Andras Petho: The Risks to Freedom in Hungary: Corruption, Propaganda, and Russian Influence

Although Hungary appeared to transform into a stable democracy after the fall of communism, it seems to have backtracked on democracy and the rule of law under the leadership of Viktor Orban since 2010. Freedom of the press and other democratic institutions now appear to be under attack. What role have geopolitics, Russian-style propaganda, and corruption played in all of this? Lunch will be provided. Attendance is by registration only on Eventbrite.

Andras Petho is a co-founder and editor of Direkt36, an investigative reporting center based in Hungary. Previously, he was a senior editor at news site Origo, which he left in protest against political pressure in 2014. During his 17 years as a journalist, he also worked for the BBC World Service and spent 8 months at the investigative unit of The Washington Post, where he contributed to several major reporting projects. In 2008, he spent three months in the United States as a World Press Institute fellow, visiting newsrooms and covering the historic presidential election campaign. In 2012 and 2013 he was a Humphrey Fellow at the University of Maryland where he took courses in data journalism and investigative reporting. 

He has received the Soma Prize, the annual award dedicated to investigative journalism in Hungary, twice. He has been reporting extensively about political corruption and in recent years he has focused on how people with close ties to Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban are benefiting from public funds. He has been a member of a number of international investigative collaborations, including the Pulitzer Prize-winning Panama Papers project that exposed the hidden world of offshore businesses. He has taught journalism courses at Hungarian colleges and given talks at various conferences.

Direkt36 is an independent non-profit investigative reporting center based in Budapest, Hungary. It was founded in 2014 with the mission to hold the powerful accountable. Direkt36 covers some of the most pressing issues Hungarian society faces, including widespread political corruption, the misuse of power and the growing influence of Russia over Hungary’s politics and economy. The center has also been an active contributor to international reporting projects, such as the Panama Papers. Direkt36’s exposés have triggered numerous official inquiries by Hungarian and EU authorities.