The Goethe Institute in Budapest organized the  conference  PROTECT PUBLIC SERVICE MEDIA AGAINST POLITICAL INTERFERENCE, there were speakers and attendees from more the twenty European countries including MEPs and representatives of the EC relevant directorates, representatives of Prosum Foundation were also present.

(https://newsocracyhungary2019.sched.com/directory/attendees)

Speakers and commenters agreed the independent and impartial press and media is in dire danger across Europe and subject to political pressure and the spreading of fake news on a mass scale.

Participants agreed that Public Service Media should broadcast for the public, be financed and controlled by the public. They should be a trusted source of news and provide impartial information to enable citizens to make informed decisions.

While Public Service Media should be independent, the rise of populism further exposes them to political interference. Politicians try to undermine the media’s independence, manipulate and censor journalistic output. In the worst cases, Public Service Media are turned into state-controlled media, propaganda or public relations instruments. Speakers and commenters agreed that there are significant differences between EU member states. While there some negative phenomena in this filed in the established democracies as well, the public media is functioning well and provides balance views in countries like Germany and Denmark, and independent media also able to function and well protected.

Unfortunately there is an entirely different situation in the so-called new democracy of the EU periphery, in countries like Hungary and Poland and some of the Balkan states waiting to be admitted into the EU.

Undoubtly the worst case is Hungary ruled by the autocratic Orbán-regime which undermines the media’s independence, manipulates and censors journalistic output. In the worst cases, Public Service Media are turned into state-controlled media, propaganda or public relations instruments. The Hungarian government exercising total control of state owned media and – as one participant has phrased it – “turned public service media into party service media” – new editors an media programs are directly controlled from the government’s propaganda ministry , while the excess to independent media a news sources are cut off for citizens in most parts of the country.  In countries like Hungary the public made is turned into a party propaganda machine fabricating fake news on and industrial scale against the opposition, foreigners, ethnic groups and mostly against the EU and Brussels. It was mentioned that the members of “The Hungarian National Board of Media Overseers” just have been reappointed for a second nine-year term consisting of members only from the ruling government party without a single opposition or independent member.

Market based media is unable to counterbalance the totalitarian behaviour of a government since the government can employ various means to control the advertisement and other revenues of the market-based media.