Abstract
The outbreak of COVID-19 and the quarantine affected Kosovo society by highlighting the media's role and importance in informing and raising citizen's citizens in a pandemic situation. At a time like this, besides the information and citizen's awareness, this situation was accompanied by a lot of fake news, complicating the social and psychological problems of the audience/citizens, leading to fear, anxiety, and social insecurity. Many media were driven by the desire of material interests, especially the online portals, social networks, etc., offering fake or false news to the public for the sole purpose of their material gain. This study aims to research the Kosovar media's role and impact during the pandemic and quarantine time. For this research, we have used the online questionnaire (Google Form) during July and August 2020. The target group was the population over 15 (N=908) in Kosovo's entire territory. T-test, analysis of variance (ANOVA), and other methods were used to analyze the data. The study results show that 51% of Kosovar citizens informed about COVID-19 during the pandemic and quarantine had used social networks. More than 63.7% of citizens were heavily influenced and, on average, by fake news. Fake news and misinformation from the media in Kosovo society hurt specific society categories, especially those with lower levels of education and social and economic problems, causing fear, social anxiety, and social insecurity.
Highlights
The COVID-19 outbreak affects all segments of societies
Research by Pew suggests that people who receive their news primarily through social media are more likely to be exposed to false content, d) In March, about 40 million problematic posts related to COVID-19 on Facebook were identified, according to the company
To understand how much the fake news during the pandemic has affected the Kosovar society, the study focuses on the respondents' direct question: How much did the fake news from the media influenced during the pandemic time? We found that fake news and the media, in general, have had a high impact on citizen's lives
Summary
It is detrimental to members of those social groups in the most vulnerable situations, continues to affect institutions, including people living in poverty situations. In this situation, the role and impact of the media are at their peak. Disinformation led to social disharmony, even inconsistencies with public health measures, the experience of political and social conflicts, discrimination, adverse psychological and social effects. This situation becomes even more difficult in times of pandemics
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