Pressmediaofindia
Related Articles
07-10-2024
BUDAPEST: Thousands of Hungarians gathered outside the headquarters of the country’s state television on Saturday, protesting against what they described as the government’s “propaganda machine” and calling for an independent public service media.
The protestors, from the opposition TISZA party, say that the state broadcaster MTVA is running biased propaganda, featuring only politicians from Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s party and government, and analysts repeating their narrative.
The centre-right TISZA party, led by media-savvy political newcomer, Peter Magyar, is posing the biggest challenge to right-wing nationalist Orban since he swept to power in 2010.
Waving the national flag and banners saying “Stop Propaganda”, thousands of TISZA supporters gathered in Budapest, shouting “We are not afraid” and “we’ve had enough” at the latest mass rally called by Magyar.
“We have had enough of the malice, the lies, the propaganda, our patience has run out,” Magyar told the crowd.
“What we have as public service media in Hungary today is a global scandal, we have had enough.”
Magyar demanded that public service TV show the protest in an “unedited” broadcast.
TISZA, which stands for Tisztelet es Szabadsag (Respect and Freedom) has 39% support among voters, compared with 43% for Orban’s Fidesz party, according to a survey published by pollster Median last month. The next elections are due in early 2026.
Magyar, tapping into voters’ growing frustrations with Orban at a time when the economy is just clambering out of an inflation crisis, has promised to root out corruption, rebuild public service media and restore democratic checks and balances, which critics say have been eroded under Orban.
While the public media primarily serves as a government mouthpiece, private media is largely controlled by allies of Orban’s Fidesz.
The government has denied undermining press freedom.
The UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression Irene Khan has said there was “a distorted media environment in Hungary where pluralism, diversity and independence of media is being questioned.”
In 2024, tourism across the globe is “well on track” to return to pre-pandemic levels, according to projections by UN Tourism.
Global conflicts and natural disasters, ranging from a series of coups across Africa to catastrophic earthquakes in the Middle East affected international travel patterns throughout 2023. Still, international tourist arrivals reached 87% of pre-pandemic levels in 2023, according to estimates by UN Tourism.
In January 2024 alone, about 4.6 million US citizens left the country for international destinations, 17% higher than the same month in 2019, according to the International Trade Administration.
On Oct. 19, 2023, following the outbreak of war between Israel and Gaza and flaring tensions in the region, the US State Department issued a worldwide caution advisory due to “increased tensions in various locations around the world, the potential for terrorist attacks, demonstrations or violent actions against US citizens and interests.” Prior to this update, the most recent worldwide caution advisory was issued in 2022 after a US strike killed Ayman al-Zawahiri, Osama bin Laden’s successor as leader of Al Qaeda, causing “a higher potential for anti-American violence.” The worldwide caution advisory remains in effect. (Int’l Monitoring Desk)
