Politics.hu is reporting that the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media has asked legal experts to review the new media legislation which was presented last month by Hungary’s controling Fidesz party.
OSCE Representative Dunja Mijatovic stated “”the proposed laws are highly worrisome regarding media freedom… their adoption could lead to all broadcasting being subordinated to political decisions.”
She went to say that that political parties of the opposition, the Federation of Hungarian Journalists, and others groups had expressed constitutional concerns over the new media legislation.
As we discussed earlier, these proposed regulations would require all media to report on national and European Affairs in a “responsible way” in order to “strengthen the feeling of national unity.” Organizations like the International Press Institute in Vienna and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) have bluntly stated that proposed laws are very worrying for media freedom. However, Hungarian PM Viktor Orban rejects the criticism, saying: ”It is the responsibility of public service media to support the government.”
