• Home
• Channel: Current Affairs
• DK Loses 7 Lawsuits Against Public Media, Says MTVA

DK Loses 7 Lawsuits Against Public Media, Says MTVA

• 6 Mar 2023 5:49 AM
• Hungary Matters

The opposition Democratic Coalition (DK) led by Ferenc Gyurcsány has lost seven lawsuits against Hungarian public media, MTVA’s press and marketing office said in a statement.

DK launched the suits in connection with the way the Hungarian news agency MTI handled press releases. MTVA’s statement said that DK attempted to put pressure on MTI in a way that recalled “the times of the party-state”.

The Kúria (supreme court) confirmed that MTI’s national press release service (OS) had the right to refuse to publish any statement that may breach the privacy rights of an individual, and that MTI was entitled to editorial freedom, the statement added.

Also, MTI has the right to refuse to publish DK statements, the court ruled, reasoning that provisions of the Act on Media Services and Mass Communication related to the national news agency did not guarantee anyone carte-blanche to demand publication of a specific statement via its OS service.

MTVA’s statement noted that the left-wing party had already brought the matter before the court on six occasions, and the courts, including the Kúria, had recognised MTI’s right to assess the relative merits of each individual statement submitted for publication.

DK must pay the full legal costs to the defendant, Duna Médiaszolgáltató Nonprofit Zrt.

MTI Photo: János Marjai

• How does this content make you feel?
• I love it
• I like it
• I dislike it

• Democratic Coalition 7 Lawsuit Public Media

XpatLoop Media Partner

Hungary Matters

Launched in January 2014, this newsletter published on week days covers 'everything you need to know about what’s going on in Hungary and beyond', according to its publisher the state media agency MTI.

Explore More Reports

Updated: Communist-Era Agent Files to be Released by New Gov't in Hungary

• 29 Sep 2026 12:12 PM

The incoming Tisza Party government will release the files on the communist-era state security apparatus, Peter Magyar, the prime minister-elect, said on Facebook.



LGBTQ+ Law Reform in Hungary Faces Calls for More Changes

• 16 Sep 2026 6:13 AM

The government's recent proposal to scrap "unlawful stipulations in the 2021 homophobic and transphobic propaganda law" is an important measure, civil rights groups said on Tuesday, adding however that the proposal was "deficient on several points".



Crackdown on Ads Deemed Harmful to Children in Hungary

• 15 Sep 2026 7:28 AM

The legislation package on child protection, which the government has just submitted to parliament, is aimed at "cleansing public spaces" of political and commercial advertisements that are harmful to children's development, Prime Minister Peter Magyar said on Monday in parliament.



'Significant Hike' to Family Allowance in Hungary Pledged by Magyar

• 14 Sep 2026 12:50 PM

The government will "significantly" raise the family allowance in 2027, and incomes for employees in the child welfare system will be increased by 20-25 percent by January, Prime Minister Peter Magyar said in an interview with public radio on Monday.