Media Council

The mission of the Media Council

The primary task of the Media Council is to ensure the functioning of democratic publicity in the media, and to create and maintain a healthy balance between the interests of the audience and those of the media, while also partnering with market players and professional organisations. From the perspective of the media, these interests are partly related to the exercise of freedom of the press and party to generating market revenue, whereas on the audience’s side they are linked to the right to be properly informed, protection against infringing content, and the option of choice between various types of content. In its functions, the Media Council seeks to cooperate with media authorities operating in other countries.

It maintains a permanent watch over processes in the media market and, whenever necessary, engages in administrative tasks by which market concentration that would violate legislation can be prevented. It monitors the legal operation of media service providers in Hungary in order to maintain a pluralistic media market. It also plays a key role in enhancing public trust in the field of child protection, and monitors compliance with programming quota requirements – so as to facilitate the protection and production of cultural value both at a domestic and European level.

Responsibilities of the Media Council

The Media Council acts in accordance with the relevant provisions of Act CLXXXV of 2010 on Media Services and Mass Media (hereinafter: “Media Act”), and:

1. monitors and ensures freedom of the press within the framework of the Media Act and Act CIV of 2010 on Freedom of the Press and the Fundamental Rules of Media Content (hereinafter: “Press Act”);
2. is responsible for the tendering and evaluation of media service provision rights using state-owned limited resources made available for media services;
3. performs the supervisory tasks and control functions provided for by law by recording broadcasts or programmes or by examining programmes recorded by the media service provider, and upon official request by the authorities;
4. operates a programme monitoring and analysis service through the Office;
5. expresses its opinion on draft legislation concerning the media and communications;
6. regularly checks that the public contracts it has concluded with them are being duly performed;
7. develops position papers and proposals on policy issues concerning the development of the Hungarian media services system;
8. initiates proceedings relating to consumer protection and the prohibition of unfair market practices;
9. reports to the European Commission on the fulfilment of its obligations on broadcasting quotas;
10. may, if necessary, initiate amendments to this Act with the Minister responsible for audiovisual policy;
11. plays a proactive role in the development of media literacy and media awareness in Hungary, coordinating the media literacy activities of other state actors, and assists the Government in preparing the interim report to the European Union on this subject matter;
12. performs its other functions under this Act or other legislation adopted under the authorisation granted by this Act.

The Report of the Media Council

By 31 May each year, the Media Council submits to Parliament its report to give account of its activities for the previous year. In this report it has to evaluate:

1. the current status of the freedom of expression, opinion and the press, and the balance of information;
2. developments in the ownership status of media service providers and broadcasters;
3. the situation of spectrum management to meet media service needs;
4. the economic situation of media services and the development of their financial conditions.