Concerns Growing Over Press Crackdown in Hungary

By Stefan J. Bos, Special Correspondent Worthy News

(Worthy News) – The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) has urged the European Union to help end an alleged government crackdown on independent media in Hungary.

In a statement to Worthy News, the EFJ said it was aware that some 80 journalists have resigned at Index, Hungary’s leading news website, after management pressure.

The journalists stepped down Friday to protest the ouster of Chief Editor Szabolcs Dull after managers rejected their request to restore him to his position. Also, the recent acquisition of control over the news site’s advertising sales by the prime minister’s allies and attempts to control the newsroom was considered a threat to its independence.

The EFJ said the Index take-over was the latest attempt by the government of the increasingly autocratic Prime Minister Viktor Orbán to extend its control over hundreds of media outlets backed by EU funding. “European subsidies have been used to liquidate press freedom in Hungary. This is intolerable, “ stressed Ricardo Gutiérrez, EFJ’s general-secretary.

“We once again demand an investigation into the use of these EU funds and the concentration of media ownership in Hungary,” Gutiérrez told Worthy News.

“We also call for urgent EU funds to be made available to enable the journalists who resigned from Index to launch a new independent media.” The EFJ warned that “inaction on behalf of the EU leaders allows Hungarian Prime Minister Orbán to tighten his authoritarian grip.”

The EFJ stressed that the “political interference at Index, the last independent news outlet in Hungary, requires a strong reaction from the leaders of the European Union.” It complained that the takeover “contravenes the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, which is a legally binding charter.”

The EU, it said, should feel responsible. The EFJ cited the latest EU Media Pluralism Monitor report, known as MPM2020. That report confirms concerns over the alleged misuse of EU funds by Hungary’s leadership. The MPM2020 claims, “EU-funds are constantly used to finance pro-government media and spread anti-EU messages” in Hungary.

Additionally, “the government’s media machinery now has businesses in London, Slovenia, Macedonia, and has good relationships with alternative news organizations in France, Germany, and Italy,” the EFJ noted. “Therefore, the Hungarian media environment can pose high risks to media pluralism in Europe too.”

Currently, “All the EU-funds are handled and distributed by the Hungarian Government through the Prime Minister’s Office,” the EFJ added. In recent days thousands of Hungarians marched in Budapest for more press freedom in Hungary. The EFJ said EU leaders needed to restore“media pluralism” and “press freedom” in member state Hungary.

Latest Worthy News