Outrageous “journalism” in Hungary: Government-aligned newspaper publishes secret photos of women in short skirts
A disturbing new low in Hungary’s media landscape has triggered public outrage, protests, and condemnation from women’s rights groups. Metropol, a free daily newspaper with strong ties to the ruling Fidesz party, published a photo spread of women in short skirts (images taken without their knowledge or consent in public spaces) and openly encouraged readers to submit similar voyeuristic photos.
The 4 June issue of Metropol featured the headline “The shorter, the better,” with images of women’s legs accompanied by lewd commentary. The paper’s infamous “Take a photo and send it in!” column has previously been criticised for targeting vulnerable groups. In 2021, it drew national attention for publishing a so-called “beggar map” of Budapest, showing photos of homeless people and locations where they were “disturbing pedestrians”, Telex writes. The publisher, Mediaworks, was eventually fined HUF 250,000 (EUR 620) by Hungary’s media authority, but continued to defend the article as non-discriminatory, and it remains online to this day.
Women not safe even in broad daylight
This time, the outrage is even more intense.
Civil rights organisation PATENT Association slammed the article as “blatant objectification and vile sexism,” stating that it sends the dangerous message that women are never safe, even on a public street during daylight. “Men who take photos up women’s skirts don’t even need to hide anymore,” the group wrote. ‘They can proudly send their ‘prey’ to a widely distributed newspaper, which publishes the images with disgusting commentary across two pages.”
A protest was held in front of Mediaworks’ headquarters in Budapest on the afternoon of 4 June. Organisers shared a message from one of the affected girls, who had just come out of her final high school oral exam when she discovered her photo in the paper. “I had no idea someone had taken a picture of me, let alone published it,” she wrote. “It’s humiliating that some people find joy in mocking young women and that a major, government-aligned newspaper not only supports but encourages this.”
She added, “I don’t think it’s anyone else’s business what I wear or what clothes make me feel complete and happy. I can totally understand if someone doesn’t like my style; everyone has different tastes, but no one has the right to share their personal opinion about it on public media platforms.”
PATENT has offered free legal support to anyone featured without their consent and is urging affected individuals to come forward. The group also called on the public to speak out against street harassment and the media platforms that normalise it.
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