Hungary: Is This The End Of An Era?

Hungary’s only left authentic news organization has been shaken by an ordeal that stinks of censorship.

More than 70 journalists, 20 of them women, walked out of the Index headquarters on Friday, July 24 en mass resignation to protest the arbitrary dismissal of editor-in-chief Szabolcs Dull. The decision was taken by the president of the board of Index.hu, László Bodolai. We hear from our sources, there has been political intervention.

Index had expressed concern about their independence a few months ago when Miklos Vaszily, a pro-Orban businessman, bought 50% of shares of Index's advertising and revenue. It was then that the team under Szabolcs moved their status as “in danger” from “independent” in their “press freedom barometer”.

”I believe this is the reason that made it very urgent for the political influence needed to fire Szabolcs Dull. We have seen this trend across the board in countries where governments chose to stifle the press. This is a the vivid form of intervention into a democratic institution called the press. We are proud of the journalists who are saying no to this kind of pressure in Hungary, and we stand in solidarity with them,” says CFWIJ founding director Kiran Nazish.

STATEMENTS

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Hungary: “The end of an era” that came with mass resignations at Index may well be the tipping point of decline in press freedom
Hungary: “The end of an era” that came with mass resignations at Index may well be the tipping point of decline in press freedom

More than 70 editorial staff members walked out of the Index headquarters on Friday, July 24 in mass resignation to protest the arbitrary dismissal of their editor-in-chief Szabolcs Dull.

HOW THIS AFFECTED WOMEN JOURNALISTS?

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The Orban government and its predecessors have been playing a rather “unique” way in silencing the media in Hungary for nearly a decade. Instead of blatantly shutting down opponent news outlets, like we see in much of Eastern Europe, dissolving the critical nature of independent media through economic pressure has been their tactic.

Viktoria Serdült, a journalist for HVG.hu, one of the remaining independent news outlets explained this to the CFWIJ during an interview: “Independent journalism in Hungary in the last decade has been a job that comes with much unpredictability. The newsrooms of public service radio, TV and the state news agency MTI long ago gave up any pretence of impartiality. However privately owned businesses too have been pushed to succumb to government’s wishes through ownership of shares, or in Index’s case taking over the main revenue source, advertisement of newspapers. It is impossible to say when your news outlet will lose financial independence, which comes with losing its independence in reporting. That is why we see many young journalists burnt out not only because of the hard work that they do but due to unpredictability towards the future. I know journalists who gave up on reporting and became gardeners, I have colleagues who express they would rather move to the UK and wait tables. This pressure on the media in a way has not only affected the industry alone but also the aspirations of the public. That is why the Orban government didn’t dare shut down Index via legal pressure, because that would mean a huge decline in their popularity, so they went about it rather sneakily.”

CONCERNED VOICES

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LIST OF 20 RESIGNED WOMEN JOURNALISTS

CFWIJ extends solidarity to over 70 journalists at Index, who have resigned to protest the sacking of their editor-in-chief Szabolcs Dull. Among them, 20 are women journalists and we want you to meet them. All these journalists have taken a stand against the arbitrary decision by the management that impedes the liberty and independence of free press. We stand with them in solidarity.

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Hollik Ágnes

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Demeter Ági

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