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The state of press freedom in Hungary

Wednesday, December 25th, 2013

A right-wing columnist lambasts a video clip on censorship by the organization Reporters Without Borders, and suggests that despite all the controversies around media freedom in Hungary, it is ridiculous to liken PM Orbán to authoritarian dictators. READ MORE

Polarized nation to commemorate 1956 revolution

Wednesday, October 23rd, 2013

Pro-government columnists accuse the opposition of using the anniversary to entrench political cleavages. Left-wing pundits, on the other hand, suspect that the government is using the public media and other state run services to silence the opposition. READ MORE

Ruminations on the Manning verdict

Friday, August 2nd, 2013

Both a left-wing and a pro-government columnist fear that a harsh prison sentence for Private Manning, found guilty of espionage and other charges could undermine democracy and press freedom. READ MORE

Government proposes surplus tax on advertisements

Wednesday, May 29th, 2013

The leading left liberal daily contends that the government wants to silence its critics by imposing an advertisement tax on media outlets. A right-wing blogger wonders why the government is punishing Hungarian media companies rather then helping them. READ MORE

Hungarian government criticized in German public media

Monday, April 1st, 2013

Left-wing commentators criticize the government’s reaction to German public media reports which claim that undemocratic trends are the order of the day in Hungary. A conservative liberal blogger, on the other hand, believes that the German media habitually paint a distorted and biased picture of Hungary. READ MORE

Online commentators sued

Thursday, November 15th, 2012

Left-wing and centrist commentators who ponder a Fidesz MP”s legal action against offensive online comments believe that Fidesz is trying to silence its critics at any price. A pro-government columnist, on the other hand, accuses the left of whipping up ideological hatred. READ MORE

Strasbourg red star ruling stirs emotions

Wednesday, November 9th, 2011

Conservative and liberal commentators ponder whether the European Court of Human Rights was correct to rule that Hungary violated the principle of free speech when it banned the red star symbol. READ MORE