Semlegesség és elkötelezettség között
Between Neutrality and Engagement

Political Journalism in Hungary

Summary/Abstract: After the political transformation in 1989–1990, Hungarian journalist organisations and media policy makers have made several attempts to introduce the norms and practices of neutrality-seeking journalism; however, most news outlets continued to offer committed accounts of political events and issues. Why was the professionalisation of journalism interrupted? This paper attempts to answer this question by, fi rst, offering an overview of the literature on comparative media systems in search of the factors shaping journalism practices and, then, by placing Hungary on the map of media systems. Finally, it argues that the dominance of different journalism practices in different countries may be explained, in addition to the historical factors listed in the literature, by different audience needs, with the public in transitionary societies seeking confirmation rather than information when using the media.

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