The War On News

A record of government actions against journalism and fact-based reporting, from the first press laws to today

Incident

Hungary: editor fired and staff resign at Index.hu

HungaryRSF 2026 rank: 74th of 180

Engraving of an empty press briefing room with a lectern and rows of chairs

Index.hu, Hungary's most-read independent news site, fired editor-in-chief Szabolcs Dull weeks after he warned that a change in ownership threatened its independence. Most of the newsroom resigned within days.123

What happened

In March 2020, businessman Miklos Vaszily, who had previously run outlets aligned with Prime Minister Viktor Orban's government, gained an indirect stake in the company that sells advertising for Index.hu, Hungary's largest independent news site. On June 22, 2020, editor-in-chief Szabolcs Dull published a public letter, co-signed by most of the newsroom, saying the site's independence was in danger. Index.hu added a public indicator it called a barometer to track the threat. On July 22, 2020, company leadership fired Dull. Two days later, more than seventy of the outlet's roughly ninety journalists resigned, saying they could no longer guarantee independent coverage. Many of the departing staff went on to found a new outlet, Telex.hu, later that year. Index.hu continued operating under new ownership and editorial leadership.123

Sustained; Dull's dismissal was not reversed and Index.hu continued under its new ownership.123

What reason was given

Stated justification

Not stated in the sources reviewed.123

What changed for reporting

The mass resignation removed most of the reporting staff Index.hu had built over two decades and shifted its ownership toward people described in the sources reviewed as close to the government.1

Timeline

2020

24 July 2020
Hungary: editor fired and staff resign at Index.hu

Who acted

NameRole in this incidentOffice at the time
Viktor OrbanotherPrime Minister of Hungary (through 2026)

Outlets and journalists

NameKindRelation
Index.huoutletaffected
Szabolcs Dulljournalist, Index.huaffected

Sources

  1. Nations in Transit 2021: HungaryFreedom House, 2021-05-01, reporting. Source record
  2. Website editor's sacking deepens fears for media freedom in HungaryReuters, 2020-07-22, reporting. Source record
  3. Hungarian journalists resign en masse after claims of political interferenceThe Guardian, 2020-07-24, reporting. Source record

Claims and evidence

Each numbered claim quotes the source it rests on.

  1. Scale of the newsroom departure.Editorial board of Index and more than 70 staff members resignNations in Transit 2021: Hungary, Freedom House, 2021-05-01.Claim 531, checked 2026-09-22.
  2. Confirmation of the firing date.Szabolcs Dull was dismissed by company leadership in July.Nations in Transit 2021: Hungary, Freedom House, 2021-05-01.Claim 627, checked 2026-09-22.
  3. Freedom House's description of the buyer.Index.hu was sold to progovernment business circlesNations in Transit 2021: Hungary, Freedom House, 2021-05-01.Claim 628, checked 2026-09-22.