Media Council Does Not Stand for Freedom of the Press, but for Fidesz

December 21st 2011

According to LMP (Politics Can be Different), the Media Council has taken a „shameful” decision when it retracted the frequency of a Budapest based radio station, Klubrádió, said MP Gergely Karácsony at a press conference Wednesday. The Deputy Chairman of the LMP faction added that it has become clear to all that the “Media Council does not stand for the freedom of the press, but for Fidesz (the governing party)”.

The representative expressed that there was no reason the “most frequently listened to radio station on public issues” should lose its frequency. The representative emphasised that the decision was based “exclusively on the interest of Fidesz and its corporate supporters”.MP Karácsony has also drawn attention to the fact the Klubrádió had unfairly lost another frequency earlier. He explained that the radio had been promised a new frequency by the ORTT (the National Radian and Television Council), but upon “fictitious reasoning” the Media Council “having only Fidesz members” stripped the radio from the new frequency as well.

It shows the weakness of the government that it cannot tolerate opposing opinions – said MP Karácsony. “Most likely Fidesz knows that it should fear its citizens, but this action could be the last straw for Hungarian citizens” – he added.

The Deputy Chairman emphasised that the decision of the Media Council on Tuesday makes it clear that the media law – even without the parts recently annulled by the Constitutional Court – seriously jeopardises the freedom of press.

LMP/MTI (Hungarian News Agency)