US State Department concerned over press freedom in Hungary – UPDATE
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Washington, DC (MTI) – The United States Department of State expressed concerns about press freedom in Hungary in a statement released on Thursday local time.
Mark C. Toner, the department’s deputy spokesperson, said in the statement that the US “shares the concerns of global press freedom advocates, international organizations, and Hungarian citizens, over the steady decline of media freedom in Hungary.”
He added that the US was “following closely the reported ban of an independent website from the parliament building on October 19” and the “sudden closure” of Népszabadság, on October 8.
The statement noted Népszabadság as having been Hungary’s “largest independent newspaper” and said that “the loss of this paper – regardless of the reason – is a blow to media pluralism in Hungary.”
It added that the US “as a friend and ally”, encourages the Hungarian government “to ensure an open media environment that exposes citizens to a diversity of viewpoints and opinions.”