Chronicle of the Carpathian Basin’s media history premieres in Palic
The National Media and Infocommunications Authority (NMHH) and the Pannónia Foundation jointly presented their new volume of studies entitled “We Lived Through History – The Story of Hungarian Electronic Media Abroad”. The two institutions had previously documented the history of Hungarian radio and television abroad after 1989 through twenty-six biographical interviews. The newly published work presents these historical documents in an edited, condensed form for a wider audience.
Speaking at the book launch, Media Council member László Meszleny described the creation of the volume as “proof of the existence of a unified Hungarian media space”. He stressed that the book “avoids the trap of insularity”, and praised it as a topical, engaging and well-edited read. He added that the creators of the work “have lived through history themselves, they rode the roller coaster and are credible individuals, as they have always thought in terms of a unified Hungarian identity and a unified national media space”.
“We felt that the time had come to document 35 years of Hungarian media history abroad – not least because, unfortunately, some of those whose life stories we should have recorded have already passed away,” said László Zsolt Szabó, NMHH Director of Media Market Cooperation and Research. He added: “We were afraid that if we do not do this now, even more of them would leave us, taking with them the deep life experience and wisdom they carried, as well as the media history they experienced over the years.”
Gábor Agárdi, director of the Pannónia Foundation, described the volume, a joint initiative of his institution and the NMHH, as “a bridge between the past and the present”. He added: “This is not merely an archive: it is an important historical document. It captures the footprint of a quarter-century, seasoned with a snapshot of the present.”
Árpád Fremond, president of the Hungarian National Council of Vojvodina, pointed out in his welcoming address that “Hungarian cultural autonomy in Vojvodina rests on four strong pillars: education in our mother tongue, Hungarian culture, the use of language and writing, and information conveyed in Hungarian”. He added: “We ourselves decide on the most important issues, ones that are the conditions for the survival of our community; we help ensure that the Hungarians of the Southern Territories can live, work and thrive on their native soil, in safety and in accordance with their values.”
At the event in Palić, attendees and journalists from across the Carpathian Basin participated in round-table discussions on the state of the media in Transylvania, Vojvodina, Subcarpathia and the Uplands.