 | |
 Front page of the first issue | |
| Type | Daily newspaper |
|---|---|
| Format | Broadsheet |
| Owner | Vienna Capital Partners |
| Publisher | Mediaworks Hungary Zrt. |
| Editor-in-chief | András Murányi |
| Deputy editor |
|
| Founded | 2 November 1956; 69 years ago (1956-11-02) |
| Ceased publication | 8 October 2016 (2016-10-08) |
| Political alignment | Left-wing[1] |
| Language | Hungarian |
| Headquarters | 1082Budapest, Futó utca 35–37. |
| Country | Hungary |
| Circulation | 37,164 (as of Q2 2016)[2] |
| ISSN | 0133-1752 (print) 1416-4906 (web) |
| OCLC number | 35363283 |
Népszabadság (Hungarian:[ˈneːpsɒbɒt͡ʃːaːɡ];[3]lit. 'Liberty of the People') was a major Hungarian newspaper which was formerly theofficial press organ of theHungarian Socialist Workers' Party during theHungarian People's Republic. Before its closure,Népszabadság was considered thede factonewspaper of record for Hungary.[4]
Népszabadság was founded on 2 November 1956 during theHungarian Revolution[5] as successor ofSzabad Nép (Hungarian:Free People) which was established in 1942 as the central organ of the dissolvedHungarian Working People's Party.[6]Népszabadság was also the organ of the party.[7]
At the beginning of the 1990s, following the collapse of thecommunist regime, the paper was privatized and the owners becameBertelsmann AG Germany (50%), the Free Press Foundation (Szabad Sajtó Alapítvány in Hungarian), a foundation of the Socialist Party (MSZP) (26%), the First Hungarian Investment Fund (16.8%), and the Editorial Staff Association (6%).[5][8] In 2005, the paper was acquired byRingier; in 2014, after theHungarian Competition Authority prevented the merger of Ringier andAxel Springer partly because of their ownership ofNépszabadság, it was sold toVienna Capital Partners, which created a subsidy,Mediaworks Hungary Zrt., for its Hungarian media interests.[9][10] MSZP sold its shares to Mediaworks in 2015.[11]
The paper was published inbroadsheet format[12] and had its main office inBudapest.[6] In 2004, the newspaper secured sufficient funds to build an entirely new, high-capacity, full-color printing facility for its own exclusive use, which was unusual for the Hungarian press. The expanded use of color was meant as a means to helpNépszabadság's competitive position among daily newspapers. It had more copies circulated than all of its Hungarian competitors combined, although circulation was already in the process of decline (see below).
The paper was close to the MSZP andAlliance of Free Democrats (SZDSZ) parties and its editorials often supported, though frequently also criticized, the socialist-liberal government. Its international agenda was usually supportive of theEU's and theUSA's policies, though rare criticism included U.S. PresidentGeorge W. Bush's "democracy export" initiative.[13]Népszabadság followed the US in calling certain countries rogue states or part of theaxis of evil and was somewhat critical of Arab countries, both on political and human rights grounds.[citation needed]
Marcell Murányi was appointed aseditor-in-chief in July 2014.[14] He resigned in May 2015 after being charged with a fatal hit and run, and was replaced in August by his brother András Murányi.[15] Murányi Marcell was eventually sentenced to a jail term suspended for two years; he continued to serve as an advisor for theNépszabadság.[16]
The paper was suddenly closed by its owner Mediaworks on 8 October 2016. The journalists were preparing for a move to a new headquarters; on Friday they vacated their old office and were still planning a Sunday opening party in the new office; on Saturday they were told they were all suspended and not allowed to enter the building. Publication ceased and its website was disconnected. The departure of former Mediaworks CEO Balázs Rónai was announced on the same day. Mediaworks announced that the closure was a business decision due to the paper suffering losses.[17] The liquidation of the paper was performed by acting CEO Viktor Katona, who himself resigned (claiming health reasons) on the following Monday, making it impossible for the journalists to negotiate with anyone in charge.[18]
The closure was considered by the political left to be the work of governing partyFidesz acting behind the scenes.[19] Alleged meetings between prime ministerViktor Orbán and Mediaworks ownerHeinrich Pecina over the transfer ofNépszabadság were reported as early as June.[20] Contrary to the owner's assertion of unprofitability, portal 'The Budapest Beacon' commented that after the previous losses, the paper turned a profit of HUF 130 million (US$480,000) in 2015, but does not provide any source or proof for this information.[17] Heinrich Pecina, the owner of the Mediaworks Hungary Zrt said that the decision was based merely on a financial basis: in the last few years theNépszabadság had a 5 billionForints loss in total. He also added that he had offered to sell theNépszabadság to theHungarian Socialist Party, but they later "had no courage to buy it".[21][22]
Népszabadság had the largestcirculation in Hungary until 2002 when it was overtaken byBlikk, a tabloid newspaper andMetropol, a free newspaper. The circulation ofNépszabadság then declined[23] and the number of readers fell significantly in the period between 2005 and 2010.[23] Even so, it had the highest circulation amongst political dailies (the next largest,Magyar Nemzet, had a circulation of 17,390 in the second quarter of 2016).[24]
The following circulation numbers are based on audited data:[25]
In 2003,Népszabadság was subject to a high-profile scandal after the paper published a letter on the front page purportedly fromEdward Teller. The letter, later proved to be a fake, appeared inNépszabadság shortly after the death of the Hungarian-born physicist and knownFidesz-sympathiser Teller, claiming to express dissatisfaction with antisemitism and anti-US sentiments in the party. The letter turned out to be written by the retired journalist László Zeley, Teller's Hungarian editor, who tried but failed to convince Teller to sign it.[27]Népszabadság published the letter without verifying its authenticity, and had to retract it the following day, prompting an ethical reprimand fromMÚOSZ (Association of Hungarian Journalists).[28] The editor-in-chief resigned following the affair, and got elected to the head of the Ethical Committee of the MÚOSZ between 2004 and 2011.
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