DW FREEDOM
“Dear journalist! Your request has not been approved!” The sorry state of press freedom in Hungary by Veronika Munk and Szabolcs Dull, editors-in-chief of Telex.hu
As independent journalists who have worked in Hungary for decades, we can confidently say that the free press in our country is not in good shape. Over the last ten years, ever more printed media, radio and TV stations are owned by people with connections to politics or politicians. The Hungarian media landscape has fractured into two distinct parts: Outlets linked to the governing party and ones independent from it. The public broadcasting companies, funded this year by Hungarian taxpayers to the tune of about 325 million euros, are basically a mouthpiece for the government. Moreover, several hundred private media outlets are concentrated in the centrally managed Central European Press and Media Foundation (KESMA), an institution with a pronounced government bias. The Hungarian advertising market is also an area heavi ly influenced by politics: one of the biggest players placing advertisements in the media is the Hungarian state itself. Those deemed sympathetic to the administration are allocated advertising, while those classified as hostile are excluded and as a result can barely keep their heads above water financially. Journalists do not go to prison in Hungary, and there have been no murders of journalists in recent memory — yet the work of independent journalists has rarely been more difficult. Not only do we have to struggle to maintain an economic basis for our work, but we also have to fight for access to information. Running up against brick walls when making inquiries in the public interest or requesting interviews is a constant; not getting answers is par for the course. In March 2021, Dunja Mijatović, the Council of Europe’s Commissioner for Human Rights, stated in a report that the Hungarian government was brazenly categorizing independent media outlets as “enemies” and “opponents of the government” and dismissing journalists keen to uphold basic professional standards as “activists” and “Soros mercenaries” — wholly unacceptable, in her view.
10 Weltzeit 2 | 2021
In theory, the Hungarian state is committed to freedom of information. Ensuring its prerequisites and conditions is enshrined in the Hungarian Constitution; likewise, that the state recognizes and protects the freedom and diversity of the press. But freedom of information and access to information is undoubtedly being curtailed in Hungary. Often, individuals, institutions, corporations, ministries and politicians who fulfill state and public functions simply refuse to respond to media requests. During the pandemic, it has become especially important to provide people with information and to remind them of the reality of the situation, especially in a country where many still claim that the virus does not exist. In Hungary, the government’s corona virus task force does not answer questions from Telex, we can’t gain access to
Demonstrators marched in Budapest after the dismissal of Szabolcs Dull, editor-in-chief at Hungary’s largest news site Index.hu. Other colleagues such as his deputy Veronika Munk resigned as a sign of protest.
