Post date: Dec 20, 2010 9:42:36 PM
Hungary's parliament passed legislation tightening control on media.
BUDAPEST, HUNGARY (RECENT, 2010) REUTERS - Hungary is expected to pass legislation on Monday (December 20) tightening the centre-right government's control over news outlets, drawing protests from media watchdogs who say the law is arbitrary and ill-defined.
The new National Media and Communications Authority (NMHH), dominated by people loyal to the ruling Fidesz party, will oversee all public news production and its powers will include levying steep fines on private media that violate the law.
Since Fidesz won an April election in a landslide, it has put its own people into key posts at autonomous public institutions such as the financial regulator and the state audit office, as well as the NMHH.Critics have called the media law heavy-handed and arbitrary, complaining that it does not clearly lay out what news outlets have to do to comply.
"The media authority will be able to control all kinds of media outlets, not only electronic but also the printed press and the Internet," media law expert Marton Nehez-Posony said.
"It does not require a third party complaint to start a procedure, it can do it ex officio. The press will need to be extremely cautious about what it prints, what it publishes."
Besides regulatory changes, all public service news production, in television, radio and the national news agency MTI, will be merged and its contents disseminated for free.
Journalists said these steps will diminish news diversity and give the government's agenda an unfair advantage.
"The possibility is there now that the fines could put that part of the press that the government does not like out of existence. Just one example to illustrate what characterizes the Hungarian media today. The London correspondent of Nepszabadsag was not allowed into Downing Street by Fidesz," said Akos Toth, an editor at the country's major left-leaning broadsheet Nepszabadsag. "They said: use MTI coverage. We don't want to use MTI coverage, especially now that we have seen what principles they will use in reporting."
Not all Hungarian media and journalists are worried about the new law. Conservative newspapers are not against the law and have been critical of the liberal part of the media for over-reacting. The country's only 24 hour news channel 'Hir Tv' says that much of the reaction is hysteria.
"We are not reacting as hysterically as the liberal part of the media here. I think this law contains lots of positive things such as it supports investigative journalism more than before. We don't agree with the extent of the fines, I think it's exaggerated," deputy CEO of Hir Tv, Peter Szikszai said.
News in public media will be produced under the watch of Csaba Belenessy, recently appointed to lead the merged newsrooms, who has said reporters must be pro-government.
"A public service media outlet should be loyal to the government and respect the opposition," Belenessy told the weekly 168 Ora earlier this month. "To accept a post and then bite the hand that feeds you is not acceptable."
The NMHH's legal director, Andras Lapsanszky, told a media forum on Friday (December 17) that the government had the authority to define "public good" and enforce its values because it was elected with a majority. "One must accept that," Lapsanszky said.
Some weeklies and one daily newspaper carried blank front pages earlier this month in protest against the law. Some said the government wanted to silence dissent with prohibitive fines. The NMHH's fines can reach 25 million forints ($120,900), enough to effectively shut down a smaller news organisation.
"We don't know what the real criteria are on the basis of which the press products will be fined or even shut down. The code is not defined, you don't know what will be punished for," said Endre Bojtar, editor in chief at liberal weekly Magyar Narancs.
Freedom House, which called Hungary's politics and media free in its 2010 report, said the media law was a major setback for press freedom in the country. "Of particular concern is the wording of the supposed violations which is very broad, creating an environment conducive to significant misuse..."
The government has said the new law is long overdue to bring outdated legislation up to date with changing technology and content. It said the law respected press freedom and was in line with those in fellow European Union countries.
"Just keep yourselves calm. A number of things will only be decided on Monday in the next week so lets see. And basically Im calling for patience and calling for some time to prove that those measures that have been taken or going to be taken might go to the good direction just give us time to prove that," said Zoltan Kovacs, state secretary at the Ministry of Public Administration.
Parliament is expected to pass the law Monday afternoon. One opposition party plans to put orange coloured [symbol of Fidesz] stickers across their mouth during the vote to protest against the law. A demonstration organized by civilians and the opposition Democratic Charta is due to take place this evening in Budapest with blank banners.