Budapest folds on controversial media law

“The media law will be modified”, leads Népszabadság following the decision of Viktor Orbán’s government to amend this controversial text that entered into force in early January. The decision to amend the law takes into account comments made by the European Commission on freedom of expression and broadcasting. The daily states that Budapest is committed to making the “technical adjustments” demanded by Brussels and to remove the provision for penalising the media for “insulting” by “publishing adverse opinions regarding persons”. The requirement for “balanced coverage” will also be applied “proportionately”, and the law will no longer apply to bloggers, to television on demand and to other broadcast media established in other EU countries. While Népszabadságwelcomes the decision of the Hungarian government, it regrets nonetheless that it is only a “compromise” and deplores the failure to tackle “the question of the independence of the media."