Almost entire staff quits – An update on the Index case
Only two days after their editor in chief was fired, the majority of Index’s staff handed in their resignations. This is not only to support their colleague, but an unprecedented, powerful, and courageous stance to protect media freedom.
Chief editor of Index Szabolcs Dull was fired from his post last Wednesday, shocking not only the staff but a whole country of devoted readers. To support Dull and the integrity of the news site, almost the entire editorial staff quit by Friday. By Monday this week, 86 people handed in their resignations.
Read alsoFinancial Times: “Independent media in Hungary shrinking since Orbán returned to power”
Why did they quit?
Former editor at Index Tamás Fábián wrote on Facebook:
“If we had stayed, Index would have died slowly. We did not let them quietly let Index bleed out and dishonour everything we have built over the last 21 years.”
The staff was not willing to cave under (political) pressure. They refused to continue working in an environment where they would have had to follow specific instructions on what and how they could write about.
László Bodolai, chief of the foundation that exercises the employer’s rights at Index, initiated the dismissal of Szabolcs Dull. Bodolai claims to have received a ton of CVs from people who are desperate to work for Index. However, other sources claim that Bodolai and his partners keep reaching out for people asking them to come to Index.
Polish newspaper sympathises with Index by a Hungarian message on their cover, hvg reports.
The message reads as:
“Dear Hungarian Friends! We are deeply outraged by the higher power’s brutal attack against Index. We are with you in this difficult hour, admiring your courageous stance. Authoritarian power threatens the free press in Poland too. We are, as many times before throughout history, in need of the Polish-Hungarian solidarity to protect freedom and democracy. We must stick together! The editorial staff of Gazeta Wyborcza.”
Gazeta Wyborcza is a daily newspaper published in Poland. It was Poland’s first post-communist independent daily newspaper. It covers political, international and general news from a liberal perspective.
8 Comments
Hurray
The ex-staff at “INDEX” can now use their fingers for more important tasks than writing about ‘news’ of importance to the neo-liberal / Marxist / Socialist / Communist / pro-migration / pro-LGBTQI supporters of D(i)K / MOMENTUM / other ‘Leftist’ political parties in Hungary (under the supervision of the European Commission – with that omnipresent quasi-deity George Soros ‘pulling the strings’).
Perhaps these individuals could try their hands at manual labour, such as agriculture or road repairs.
It would be good for their ‘souls’ (assuming that such atheists actually have one) and enable them to contemplate on the wonders of a ‘socialist paradise’ which so many of them are obviously keen to see re-established in Hungary.
This is Hungary. This is the illiberal state its Dear Leader is proudly building, according to his repeated promises, and with the support of the majority of Hungarian voters. What neither the Dear Leader nor his voters understand is that freedom and pluralism is a blanket that protects everybody, not only the opposition, sooner or later we all need it.
Thank you for informing the non Hungarian speakers of what is happening in the country.
First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out, because I was not a socialist. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out, because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out, because I was not a Jew. Then they came for John Doe and Index*Fingers, and there was no one left to speak for them…
Get Soros to fund your own site – maybe he can get you BLM chapter here.
Every major country in EU – the media is controlled and funded by the goverment- have you heard of the BBC- two elections to brexit by the fast majority of the vote twice – the BBC pushed remain both times
If “Independent media” is important why has nobody complained about Facebook, Twitter and YouTube cancelling citizen journalism?
Why is the push to ban independent media from the internet being led by CNN?
I agree with Bruce. The attack of independent media by globalist mainstream media was never pointed out by the leftists degenerates.