Media ownership is becoming increasingly concentrated in Hungary, and as the market shrinks, government funding and government advertising distort the overall picture in the media sector, Bell observed.

New publications find it harder to enter the market while some publications swerve to the edge of insolvency, she added.

Bell said a reduction in the number of independent publications restricts the exchange of views and disputes on important questions for Hungarians.

She said the US continues to support freedom of press and will support it both publicly and behind the scenes.

Source: Hungary Around the Clock

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MTI photo: Balogh Zoltán