A bogus petition for the withdrawal of the US Ambassador and a journalistic failure.
President Atifete Jahjaga hurried to call the U.S. ambassador in Prishtina to tell him that only a negligible minority is critical of him, and that most Kosovar citizens are faithful to their friendship with the U.S. Prime Minister Isa Mustafa saw it as appropriate to condemn the supporters of the campaign for the withdrawal of the ambassador and has at the same time bashed Lëvizja Vetëvendosje! and the “women who graze Westerm funds” – the latter being one of the most disparaging insults ever uttered towards Kosovar women. Hashim Thaçi’s reaction was also inevitable: he said that insults towards the U.S. ambassador are insults towards Kosovo too.
The race to seem a declarative pro-American continued with added intensity on Saturday. On top of everything, the public broadcaster RTK, a service of the Democratic Party (PDK), reported that the U.S. Department of State had released a statement about the onslaught against the ambassador, yet so far no written reaction has been issued by Washington.
Instead of verifying who is behind the petition, the Kosovar media carelessly spread the news, like they usually do. Moreover, all of this is utilized in a slanderous campaign against Vetëvendosje.
This is an instance of unmatched hysterics provoked by made up news. The real news is this: a German mercenary of the recent war, who was convicted of murder afterwards, starts a virtual petition for the withdrawal of the current U.S. ambassador to Kosovo. Instead of verifying who is behind the petition, the Kosovar media carelessly spread the news, like they usually do. Moreover, all of this is utilized in a slanderous campaign against Vetëvendosje, a party that has more supporters of American values than the parties of organized crime that currently govern Kosovo or have governed it in the past. In other words, Vetëvendosje has no connection to the petition.
The petition was initiated a person who was convicted of terrorism. Unfortunately, most Kosovar media platforms did not see it necessary to first find the initiator [of the petition] (Roland Bartezko) and ask him, or to research him online to find out that we are not talking about a champion of free speech or a figure with a public reputation. When his name is associated with petitions or similar acts, we have to suspect a trap.
It is exactly because of this reason that yours truly warned the general public on Facebook to not fall in the trap that is this petition early on Saturday.This had its own positive effect. Until Saturday evening, only 1168 people, who were most likely either naive or irritated by the Ambassador’s harsh statement against the tear-gassing Kosovar opposition, fell for Bartezko’s trap. It would be appropriate for the media to unmask Bartezko and warn citizens to not fall for his trap, which could have been set up by him either to make himself a public protagonist, or by orders of party intelligence agencies. It would be appropriate for politicians to condemn the initiator of the petition, if it is absolutely necessary or if they desire to give him attention.
Unfortunately, the rules of public life in Kosovo work differently. A public affair is concocted because of stupidity by a convicted murderer, and to boot, a political party, civil society and political rivals are blamed for it. No important party, member of civil society, or public figure has signed Bartezko’s petition. Nevertheless, in the brutal war to dismantle the imaginary enemy or simply the political rival, the government’s media are not seleective in their means. This battle is being waged for personal motives, clicks, interests of governing parties and what not, in the name of serious journalism.
That’s why we are in such a situation. And it is not the first time. A few days ago, Prishtina’s news portals – which operate like slander factories and make off with other people’s hard work – savagely manipulated a news story from Austria. There, an Iraqi refugee had raped a child of Serbian origin. This his how the Austrian media reported the news. The horrible Kosovar media reported that the rapist was Serbian and the victim Iraqi. How a 10 or 11 year old is able rape a 20 or 21 year old shall remain in the morbid fantasies of the dishonest scribblers from Kosovo. A Serbian rapes an Iraqi! This sells. The other way around, not so much. A dog bites a person – a statement that takes no one aback. But, when a person bites a dog, that’s when the whole world is agog.
The affair concocted through a petition by a person who is hungry for media attention, the manipulated news story from Austria, the distribution of fradulent news that strives to denigrate political rivals, all this damages public discourse. There are so many government and opposition-backed Trojan Horses that have infiltrated the media scene that it is difficult for serious journalism to avoid having some dirt thrown on it. Yet, it is the readers, viewers and listeners who pay the price, they who consistently equate journalism with politics – both having become horribly tasteless.
It is particularly tragic considering that Kosovo has produced very good journalists in the last twenty five years – journalists who can easly compete with any of their western colleagues.
What’s the endgame of the fictious petition against the U.S. ambassador? Jahjaga, Thaci and Mustafa fulfilled their duty: they declared themselves pro-American and condemned the nonexistent anti-Americans. Jahjaga can continue reading her ABC primer, Thaci can to count up the number of Albanians who are endowed with tails. And Mustafa can designate the meadows where Kosovar women can graze. RTK accomplished its job as well: on their Saturday news edition they wasted 15 minutes for a report on an inexsistent affair while missing the main point of the news. This counts as journalism too. Disgrace!