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Media Council issues HUF 25.5 million in fines to TV2

January 31, 2013

The Media Council has fined national commercial TV station TV2 a total of HUF 23 million (EUR 78,800) for three content-related violations and an additional HUF 2.5 million fine for a violation related to advertising. TV2 was fined HUF 12.5 million (EUR 42,000) for its program, “Mokka,” which asked the audience to vote on the motives behind a recent murder of child and offered participants a chance to win a holiday in the Hungarian countryside for voting. The Media Council ruled that program editors violated the protection of human dignity clause in the “media constitution” (Act CIV of 2010), saying that the editors “neglected the emotions of the relatives and used the tragedy of a family for financial profit.”

Media Council investigates public TV station on charge of violating content regulations for minors

January 31, 2013

The Media Council has launched a public proceeding against public TV station M1 to determine whether it violated rules protecting minors from viewing violent or sexually explicit content, HVG reports. According to the Media Council, the station’s Camelot program contains sexually explicit and violent material that warrants a stricter “over 16 year old” rating, which would mean the program could only be aired after 11 p.m. The series, which is currently rated as “not recommended for under 12,” initially aired after 9 p.m., and then was reportedly re-aired the next day in the early afternoon, in violation of the 2010 Media Act, which specifies that programs with this rating can only be aired between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m. (see Articles 9 – 11, of the Mttv). 

Council of Europe and Hungarian Government agree on changes to media laws

January 29, 2013

Following months of negotiations with the Council of Europe, Hungarian lawmakers are expected to introduce a set of amendments to the media laws that include changes to the appointment system and term lengths of members of the Media Council, the rules on source protection, and balanced reporting requirements for broadcasters, according to an announcement by Council of Europe's Secretary Thorbjorn Jagland (view video address here).

Media Authority study finds an increase in negative news coverage of Roma

January 24, 2013

Compared with the previous six months, the Hungarian media’s coverage of Roma grew quantitatively more negative in the first half of 2012, while there were fewer negative stories about political migrants, according to an analysis by the Media Authority (NMHH).

Hungarian media laws spark call for EU-wide regulation of media pluralism

January 22, 2013

Following an investigation of the 2010 Hungarian media laws, an expert group led by Vaira Vike-Freiberga, the former Latvian president, has published a report proposing the establishment of EU-wide regulations aimed at safeguarding media pluralism and freedom.