Jobbik wins complaint of unbalanced reporting against ATV

A court on February 18 upheld a complaint of unbalanced reporting brought by Hungary's far-right Jobbik party against national commercial broadcaster ATV. The Media Council originally ruled that an August 2012 newscast by ATV was unbalanced because it did not allow Jobbik to respond to criticism of the party expressed by the head of Hungary's Counter Terrorism Center (TEK). ATV appealed the Media Council's decision. The Court handling the appeal ruled that ATV violated the rule on balanced reporting by not giving Jobbik the opportunity to respond to statements made about the party. The Court's decision is final.

According to information provided on the Media Council's website, the Council has upheld a majority of complaints brought by Jobbik against broadcasters for unbalanced coverage.