The Médiafórum Association elected a new leadership at its general assembly on October 1, 2025. The current board (Balázs Weyer, President; Péter Nádori and Péter Szigeti, board members) had agreed to serve only until the new operations of the association were up and running. As this has now been achieved, it was time to elect … New Leadership
This year, Direkt36 is among the recipients of the Free Media Award, an international journalism prize jointly awarded by Germany’s ZEIT Stiftung Bucerius and Norway’s Fritt Ord Foundation. The award honors journalists and media outlets “in recognition of their valiant investigative journalism under exceedingly difficult circumstances”. Direkt36 was recognized for its “powerful in-depth journalism.” The … Direkt36 Receives International Award
Átlátszó has filed a lawsuit against the Sovereignty Protection Office concerning the so-called “research report” that contained false statements about the organization. Átlátszó’s founder and editor-in-chief, Tamás Bodoky, presented evidence to the court demonstrating the harm caused by the Office’s report and the accompanying media campaign. Bodoky described the actions of the Sovereignty Protection Office … Átlátszó demonstrates damage caused by the Sovereignty Protection Office
For years, the government has been fiercely attacking media outlets that operate with funding from outside Hungary. In May 2025, a bill was introduced in Parliament that, if passed, would give the Sovereignty Protection Office and the government virtually free rein to silence anyone on this basis. The 21 Research Center and Mediaforum conducted a … Poll: Most Hungarian Internet Users Don’t Judge Media with Foreign Funding
The Committee to Protect Journalists and the International Press Institute are urging European Union leaders to “unequivocally and immediately condemn Hungary’s proposed ‘foreign agent’ law,” warning that it “poses severe threat to independent journalism and press freedom and should be immediately challenged under EU law.” On May 13, 2025, a Fidesz MP introduced a bill … Press Freedom Organizations Condemn Hungary’s Proposed “Foreign Agent” Law
14 May 2025 – The draft law submitted by the ruling party on Tuesday is nothing but an authoritarian attempt to hold on to their power. Its aim is to silence all critical voices and eliminate what remains of Hungarian democracy once and for all. The draft is an attack on remaining independent organisations more … No Country Was Built On Blacklists – joint statement
On May 13, 2025, an MEP of the ruling party introduced a bill reminiscent of Russia’s “foreign agents” legislation that would severely restrict organizations receiving funding from abroad. The proposal, titled “On transparency in the public sphere,” would grant Hungary’s Sovereignty Protection Office sweeping powers to target independent organizations deemed threats to national sovereignty by … Hungary Proposes ‘Foreign Agents’ Law Targeting Independent Media and NGOs
The Fidesz-KDNP governing parties have adopted a constitutional amendment that “creates the possibility that the Hungarian citizenship of Hungarian citizens who are also citizens of another state, not including citizens of states with the right of free movement and residence, is suspended in accordance with the provisions of a cardinal Act.” Under the new legislation … Constitutional Amendment Enables Suspension of Citizenship
Two media companies—Alhambra Press, publisher of Magyar Hang, and another company that wishes to remain anonymous—have filed a complaint with the European Commission alleging illegal state aid in Hungary’s media sector. Their comprehensive analysis documents a severely market-distorting allocation of state advertising revenues: media outlets aligned with the government have reportedly received over €1.1 billion … Magyar Hang files state aid complaint to the EC against Hungary
On March 15, in his public speech (where only national television stations were allowed to broadcast), Prime Minister Viktor Orbán raised the intensity of the hate campaign against organizations and individuals critical of the government to a new level, comparing them to bugs. In his own words: “The heady day of 15 March 1848 was … Journalist “bugs” and press freedom