FOTP 2013 Full Report

Under the Media Law, the funding for all public media is centralized under one body, theMedia Service Support and Asset Management Fund (MTVA), supervised by the Media Council.By creating a central property management and production fund, the government deprived threepreviously independent institutions—MTV, MR, and Danube Television (Duna Televízió)—oftheir financial and organizational autonomy.In December 2011, a group of Hungarian journalists, led by then MTV1 foreign newsproducer Balazs Nagy Navarro, went on a hunger strike to protest alleged manipulation of thestate media by the Orbán government. Both Nagy Navarro and another leading figure in thehunger strike, Aranka Szavuly, were dismissed from their jobs at MTV1 late that month forcausing a “provocation.” The strike continued throughout 2012. By the end of 2011, MTVA hadlaid off nearly 1,000 employees as part of a long-anticipated streamlining of the public media.The government claims this was due to budgetary concerns, though the public media received a10 percent budget increase in 2011 and an increase of approximately 2 percent in 2012.Throughout the year, employees of the public and private media spoke to international media andpress freedom watchdog organizations about growing self-censorship by journalists and editorsin the face of fines or unemployment.Diversity is on the rise in online media. Most notably, there has been an increase indomestically owned internet-based outlets. At approximately 72 percent, Hungary’s internetpenetration is just below the European average, according to the InternationalTelecommunication Union. Data published by the U.S. State Department show that as of January2011, there was a significant gap between the usage rates in Budapest and the rest of the country.IcelandStatus: FreeLegal Environment: 3Political Environment: 5Economic Environment: 6Total Score: 14Survey Edition 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012Total Score, Status 9,F 9,F 10,F 12,F 14,FFreedom of expression is protected under Article 73 of the constitution, and the governmentgenerally does not interfere in the independent media’s presentation of a wide variety of views.However, there are limitations on free speech, including fines or imprisonment for those whobelittle the doctrines of officially recognized religious groups or deliver verbal assaults based onrace, religion, nationality, or sexual orientation.A new media control law passed in 2011 was intended enhance press freedom throughcomprehensive regulation of broadcast, print, and web-based media. However, press freedomorganizations opposed several components of the legislation, particularly the creation of the StateMedia Committee, a state-run body with sweeping powers to impose fines on media outlets thatdo not comply with the law. Another provision requires outlets to register and detail their“editorial strategy.” Nonregistration can result in fines of approximately $1,600 per day. Anoutlet may also be fined for not adhering to its stated editorial strategy. The new law includes a200