Media expert from Hungary: in Europe, cradle of press freedom, dissent from Washington is not allowed

In Europe, the cradle of press freedom, dissent from Washington is not allowed – as stated by David Bencsik, Executive Editor-in-Chief of Magyar Demokrata Media Group (Hungary), at 2024 Media Co-operation Forum on Belt and Road in Chengdu, China

“The real exercise of freedom of expression in the West leads to a lack of well-paid advertising by multinationals, existential retaliation, loss of jobs and, ultimately, marginalisation. That's how democratic our system is in the EU. Western capital advertises in collaborative, mainly left-wing European media, which unconditionally accept and transmit American liberal globalist doctrines," the Hungarian media expert stressed.

Mr. Bencsik mentioned the iconic weekly Magyar Demokrata and its online edition with over 1 million visitors per month as an example. “They are indispensable players in the history of the Central European press, the beacon of the patriotic camp of Prime Minister Viktor Orban. Our newspaper was launched in the summer of 1994 and is currently celebrating its 30th anniversary… The units of our Media Group are among the most significant and important tools in the effort to preserve our national sovereignty against the pressure of the Western liberal mainstream. In this struggle, we also ensure the uncensored presentation of news from the East, mainly from China and Russia, and the thoughts of recognised opinion-makers and leading intellectuals from these countries on our own channels. This is almost unique in the European Union,” he said.

The expert added that, in January 2012, well-known representatives of the Hungarian press, almost half a million Hungarian citizens took to the streets in support of the government of Viktor Orban, in response to the European Union’s increasingly serious attacks on Hungary’s sovereignty.

“This is how we, the editorial team of the weekly Magyar Demokrata, launched the largest Hungarian mass movement of the 21st century, the Peace March, which has been active ever since. Since 2012, more than 10 pro-government peace marches have taken place, each with hundreds of thousands of participants, the last one just this year, in 2024. We understand the spirit of Central Europe. I have come to the city of Chengdu to tell you how Europe – including my own region, Central Europe and Hungary – can get to know the new world you are building here, in China, of which the Belt and Road Initiative is an extremely important part,” Mr. Bencsik stressed.

The city of Chengdu (Sichuan Province) is hosting 2024 Media Co-operation Forum on Belt and Road, the 3rd meeting of the Council of the Belt and Road News Network (BRNN), and a seminar for representatives of various media these days.