Press freedom is the secret of liberty

According to the Népszabadság headline, the anniversary of the start of the 1848 revolution on 15 March, was a “celebration that warns against diktats.” Close to 30,000 people marched in a show of support for freedom of the press, which was recently undermined by a media law introduced by Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz government. The left-wing daily publishes a text by Péter Molnár, one of the founders of Fidesz who subsequently left the party in the 1990s. “Freedom of the press is the secret of liberty,” writes Molnár, who points out that "the first of the 12 demands made by the revolutionaries in 1848 was for freedom of the press and the abolition of censorship.” “We founded Fidesz to ensure that there would be absolutely limits to freedom of speech,” adds Molnár. “Countries that do not safeguard this freedom cannot function correctly.” Quoting one of Hungary’s political heroes, István Bibó (1911-1979), Orbán’s new opponent concludes: “Contrary to the widely held idea to the contrary, lies are not tolerated in politics.”