You can find more detail in my previous posts. This one on the background and the verdict itself, and this one on my government’s initiatives to aid the families of the victims.

Inevitably, some of the media coverage tried to exploit the story to make a point, attempting to associate somehow these heinous crimes, which took place under the previous government, with the current government and ruling parties, and presenting biased, often offensive, conclusions about today’s Hungary. In a recent piece in The Atlantic entitled, “What Do Modern-Day European Nazis Hate the Most,” authors Andrew Connelly and Helene Bienvenu get particularly carried away.

Connelly and Bienvenu commit the usual error. Their sources are a narrow group that all come from a particular side of the political fence in Hungary. Take a look at the pull quote on the story, which is highlighted next to the second paragraph but not in quotation marks: This country is divided on every topic, except hatred for the Roma.

Now, I’m sure I am not the only Hungarian who finds that insulting. But more to the point here is who the author of that quote is. They took that from a fellow reporter – again, journalists talking to other journalists – who “surmises the problem” in Hungary. The reporter is from Nepszava (which translates to the People’s Word), a far-left newspaper.

They then goes on to quote a “Roma civil rights activist” who speaks of the “economic genocide taking place” in Hungary. He appears as an independent, expert source, but it’s not mentioned that he is also a regular speaker at demonstrations of liberal opposition groups. Then we have some quote from a neo-Nazi, always good for its shock effect, before turning to a former MP of a vanished liberal party. That’s it for so-called independent sources.

The reporters could have mentioned that the government has opened an investigation into the role in this crime of Hungary’s secret services under the former, Socialist government. Also, the current government, recognizing the state’s negligence in the investigation and perhaps possible prevention of the crime, is extending compensation to the families of the victims (an initiative that was swept off the table back in 2009 when Fidesz, then in opposition, first proposed it). But for the reporters to mention those details, he would have had to speak to other sources.

Using this murder trial to present the conclusion that Hungary and Hungarian people are intolerant and hate the Roma minority goes beyond the pale. These murderers are no more representative of Hungary than Anders Breivik is of Norway or the KKK is of the United States.

Someone interested in writing a balanced, thoughtful piece about Hungary is compelled to talk to a balance of sources, unless of course one is not really interested in presenting a balanced, accurate picture.

In that vein, we also saw earlier this week a piece from Deutsche Welle entitled “New Investigations, Compensation for Roma Murders in Hungary” that presents a much more balanced view. It is critical of our government, and I could take issue with several of its statements, but I appreciate that there’s at least an attempt to present a more complete picture of this story.

It’s campaign season in Hungary, to be sure, but issues like this should be treated with much more sensitivity at least out of respect for the families of the victims.

Source: A Blog About Hungary

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