Opposition-leaning website accused of serving foreign interests

A pro-government columnist disputes Telex’s image as an independent news outlet.

In Magyar Nemzet, Ferenc Kiss rejects Telex’s claim that the government intends to clamp down on independent news outlets. Telex wrote earlier this month that the new legislation the government is preparing entitled the Sovereignty Protection Bill will target independent journalism. Kiss doesn’t believe in the existence of independent journalism and dismisses Telex’s claim to independence as unfounded. He quotes an old saying whereby musicians play the music they are being paid for, adding that journalists have their own political leanings which will inevitably be expressed in their articles. He quotes Telex’s own transparency report according to which over half of the new site’s expenses are paid for by institutional donors, several of whom, Kiss writes, are foreigners, including the US embassy in Budapest.

Tags: press, sovereignty