# Hungary: editor fired and staff resign at Index.hu

Published 2026-09-23. Last reviewed 2026-09-22. 3 sources.

Status: in effect, as of 2026-09-22.

What we don't know: The sources reviewed do not give the company's stated reason for dismissing Dull.

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.[1][2][3]

- Country: [Hungary](https://thewaronnews.com/countries/hu) (RSF 2026 rank: 74th of 180)
- Where: Hungary
- Level of government: National
- Tactic: Funding and ownership pressure
- Stage: Pressure (ladder: https://thewaronnews.com/ladders/funding_and_ownership_pressure#stage-pressure)
- Ladder note: An editor was fired and most of a ninety-person newsroom resigned after a government-linked businessman gained influence over the outlet's ownership; United States funding pressure has not removed an editor through an ownership change.
- Head of government at the time: [Viktor Orban](https://thewaronnews.com/leaders/viktor-orban)
- Issue of the day: Not stated in the sources reviewed.
- Outcome: Sustained, July 24, 2020. Dull's dismissal stood and the outlet continued under its changed ownership; the sources reviewed do not report a reversal.
- Era: The 2020s

## 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.[1][2][3]

Sustained; Dull's dismissal was not reversed and Index.hu continued under its new ownership.[1][2][3]

## What reason was given

Not stated in the sources reviewed.[1][2][3]

## 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

- 2020-07-24: Hungary: editor fired and staff resign at Index.hu

## Who acted

| Name | Role in this incident | Office at the time |
| --- | --- | --- |
| [Viktor Orban](https://thewaronnews.com/actors/viktor-orban) | other | Prime Minister of Hungary (through 2026) |

## Outlets and journalists

| Name | Kind | Relation |
| --- | --- | --- |
| [Index.hu](https://thewaronnews.com/outlets/index-hu) | outlet | affected |
| [Szabolcs Dull](https://thewaronnews.com/journalists/szabolcs-dull) | journalist, Index.hu | affected |

## Sources

1. Nations in Transit 2021: Hungary. https://freedomhouse.org/country/hungary/nations-transit/2021 (Freedom House, 2021-05-01).
2. Website editor's sacking deepens fears for media freedom in Hungary. https://www.reuters.com/article/technology/website-editors-sacking-deepens-fears-for-media-freedom-in-hungary-idUSKCN24N1DI/ (Reuters, 2020-07-22).
3. Hungarian journalists resign en masse after claims of political interference. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jul/24/hungarian-journalists-resign-en-masse-after-claims-of-political-interference (The Guardian, 2020-07-24).

## Claims cited

[1] Scale of the newsroom departure. Quote: "Editorial board of Index and more than 70 staff members resign" Source: Freedom House, 2021-05-01. Nations in Transit 2021: Hungary. https://freedomhouse.org/country/hungary/nations-transit/2021 Claim: https://thewaronnews.com/claims/531, checked 2026-09-22.

[2] Confirmation of the firing date. Quote: "Szabolcs Dull was dismissed by company leadership in July." Source: Freedom House, 2021-05-01. Nations in Transit 2021: Hungary. https://freedomhouse.org/country/hungary/nations-transit/2021 Claim: https://thewaronnews.com/claims/627, checked 2026-09-22.

[3] Freedom House's description of the buyer. Quote: "Index.hu was sold to progovernment business circles" Source: Freedom House, 2021-05-01. Nations in Transit 2021: Hungary. https://freedomhouse.org/country/hungary/nations-transit/2021 Claim: https://thewaronnews.com/claims/628, checked 2026-09-22.

Source page: https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2020-hungary-index-hu-editor-fired. The War On News, CC BY 4.0.