Albanian TV “Top Channel” released a photo of Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski fleeing and claim that it was taken at the border crossing Hani Hoti at the Albanian-Montenegrin border on 11 November, 2018, at 7 pm and 11 minutes. The article and picture was shared by a large number of Albanian, Hungarian and some Macedonian media outlets, without checking the authenticity of the photo.
The “Critic” say it is actually screenshot from a video clip recorded almost a year ago on December 21, 2017 and has no connection with “Gruevski at the border”.
In the video clip, Gruevski drives a “Punto” vehicle in the Skopje city centre to a VRMO-DPMNE protest last year when he led a convoy of cars in support of those arrested and detained for the violent incursion in Parliament on April 27.
A question, which the media should have asked if the image is authentic and true, why is Gruevski the one driving the car, as it belongs to the Hungarian embassy.
The project “Critical Thinking for Mediawise Citizens – Critical” encourages a culture of critical thinking through educating the general public about the harmful effects of manipulation in the media.
It is supported by the European Union and implemented by the Metamorphosis Foundation and the European Policy Center “Eurotink”.