Hungary is falling behind on the list of press freedom

According to szeretlekmagyarorszag.hu, Hungary fell back two places on the list of press freedom. Reporters Without Borders – for freedom of information has recently revealed its list in connection with the situation of press freedom in various countries. In 2016, Hungary kept its 71st place. However, we only made it to the 73rd place in 2017.

Statistics

Examining the previous years’ results, one can clearly observe Hungary’s come-down on the list. The country was in the 40th place in 2011, then fell back 16 places in 2012 ending up in the 56th place. By 2016, it got only the 71st place, and the situation still got worse by 2017, when Hungary got the 73rd place.

Explanation

Additionally, Reporters Without Borders has an explanation. The international journalist association believes that the downfall of the freedom of the press in Hungary is linked to the Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and FIDESZ. The association reports:

“Businessmen with close ties to Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s party, FIDESZ, not only managed to acquire new media outlets in 2017 but also to replace foreign media companies that had invested in Hungary’s media.”

Photo: MTI/ Koszticsák Szilárd

Furthermore, they also stated that FIDESZ gained control over three regional daily newspapers in the summer of 2017. Moreover, both online and print resources publish data and investigative material about possible corruptive activities of FIDESZ and government officials.

Media in Hungary

According to Reporters Without Borders, two kinds of media exist in Hungary. On the one hand, there is the side that is close to the government, dealing mainly with migrant issues, defending the country’s borders, and setting people against the Hungarian-American billionaire George Soros. On the other hand, there is the guessing and investigating of the government’s corruption. Furthermore, there are two main media against the government: RTL Club (TV channel), and Index (newspaper).

Source: szeretlekmagyarorszag.hu, rsf.org