Online misinformation has become the new normal in Balkan internet communities, according to a new report by the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network (BIRN).
In Serbia and Hungary, a spike in online misinformation concerning the Ukrainian war has come to form an endemic threat to facts-based reporting. Violations including propaganda and fake news are routine, with Hungary experiencing the largest number of digital abuses.
On May 15, several Hungarian-language news portals published reports that McDonald’s had introduced a “neo-Nazi menu” in Norway, named after the World War II Ukrainian ultra-nationalist Stepan Bandera. According to some groups online, the burger is proof that McDonald’s is bent on promoting Ukrainian interests against Russia.
The McDonald’s “Bandera” burger is in fact named after the sauce in the burger, which resembles the colours of the Mexican flag.
In another incident of online misinformation, Ukrainian soldiers defending the Azovsztal plant in the port of Mariupol surrendered to Russian troops in May. At the time of the surrender, a photo of US admiral Eric Olson, shown among the prisoners-of-war, spread on Hungarian social media.
Fact-checking websites later confirmed that the image was taken a month before Mariupol surrendered, and was published by Russian state news agency Sputnik on 14 April.
In Serbia, several news portals reported 27 May on an alleged statement made by the Mayor of Kyiv, Vitali Klitschko, comparing the Ukrainian war with the conflict in Kosovo.
The news, which went viral in online Serbian communities, details an interview given by Klitschko to Swiss reporters in which he apparently claims “the Ukrainians will get rid of the Russians like the Albanians got rid of Serbs.
“I am very glad to have met an Albanian journalist for the first time, which is a good opportunity to convey a message to the Albanian people in the Balkans,” Klitschko reportedly continued, “Today we are fighting the Russian regime that is trying to occupy our country, as you were once occupied by Serbia.”
Klitschko denies making the reported statement. On his Facebook profile, Klitschko wrote, “I did not comment on that. Even before they transmit such information and quote anything, journalists should look for audio or video evidence for such an exclusive.”
Shifting attitudes to the Ukrainian war and Ukrainian refugees are sure to underpin domestic and foreign policy for many countries in the coming months. In Bulgaria, Ukrainian refugees face eviction from hotels ahead of the summer season.
Bulgaria’s Deputy Prime Minister Kalina Konstantinova has criticised refugees for their purportedly “increasing demands,” while Prime Minister Kiril Petkov described their hotel accommodation as a “luxurious experience” that the government cannot sustain.
Photo by Алесь Усцінаў
