A Hungarian fact-checker in partnership with the European Commission and AFP: Soros’ shadow

The European Commission, AFP and Soros together to support the development of a one-sided fact-checking media outlet in Hungary. As it happens, there is an election campaign going on...

A Hungarian fact-checker in partnership with the European Commission and AFP: Soros’ shadow Fotó: Famille Bault

Fact-checking has become a hobbyhorse for George Soros-linked foundations, who fund a range of projects aimed at combating “fake news and misinformation”, such as the PolitFact.com project (Tampa Bay Times, Poynter Institute for Media Studies, close to the Center for Investigative Reporting, with ample financial support from the OSF).

444.hu: Non-stop anti-orbanism

Launched in 2013, via a break-up of journalists from the liberal website Index, this site has among its members followers of gonzo journalism and it stands out for its constantly provocative tone regarding Orbán’s government policies.

Although one of the site’s main authors, László Szily, defines 444.hu as being concerned with factual accuracy (which under Hungarian media law is rather true, the site being very rarely condemned for factual error) and declaring that they fulfil an informative mission as well as a counter-power for the common good, it is indisputable that the work of the journalists of 444.hu consists in mocking and denigrating, in a more or less subtle satirical tone, the government policy. Whenever appropriate, this site’s journalists make fun of the ruling coalition and, whilst striving to stay within the law, present their readers with the image of a corrupt, retrograde, authoritarian government.

Knock knock, Soros is back at it…

Thematic sections of the site deal with subjects such as the rule of law (in partnership with the Helsinki Committee or the Blinken Archives of the Open Society, i.e. offshoots of the Soros galaxy), or gender issues, on which the editorial staff’s position is quite clear and openly goes against that of the Hungarian government. A few months after its launch, 444.hu received a transfer of 49,500 USD, in support to their work. Having to acknowledge this financial support from billionaire George Soros, the 444.hu editor-in-chief explained to the pro-government daily Magyar Nemzet that this sum had been allocated to the development of a mobile application. Pro-government media often refer to 444.hu as a “Soros blog”, but the government is careful not to interfere with the media’s outspokenness, as 444.hu is practical proof of the very clear link between the Soros galaxy and part of the Hungarian media.

It is true that 444.hu does not have a direct link with any opposition political party, and indeed occasionally attacks the Hungarian socialist old guard and Viktor Orbán’s historical opponent, former Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsány. The site’s aim is clear: weakening anything that could hinder a change of government, dinosaur Gyurcsány and the last socialists being perfect cases of such hindrance. In short, 444.hu is daily proof that there is complete freedom of speech in Hungary for harsh, vocal and uncompromising criticism of the policies of the Orbán government.

Hungarian fact-checker Lakmusz: the beginning

In November 2021, this fact-checking project took shape with the creation of the site lakmusz.hu. The site’s first publications did not take long to arouse the attention of certain Hungarian conservative and pro-government journalists, in particular on the LGBT question, as the fact-checker intended to question the factual accuracy of statistics used by the Hungarian government concerning sex reassignment operations carried out on minors in Western Europe.