Elections Was Possible
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‘20 WHILE THE TRUTH EXISTS Dear reader, We are presenting the second and very open meddling of the a dictatorship country after all, issue of the Publication While Serbian Orthodox Church, using and that the regime change on the truth exists!, an overview of the resistance to the adopted the elections was possible. our one year’s work. Our first Law on the Freedom of Religion With the government change publication marking the first or Belief and mobilization of the and pretty uncertain develop- anniversary of the DFC Maga- believers, Montenegro was on ments in the following period, zine issuing was a confirmation the edge. accompanied by declarative and a message by both the The COVID-19 onset and lock- and contradictory attitudes of local and international public down of the cities led to a sig- the new majority, we in the Dig- about reach and influence of the nificant economic decline. In the ital Forensic Center cannot help Digital Forensic Center on the pre-election months and atmo- but think about the future of Montenegrin media environment sphere of the growing tensions Montenegro, since its indepen- in the widest sense possible. due to the media spinning, the dence has been undermined by Therefore, we became even people openly demonstrated the well-known centers during more aware of our responsibil- their fear that one of the sides all previous years. Therefore, we ity to keep contributing to the would cross the Rubicon. How- are even more grateful nowa- development of media literacy ever, the epilogue that seemed days to the U.S. State Depart- among the Montenegrin society hardly possible those days ment for its support, since we by following our Mission – to occurred – Montenegro showed will keep our unbiased and debunk fake news and disin- its full democratic capacity on independent position of an ob- formation. Knowing this, our the parliamentary elections! And jective researcher and reporter search for the truth, even when when everyone was expecting about possible threats that may we are facing pressures and that the unrest in the country endanger the Euro-Atlantic path obstructions, proves to be the would occur, or that the former of Montenegro in these new right thing, since it becomes our opposition would need to take circumstances. way of thinking and living. the power by force, the coalition While the truth exists! It is a fact that during this and led by the DPS recognized the a previous year, Montenegro election results, handed over has been facing the prominent power peacefully and Presi- pressure and influences coming dent Djukanovic proposed the concretely from Serbia and Prime Minister-Designate in the Russia. With the unhidden ob- shortest delay possible. Mon- structions of the Serbian media tenegro proved that it was not CONTENTS ELECTIONS CORONAVIRUS IN MONTENEGRO COVID-19 and infodemic 6 Media obstructions 18 on the Election Day 20 More insults from the same address 8 The majority of negative content about DPS, 22 Friends in need or the positive about DF geo-strategists? 10 Fighting for the votes on Facebook 12 €77,000 EUR for Facebook ads 14 UDAR - An attack on THE LAW professional journalism ON FREEDOM OF RELIGION OR BELIEF 26 Turbulent Parliament night The Law on Freedom of Religion The Publication comprises excerpts 28 of published texts, and you can read or Belief in isolation the integrated contents in the DFC magazine (issues 13-24), on the 30 Faint voice of the government, website: www.dfcme.me loud voice of the opponents PUBLISHER: The Atlantic Council SOCIAL MEDIA of Montenegro EDITOR IN CHIEF: 34 Montenegro under attack Dr. Savo Kentera of the bots from Serbia EDITORIAL BOARD: Praising the Chinese aid Milan Jovanovic 36 Mia Lucic Jelena Danilovic 38 Through the labyrinth of fake profiles TRANSLATION: Danijela Begovic 40 Meme pages and fake profiles Tijana Burzanovic DESIGN AND LAYOUT: Branka Gardasevic PRINTING: RESEARCH/ANALISYS Mouse Print, Podgorica CIP - Каталогизација у 44 A modest 3 to the trust in media публикацији Национална библиотека Црне 46 How to spot and debunk Горе, Цетиње disinformation? ISSN 2661-2968 = DFC publikacija 48 The objectiveness of the IFIMES COBISS.CG-ID 39218448 in question ISSN (online) 2661-2976 Year 2020, Podgorica, 50 The clamor of the Serbian tabloids Montenegro 53 The analyzed content of Sputnik Srbija This project was funded, in part, through a U.S. Department of State RESPONSE grant. The opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed herein are those of the 56 Ambassador’s statements author(s) and do not necessarily re- flect those of the U.S. Government. collided with the facts 58 Truths and misleads ELECTIONS IN MONTENEGRO THE ELECTION DAY IN MONTENEGRO MARKED BY DISINFORMATION AND FAKE NEWS IN THE MEDIA, AND ON SOCIAL MEDIA MEDIA OBSTRUCTIONS ON THE ELECTION DAY The Election Day in Monte- According to their well-informed sources from the polling stations, in order to negro (August 30), started Montenegro, Srbija danas published that the DPS was make it look like the opposition with disinformation on the was behind this. planned unrest and beating of planning to cause serious incidents all over the country, FABRICATIONS AND the people for which, as the even to endanger the lives of the police officers, before ALLUSIONS TO THE Belgrade-based Glas javno- the closure of the polling stations, in order to make it ARMED CONFLICTS sti claims, the government would blame the opposition. look like the opposition was behind this The Alo news portal published In a text headlined: Scandal- a text headlined: DESPERATE ous! Montenegrin authorities were planning to break the a task to beat the masses. MOVE OF THE DPS! The infor- are preparing to run over gathered masses into smaller According to their well-in- mation from the Secret Service the people with trucks! was groups using tear gas and wa- formed sources from Monte- leaked! Milo’s police are ready stated that the authorities ter cannons, making room for negro, Srbija danas published for action around the Serbian had ordered the fire depart- the strike force of the DPS and that the DPS was planning monasteries! It was claimed ment in Podgorica to equip its the criminals wearing police to cause serious incidents that the representatives of the trucks to break the protests. uniforms led by Veselin Veljo- all over the country, even to Montenegrin security struc- The same portal emphasized in vic, Director of Police Adminis- endanger the lives of the police tures would hide a particular another text that the authorities tration to enter the scene, with officers before the closure of quantity of weapons on the 6 DIGITAL FORENSIC CENTER eve of the elections at suitable published that the internet French President Emmanuel locations near particular mon- outage in Montenegro had Macron invited Montenegrins FAKE NEWS asteries and other facilities of been planned for around to vote for the opposition on the Serbian Orthodox Church. 6 pm, as well as the take- the tomorrow’s elections ap- THAT FRENCH According to the text, the plan down of the news portals peared on social media. Many PRESIDENT was to find the planted weap- IN4S and Borba, which had accounts published the photo ons on the Election Day, thanks not occurred in the end. from the Politika news portal. EMMANUEL to the alleged operational en- Sputnik Srbija was also active The DFC’s analysis confirmed MACRON INVITED gagement, and to accuse the in the spreading of disinforma- that this piece of news did not SPC’s representatives in Mon- MONTENEGRINS tion. Sputnik published that a exist on that media but that tenegro of the alleged planned dozen representatives of the this was a photomontage. armed conflict and the violent TO VOTE FOR THE Army of Montenegro (who were Besides, the fake profile of overthrow of the government sent to offer assistance near the founder and long-time OPPOSITION ON in order to try to influence the Rozaje) demonstratively had President of the Liberal Alli- election result. THE TOMORROW’S handed over their weapons ance of Montenegro Slavko MEDIA Vladislav Dajkovic, an ac- and had gone to Niksic to vote. Perovic appeared on Twitter. ELECTIONS tivist of the coalition For the This piece of fake news was His post was published by the Future of Montenegro was soon denied by the Ministry opposition political parties – APPEARED ON also spreading disinformation. of Defense of Montenegro in The Democrat) and the leader On his Facebook profile, he SOCIAL MEDIA a statement reading that the of the coalition For the Future OBSTRUCTIONS posted that after the oppo- soldiers obtained a permission of Montenegro Zdravko sition’s electoral victory, the a day before to vote in Niksic. Krivokapic, media, and social DPS would send its groups to The transport to the polling media activists. the parliamentary elections burn the flags of Montenegro, station was organized and The analysis confirmed that in Montenegro (August 23). NATO, and the EU and cause afterward, they returned to this was a fake profile of The post reads that the Ipsos unrest in order to present as if their workplaces, they stated Slavko Perovic, who has not agency conducted a piece of the opposition wanted to annul from the Ministry of Defence. been active on social media research for one political party the statehood of Montenegro. for years. in August. Ipsos agency said His post was republished by FAKE NEWS ON THE EVE for the DFC that the piece numerous news portals: IN4S, OF THE ELECTIONS FALSE PUBLIC OPINION ON of research was not theirs, Novosti, Srbija danas. POLITICAL PARTIES’ RATING reminding that it was not the Numerous fake news pieces first time that the name of their SUSPENSION OF VOTING were published in media and False public opinion research agency had been misused.