The recent firing of the editor-in-chief of Hungary’s last independent media website, Index, has sparked mass resignations and protests in Budapest. Roughly 70 people, including the editorial board and “dozens of journalists” announced their resignation in the wake of the widely-criticised firing of editor-in-chief Szalbolcs Dull on 22 July 2020. As anger grows at what the journalists deem an “open attempt to exert pressure,” critics of the Hungarian government are concerned that Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s decade in power will culminate in a definitive end to press freedom and editorial integrity.
CLAIMS OF POLITICAL INTERFERENCE
The crisis at Index began in April when Miklos Vaszily, a businessman with close ties to Orban, gained a substantial stake in Index’s parent company. Dull warned in June that Index’s status as an independent media provider was at risk and that the platform faced a potential onslaught of outside interference from pro-government sympathisers.
In early July, Dull was removed from the managing board after speaking out against proposals to outsource content production to external businesses—a decision that would provide editors with little to no control over the publication process. In response, the resigning journalists published an open letter on the outlet’s website stating that they no longer deemed it possible for Index to produce independent content without outside interference. Following the announcement, thousands of Hungarians marched towards Orban’s office in solidarity with Index staff.
Addressing the accusations of political interference, Hungary’s foreign minister Peter Szijarto stated that claims of political interference were nothing more than “untrue accusations.” Chief executive László Bodolai also insisted that no interference had taken place and defended his decision to fire Dull as perfectly legitimate amid credible information that he had leaked information of the upcoming outsourcing plan to competing news portals.
PRESSURE MOUNTS ON THE EU TO RESPOND
Noting the concerning trends emerging, General Secretary of the European Federation for Journalists Ricardo Gutierrez expressed his solidarity with Index staff and called on the European Commission and the EU member states to immediately launch an investigation into the continued destruction of media pluralism in the country.
The situation at Index unfolded only two days after Orban managed to thwart plans from several EU countries to withhold COVID-19 recovery funds from states who do not meet rule of law conditions. After Orban successfully vetoed the proposal to link EU funding to respect for rule of law, dissenting voices called on European states to scale up their response to the dismantling of media freedom.
The EU has in the past issued resolutions in an attempt to pressure Hungary to restore freedom of expression. In a 2018 resolution, the European Parliament invoked article 7 of the Treaty of the European Union to determine whether Hungary was breaking the founding values of the EU. Article 7 of the treaty allows member states to suspend certain rights from another member state that has committed rights violations in breach of the EU’s founding values. In the resolution, the European parliament included freedom of expression as a key consideration.
On the other hand, the strength of EU’s resolve to hold the Hungarian government to account is not without contention—criticism has been levelled at both EU institutions and members for failing to more "forcefully" implement political consequences for states that systematically dismantle democratic institutions. Following the crisis at Index, Lydia Gall, Senior Europe and Central Asia researcher at Human Rights Watch, called on EU member states to step up their efforts to protect journalists from political interference and ensure that “attacks on media freedom come at a high cost”.
POSSIBLY THE FINAL NAIL IN THE COFFIN OF MEDIA FREEDOM
Since the 2010 election, Orban’s government has progressively enacted arbitrary media legislation and scaled back access to independent media in an attempt to dismantle media-freedom and silence any form of political dissent. Under current legislation, the government has the power to impose high fines for media outlets who engage in alleged unbalanced coverage. Moreover, media ownership is largely concentrated in the hands of the government or pro-government contractors, effectively dismantling media pluralism and independent journalism on an unprecedented scale.
Given the history of media suppression and enactment of pro-government media conglomerates, it seems that the latest developments are just another victory in Orban’s quest to achieve unchallenged illiberal governance. At the moment, Index’s fate seems to be just another loss for democracy in a clear effort to silence dissent, eliminate the last independent outlets in the country, and strip Hungary of the last remnants of democratic institutions. Whether any meaningful political or legal consequences will be implemented to prevent the government from initiating a full takeover of the few remaining independent media outlets is unclear.
In the meantime, as Lydia Gall puts it, “this is another nail in the coffin for press freedom and independent journalism in Hungary.”
Emelie is a recent graduate in International Politics and Law from Middlesex University. She is currently active as a Community Campaigner for Action Aid UK while also working as a volunteer for the non-profit, The Circle NGO. Her research interests include women in international law, humanitarian law, and gender and security.