Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Hungarian government bypasses court order allowing journalists to report from public hospitals

Hungarian government bypasses court order allowing journalists to report from public hospitals

Hungarian authorities should not grant state media preferential access to public facilities, and should ensure that independent news outlets can cover the COVID-19 pandemic freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday.
On February 4, the Hungarian government’s executive branch issued a decree empowering the Operational Corps, the government pandemic management body, to adjudicate journalists’ requests to report from public hospitals and health facilities, according to news reports and a copy of that decree.

Previously, on January 27, the Budapest-Capital Regional Court ruled that the Ministry of Human Resources, which oversees public hospitals, had illegally banned all journalists except those from state-run and state-funded outlets from accessing public hospitals during the pandemic, and ordered the government to allow hospital administrators to make access decisions on a case-by-case basis, those reports said.

By empowering another government body with that decision-making power, the decree bypasses that court decision, according to those reports.

“Hungarian authorities should revoke a recent government decree that could be used to restrict independent journalists from covering the COVID-19 pandemic in public health facilities,” said Gulnoza Said, CPJ’s Europe and Central Asia program coordinator, in New York. “Hungarian courts have already ruled that journalists must be able to access such facilities; this decree not only limits journalists’ work, but shows the length the government will go to control press coverage.”

The Budapest-Capital Regional Court ruling stemmed from a lawsuit by the independent news website Telex, together with the Hungarian Civil Liberties Union, after Telex made more than 50 requests to report from various public hospitals in Hungary, all of which were denied, reports said.

HCLU lawyer Emese Pásztor told Telex that the civil liberties union is examining the possibilities of challenging the decree. “Respect for the rule of law means that the authorities should respect court decisions and not overrule them,” she said.

On March 31, 2021, 28 independent newsrooms signed an open letter accusing the government of putting lives at risk by barring the media from covering the full extent of the COVID-19 outbreak. In that letter, journalists said that they had been blocked from accessing hospitals and speaking to staff members, making it impossible to alert the public to the crisis. Following the publication of that letter, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said in an interview with public broadcaster M1 that “it is not the time to enter hospitals and shoot bogus videos and produce fake news.”

CPJ emailed the Hungarian government’s international spokesperson for comment, but received no immediate reply.

Independent journalists have described to CPJ the challenges of reporting on COVID-19 in Hungary’s increasingly repressive media environment.
AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
Hungary Ranked Among the World’s Safest Travel Destinations for 2025
G7 Leaders Fail to Reach Consensus on Key Global Issues
FBI and Senate Investigate Allegations of Chinese Plot to Influence the 2020 Election in Biden’s Favor Using Fake U.S. Driver’s Licenses
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Shock Within Iran’s Leadership: Khamenei’s Failed Plan to Launch 1,000 Missiles Against Israel
Wreck of $17 Billion San José Galleon Identified Off Colombia After 300 Years
Man Convicted of Fraud After Booking Over 120 Free Flights Posing as Flight Attendant
Iran Launches Extensive Missile Attack on Israel Following Israeli Strikes on Nuclear Sites
Beata Thunberg Rebrands as Beata Ernman Amidst Sister's Activism Controversy
Hungarian Parliament Approves Citizenship Suspension Law
Prime Minister Orbán Criticizes EU's Ukraine Accession Plans
Hungarian Delicacies Introduced to Japanese Market
Hungary's Industrial Output Rises Amid Battery Sector Slump
President Sulyok Celebrates 15 Years of Hungarian Unity Efforts
Hungary's Szeleczki Shines at World Judo Championships
Visegrád Construction Trends Diverge as Hungary Lags
Hungary Hosts National Quantum Technology Workshop
Hungarian Animation Featured at Annecy Festival
Israel Issues Ultimatum to Iran Over Potential Retaliation and Nuclear Facilities
UK and EU Reach New Economic Agreement
Coinbase CEO Warns Bitcoin Could Supplant US Dollar Amid Mounting National Debt
Trump to Iran: Make a Deal — Sign or Die
Operation "Like a Lion": Israel Strikes Iran in Unprecedented Offensive
Israel Launches 'Operation Rising Lion' Targeting Iranian Nuclear and Military Sites
UK and EU Reach Agreement on Gibraltar's Schengen Integration
Israeli Finance Minister Imposes Banking Penalties on Palestinians
U.S. Inflation Rises to 2.4% in May Amid Trade Tensions
Trump's Policies Prompt Decline in Chinese Student Enrollment in U.S.
Global Oceans Near Record Temperatures as CO₂ Levels Climb
Trump Announces U.S.-China Trade Deal Covering Rare Earths
Smuggled U.S. Fuel Funds Mexican Cartels Amid Crackdown
Austrian School Shooting Leaves Nine Dead in Graz
Bezos's Lavish Venice Wedding Sparks Local Protests
Europe Prepares for Historic Lunar Rover Landing
Italian Parents Seek Therapy Amid Lengthy School Holidays
British Fishing Vessel Seized by France Fined €30,000
Dutch Government Collapses Amid Migration Policy Dispute
UK Commits to 3.5% GDP Defence Spending Under NATO Pressure
Germany Moves to Expedite Migrant Deportations
US Urges UK to Raise Defence Spending to 5% of GDP
Israeli Forces Intercept Gaza-Bound Aid Vessel Carrying Greta Thunberg
IMF Warns of Severe Global Trade War Impacts on Emerging Markets
Low Turnout Jeopardizes Italy's Citizenship Reform Referendum
Transatlantic Interest Rate Divergence Widens as Trump Pressures Powell
EU Lawmaker Calls for Broader Exemptions in Supply Chain Legislation
France's Defense Spending Plans Threatened by High National Debt
European Small-Cap Stocks Outperform U.S. Rivals Amid Growth Revival
Switzerland Proposes $26 Billion Capital Increase for UBS
×