Editorial board of Index resigns

László Bodolai, the head of Foundation for Hungarian Progress (Magyar Fejlődésért Alapítvány), owner of the media outlet, said on Wednesday he had fired Index's editor-in-chief, a month after Szabolcs Dull warned that its independence from the government was at risk.

He also announced that he had invited Pál Szombathy, a member of the Board of Directors, to be the CEO of Index, who has accepted the role. András Sztankóczy has been added to the BoD as new member. Dull was removed from the Board earlier over his warning that a planned overhaul that would put in jeopardy the freedom of Index journalists to publish stories critical of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s government.

Then two CEOs came and went within a week. 

The editorial staff firmly stood beside Dull and formally requested Bodolai to reinstate the dismissed editor-in-chief in order to secure the independence and future of Index, which is the most popular news portal in Hungary with over one million visitors a day.

Bodolai categorically refused Dull's reinstatement, and later confirmed this in writing, stating that he is in no position to restore Dull's position as  "the loss of trust towards him is so severe that I am unable to work with him under any circumstances."

“The political independence of Index is not at risk,” he said in a letter to staff. He did not name a new editor.

On Wednesday, members of the staff have unanimously taken a stand by Dull, describing Bodolai's decision as unacceptable. 

His dismissal is an undisputable intervention in the composition of our staff, and we cannot regard it any other way but as an overt attempt to apply pressure on Index.hu that will result in the decline of independent reporting.

On Friday, the three leading editors of Index, Attila Tóth-Szenesi, Veronika Munk, and János Haász have initiated the termination of their employment at Index, followed by more than 70 journalists working at the site.

"For years, we've been saying that there are two conditions for the independent operation of Index: that there be no external influence on the content we publish or the structure and composition of our staff," the editorial said in a statement.

"Firing Szabolcs Dull has violated our second condition. His dismissal is a clear interference in the composition of our staff,  and we cannot regard it any other way but as an overt attempt to apply pressure on Index.hu.

Under these circumstances, following Bodolai's decision, the editorial board deemed that the conditions for independent operation are no longer in place and have initiated the termination of their employment.

You find the list of staff members who handed in their resignations here.

The government has been denying interfering in the media, but the dismissal makes another clash likely between Hungary and the European Union’s executive, the European Commission.

European Commission Vice President Věra Jourová said she has "big concerns" about the situation at Hungarian news portal Index.

I expressed big concerns about the situation in media in general in Hungary and also specifically the situation in Index

, Politico cited Jourová, the Commission Vice President for values and transparency, as telling reporters Thursday.

She has expressed solidarity with Index earlier this week, stressing that "economic pressure should not turn into political pressure."

Hungarian journalists and experts have long raised concerns over what they describe as increasing government control over the media. In 2016, the country's largest print daily, Népszabadság, shut down.

"To have free and fair elections we need to have plurality of media and freedom of speech guaranteed, that's why we are looking at the situation with concerns in Hungary," Jourová said, citing "high risk" to political independence.

She added that "I have shared my concerns on many occasions, and on the specific situation of Index, I have been following the situation over the past weeks — it must be extremely difficult for the staff to work in such uncertainty, and I published a message of solidarity, and the Commission has been in contact with Index."

The Eurpean Commission had accused Budapest of eroding the rule of law and initiated a legal procedure (Article 7) that could lead to financial sanctions against Hungary. The pro-government media empire counts more than 500 outlets. 

Ágnes Urbán, director of the media-monitoring institute Mérték, told Reuters Dull’s sacking was a “worrisome signal” that underscores fears for media freedom in Hungary.

Jourová also addressed the controversial merging of over 400 Hungarian pro-government media outlets under the umbrella of the Central European Press and Media Foundation (KESMA), noting that "we take this Hungarian case very seriously" and that the Commission will review whether the grouping complies with competition rules.

In response to a request for comment, the Hungarian government's international communications office replied to Politico that "the Government does not engage in matters related to the media market."

UPDATE: 

Bodolai told azonnali.hu that it was blackmail from the part of the editorial that they requested Dull's reinstatement. He said this was an impossible demand. He stressed he had been trying to come to terms with the editor-in-chief, but things escalated so badly that he had no choice but to let him go.

He expressed his surprise to see that many journalists resigning. In a letter sent to the editorial team in respect of Dull's dismissal he stressed "the political independence of Index is not at risk. The risk today is what the portal believes in the most: free competition and free economy, capitalism."

Bodolai added that he would go into the newsroom on Monday. He told 168óra that he will first have to learn the facts before he can say how Index can be operated any further, adding that the operation of the portal is the first priority in this situation.

Cover photo: Shutterstock