Hungary’s Media Council has issued a warning to national private broadcaster ATV for describing Jobbik as a “far-right” party in a November newscast. Jobbik is Hungary’s third-largest party and espouses a far-right nationalist platform. ATV was reporting on a demonstration against a Jobbik MP who called for making lists of Jews in Hungary because he […]
Archive of posts tagged Hungarian media law
Hungarian NGOs to Council of Europe: More Changes Needed to Media Laws
A group of leading Hungarian NGOs have asked the Council of Europe to continue negotiating with the Hungarian Government to make changes to the 2010 media laws. Council of Europe officials and the Hungarian government agreed in late January to introduce several changes to Hungary’s 2010 media legislation that include limiting the term lengths of […]
Media Council issues HUF 25.5 million in fines to TV2
The Media Council has fined national commercial TV station TV2 a total of HUF 23 million (EUR 78,800) for three content-related violations and an additional HUF 2.5 million fine for a violation related to advertising. TV2 was fined HUF 12.5 million (EUR 42,000) for its program, “Mokka,” which asked the audience to vote on the […]
Media Council investigates public TV station on charge of violating content regulations for minors
The Media Council has launched a public proceeding against public TV station M1 to determine whether it violated rules protecting minors from viewing violent or sexually explicit content, HVG reports. According to the Media Council, the station’s Camelot program contains sexually explicit and violent material that warrants a stricter “over 16 year old” rating, which […]
Council of Europe and Hungarian Government agree on changes to media laws
Following months of negotiations with the Council of Europe, Hungarian lawmakers are expected to introduce a set of amendments to the media laws that include changes to the appointment system and term lengths of members of the Media Council, the rules on source protection, and balanced reporting requirements for broadcasters, according to an announcement by […]
Hungarian media laws spark call for EU-wide regulation of media pluralism
Following an investigation of the 2010 Hungarian media laws, an expert group led by Vaira Vike-Freiberga, the former Latvian president, has published a report proposing the establishment of EU-wide regulations aimed at safeguarding media pluralism and freedom.
European Parliament group says Hungarian media laws needs more changes
Despite the changes that have been made since its adoption, the 2010 Hungarian media laws still have major flaws and need further amendment, according to a January 17 working document that was discussed in a January 21 meeting of the European Parliament’s Committee for Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) in Brussels.
MTVA chief discusses layoffs, censorship charges
The top manager of Hungary’s public media discussed staff cuts and charges of state censorship in an interview in pro-government newspaper Heti Válasz. István Böröcz, the CEO of the Media Services and Asset Management Fund (MTVA), said that staff restructuring would be completed by the fall of 2013. As many as 900 public media workers […]
Media Council asks for clarification after CoE criticism
In response to a statement from the Council of Europe criticizing the appointment procedures of Hungary’s Media Council for failing to meet European standards, Media Council spokeswoman Karola Kiricsi sent a letter to Daniel Holtgen, the spokesperson of the Council of Europe’s Secretary General, asking for guidance.
MTVA refuses to reveal new funding needs
The Media Services and Asset Management Fund (MTVA), the body that manages Hungary’s public media, refused to tell members of Parliament why the amount it would borrow from a consortium of banks was increased from HUF 40 billion to HUF 63 billion, according to reports.
Haraszti sees threats from ‘three-layered’ media system
Hungary has developed a “three-layered” media system in which the news is provided by three main sources: state-influenced TV and radio stations, a disappearing print sector, and freely distributed online media, human rights activist and former dissident Miklós Haraszti said at the opening of a conference on the Hungarian media on November 15.
Media Council rejects court ruling on Klubrádió
In a statement posted on its blog, the Media Council says it is unwilling to execute a court decision ordering the body to accept Klubrádió’s tender for a radio frequency. According the Media Council, Klubrádió’s application contained unsigned blank pages, which legally allows the Media Council to disqualify the broadcaster from the tender competition. In […]
Unions protest mass layoffs at public media
Public media union representatives have sent a letter to Hungary’s Media Authority in protest of the planned layoffs by the public media holding company, the Media Services and Asset Management Fund (MTVA). The letter was signed by seven leaders of various unions representing public service media workers and sent to Annamária Szalai, the Chairperson of […]
Two government-linked stations get bulk of public ad money
Two Fidesz-linked radio companies receive the bulk of the government money spent for advertising on the radio, according to Kreativ magazine. In 2012, Class FM, which is majority owned by Fidesz businessman Zsolt Nyerges, has so far received 66 percent of the public advertisement contracts in Hungary’s radio market. Music FM, also said to be influenced […]
