana Marija’s work isn’t in vain. Debunking claims like the threatened removal of a monument in Mitrovica, Northern Kosovo,underscored the value of fact-based reporting in her community. Looking back at that success, she recalls: “The disinformation spread so much that people asked me on the street if it was true. After publishing an article debunking the claim, statistics showed the article was read by thousands and widely shared on social media, calming fears.”Ana Marija emphasises the need for continuous fact-checking and public awareness of reliable sources to combat disinformation effectively.

Her advice to journalists? “Learn a lot, verify a lot, and always seek a second opinion on your article before publishing.” 

She has similar tips for the public, who she says often misperceive fact-checking efforts “due to political elites who frequently describe them as spreading disinformation or attempting to negatively influence citizens’ views, supposedly ‘brainwashing’ them.”

The answer to this, she says, is to: “read more and verify more sources to understand what is true.” 

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