Fake News Crew Becomes Subject Of Its Own Deception
Michael Hedges July 14, 2020 - Follow on Twitter
Propaganda outlets have adopted all the same tradecraft. Perhaps they conduct Zoom conferences to hone the skills. One of the favorites is the sting: capturing on video a target in a compromising situation. Alas, when they fail, they fail badly.
 Last week Hungarian news channel Hir TV practiced dirty tricks badly. The object was a reporter, tagged, falsely, for being in cahoots for nefarious purpose with an independent politician. The story was repeated by pro-government portal Origo. When it flops HirTV and Origo try to spin it into something else. That flops, too. This is what happens when propagandists and political operatives pretend to be news media.
A bit of background is helpful. In June the government sent to the mailboxes of every household its annual national consultation survey. It has been recognized as nothing more or less than a direct marketing campaign for the far-right populist xenophobic Fidesz party of prime minister Viktor Orban. Hungarians were asked to return the questionnaire in early July.
The HirTV story claimed, falsely, that independent politician Akos Hadhazy was rerouting the returned questionnaires to Angel Marianna Kovács, a reporter for independent news portal 24.hu. The purpose for this was left to fertile imaginations. HirTV broadcast the reporters’ home address, a long established intimidation tactic, and parked a crew in the street to catch the evil-doers doing whatever. Alas, the location of this dark plot turned out to be a local post office. Unable to uncover the misdirected questionnaires, the camera crew promptly retreated.
Lest we forget, most Hungarian media outlets are obedient to the Fidesz party and its leader. HirTV is part of the state-controlled KESMA amalgamation, often referred to as Mediaworks. Origo is also controlled by KESMA. After securing a virtual monopoly of print, broadcast and online media attention seems to have turned to targeting any remaining independent voices. One of those few is 24.hu.
Akos Hadházy is a member of the chamber of deputies, once aligned with Fidesz, then the Green party and now independent. A HirTV crew, wielding cameras, arrived at his residence Saturday morning just in time for the birthday party for his 2 year old. They were trying to spin again the story that got out of their control. Mr. Hadhazy is a bit more adept with media and said he would agree only to a live interview. He posted the interaction on social media.
The home of reporter Angel Marianna Kovács was twice visited by an HirTV crew. She has a lawyer, reported media1.hu (July 11), and is pursuing a civil lawsuit against HirTV and Origo for harassment. The legal action is being supported by the National Association of Hungarian Journalists (MuOSZ). Miklós Hargitai, president of the journalist’s union, called the HirTV harassment “troubling.”
“At first sight, the case appears to be a series of violations: in addition to falsifying news, there may have been misuse of personal data, invasion of privacy, invasion of private residence, violation of the right to privacy and the protection of personal data, and unauthorised processing,” said the MuOSZ statement. We are concerned that media workers are increasingly being targeted by the pro-government press – a practice that is unusual in European democracies, much more typical of Eastern dictatorships. Hungarian public life should not go down this path: attempts to intimidate the press are followed by physical attacks on journalists and other destructive acts against society as a whole, which should not be in the interest of any law-abiding Hungarian party, medium and citizen.”
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