Public oversight ensures the enforcement of constitutional principles (such as respect for human dignity and the protection of children), promotes balanced and lawful information provision, prevents the dissemination of unlawful or harmful media content, and fosters public trust in the media system.
The primary aim of supervision is to maintain a balance between freedom of expression and the public interest, and to promote the publication of lawful media content.
Human dignity and hate speech
The media regulations require media service providers to respect human dignity in the media content they publish. The Media Council is entitled and required to act in the institutional defence of human dignity, i.e. it does not adjudicate individual rights violations. The purpose of the legislation is to ensure that freedom of expression does not result in violations of human dignity.
In addition, it also aims to prevent the dissemination of media content likely to incite hatred, violence, or exclusion of a community or group as defined in media law (such as a nation, a national, ethnic, linguistic or religious minority) or any member of such a community on the basis of to their membership. The regulation is primarily aimed at protecting the democratic public sphere. The purpose of the provisions is to ensure that audiences receiving media content have access to a public sphere that also serves to protect the communities, groups and their members when they come under attack.
Protection of children and minors
The media regulatory framework provide enhanced protection for children and minors, requiring media service providers to classify programmes into age categories, and to broadcast them in accordance with the time slots assigned to those categories.
The Press Act also contains provisions on the protection of minors with regard to press products, according to which content that is seriously harmful to the personal development of minors may only be made available to the general public in a manner that prevents minors from accessing such content through the application of appropriate technical or other measures.
The purpose of the legislation is to protect children from harmful, violent, sexual or frightening content, and to ensure that they are exposed only to media content appropriate for their age.
The obligation of balanced reporting
According to the provisions of the Media Act and the Press Act, linear media services (television and radio) engaged in information provision activities must provide balanced information on controversial issues of public interest and on events of importance to the citizens of Hungary and the members of the Hungarian nation at the local, national, European and national level.
The obligation of balanced reporting, which serves to provide the information necessary for the formation of democratic public opinion, does not constitute a disproportionate restriction on editorial freedom. Under the obligation of balanced reporting, information and news reporting on matters of public concern must present opposing views, and must gather and present to the public all relevant opinions expressed on the issue.
Programmes accessible to persons with disabilities
The Media Act requires media service providers to gradually increase the proportion of programmes accessible to persons with disabilities. Examples include subtitling, sign language interpretation, and audio description. The purpose of this regulation is to ensure that content of public interest and highlighted content is accessible to the widest possible audience.
Commercial Communications
The Press Act and the Media Act define the concept of commercial communication as a collective term encompassing, among others, advertising, sponsorship and product placement.
The statutory framework sets out the manner of publication of commercial communications and also imposes content restrictions. The Authority's supervision includes monitoring commercial communication to ensure that they are recognisable and distinguishable from other media content, and that content standards (such as respect for human dignity and the protection of minors) are complied with. It also monitors compliance with advertising time limits, the volume of advertisements, and enforcement of statutory provisions relating to sponsorship and product placement.