Mark Palmer, Miklos Haraszti and Charles Gati’s Feb. 27 op-ed, “A free voice for Hungary,”
suggested that media freedom is so restricted in Hungary that Radio
Free Europe’s Hungarian-language broadcast should be restarted to
provide balance.
Anyone with a genuine interest can see on the ground that the
Hungarian media are as diverse as ever, and opposition voices abound.
The writers suggested that CNN was dropped by one of the major cable
companies because of government pressure. Senior management of that
company, which is majority-owned by Deutsche Telekom, categorically
denied this and said that it was a purely financial decision. Contrary
to the writers’ claims, Klubradio, a station airing opposition voices,
lost one of its regional frequencies in a transparent tender by offering
less money than its competitors did. The decision was appealed, and the
case is before the courts. Meanwhile, the radio station stays on the
air.
Incredibly, the writers also talked about dictatorship in
Hungary and attacks on the United States. Would such a country represent
U.S. interests in Libya and rescue two American journalists from
Moammar Gaddafi’s prisons? Would it erect a statue to Ronald Reagan and
set up an institute dedicated to the life and work of former U.S.
representative Tom Lantos and the promotion of human rights? Would its
parliament enshrine the fundamental values of the West in the nation’s
new Basic Law? The current Hungarian government has done all that.
Presenting
a make-believe picture of Hungarian reality benefits no one but the
extreme right-wing party Jobbik. The Hungarian left, which drove the
economy to near-bankruptcy, is now in shambles because of the profound
disillusionment of the voters. Like it or not, the bulwark against
extremism is provided by the current democratic, conservative
government.
Gyorgy Szapary, Washington
The writer is Hungary’s ambassador to the United States.
38
Comments