America (VOA) has led to a national row in that country involving media, the government and opposition parties.
Last month, BosNewsLife and VOA covered the decision by Hungarian President Ferenc Madl to veto one of Europe’s toughest anti- hate speech laws, sending it instead to the Constitutional Court as the bill in his words "could restrict freedom to a greater extend than is constitutionally required."
The troubles over the coverage began this week when newspaper Magyar Nemzet, with close ties to a major right-wing party, said in a front page article that BosNewsLife and VOA reports accused Hungarian President Ferenc Madl of being a "racist."
Magyar Nemzet also put pressure on 79-year old Holocaust survivor Erno Lazarovits, mentioned in last month’s BosNewsLife story, to explain what it called the "virus of disinformation" spreading around the globe.
SEVERAL WEBSITES
It quoted several Russian websites, with one reportedly attracting four to five million visitors a day, as well as ChristianNewsToday.com, which carried the BosNewsLife story, focusing on anti-Semitism in Hungary.
The largest right wing opposition party Fidesz suggested that those responsible for the BosNewsLife and VOA reports and Lazarovits should apologize to the president while the Socialist-led Government officials said there was no racism in Hungary.
In a television interview aired nationwide Friday, Jan 9, by Magyar ATV network, BosNewsLife and VOA reporter Stefan J. Bos accused Magyar Nemzet of "manipulating his report" and "insulting" Lazarovits, an official of the Jewish community.
Speaking also to Hungary’s largest daily Nepszabadsag, Bos stressed that Magyar Nemzet had spoken about "the context" in which the BosNewsLife and VOA stories must be seen.
READING BETWEEN LINES
"There is absolutely no need to read between the lines of my reports. There is nothing there, except a white color to separate the lines," he said. Magyar Nemzet carried Friday, Jan 9, an article which Bos described as "indirectly admitting" its mistakes, which he said "fell short of an apology."
Bos was asked by Magyar Nemzet whether he would do additional reporting on a drunken radio host of a Budapest network who on Christmas Day called for the "extermination of all Christians," estimated at 7 million people in Hungary alone.
The reporter told ANS he recognized this affair was sad, but that it could not be compared with the international news value of a presidential veto of anti- hate speech legislation which, he said, would also protect Christians.
DIFFERENT ISSUES
"These are two different issues, especially in Hungary as 600,000 Hungarian Jews were massacred during World War Two when the country cooperated closely with Nazi Germany. Magyar Nemzet wanted to suggest I only cover what it considers to be Liberal, Jewish issues."
Evangelical Christians have also expressed worries about anti-Semitism within established churches, saying Christianity is often confused with national identity.
Several Christian groups started prayer groups for Hungary, a country of roughly 10 million people, which has long boosted one of the world’s highest suicide rates following a violent and blood stained history, BosNewsLife learned.
FEW CHRISTIANS
"Few Christians in Hungary seem to recognize that we can thank the Jewish people that everyone in the world has now an opportunity to receive Salvation. After all Jesus was born from the Jewish Virgin Mary and I would argue that the first evangelists were Jews…"Bos said.
There were fresh calls from Hungary’s Jewish community this week to introduce anti- hate speech legislation already adopted by Parliament after a writer was acquitted by a court for inciting hatred toward Jews.
The law stipulates that any person who publicly incites hatred toward "any nation, or national, ethnic, racial or religious group," could face three years in prison.
"INSULTS DIGNITY"
In addition someone who publicly "insults the dignity of a person because of her national, racial, ethnic or religious affiliation" could be found guilty of a misdemeanor and sentenced to up to two years of imprisonment.
Bos stressed Magyar Nemzet should have "done its homework", as the paper wrongly suggested the reporter had also written about the discrimination of Romanians.
"Apparently the paper does not seem to know the difference between Roma (as Gypsies prefer to be known in Hungary) and Romanians. "My story referred to both the Jewish people and the Roma. Magyar Nemzet also described Bos as a Budapest correspondent for BBC. "They must have referred to my wife, who is working for the Russian services of the BBC."
Bos added he loves Hungary and that critical reporting is a normal part of all democracies.
