Hungary: Western Investors Damaged Our Free Press

As for US charges, if this media is "intimidated" and "self-censored" I dare not think what the level of public hate speech and swearing would be like without this "terror".

Oh, I remember those times:) The Dunántúli Napló (DN) changed overnight its title to New DN, its staff remained but with new owner, new tax id, Axel Springer essentially offered them a new job and payed nobody nothing for the ownership of the paper. There was a "hole in the law" they said as the paper was put out by the MSZMP KB which did not have any "legal" papers to show that it is really the owner. You don't need that in a "socialist" oppressive system :) Then the VICO by Mr Fenyo, which "offered" help to the weekly TV guide ran by the Hungarian Radio Station then in a few months VICO changed the ISBN of the magazine and had half the country fooled into buying his TV guide until the Radio Station took it back but by then the market share was taken. For a few weeks everybody got 2 TV guide delivered then had to choose between the fancy shiny good looking one and the shabby one. Then the "Helyzet", then the TV3 (télen-nyáron:) the New Hungary (új Magyarország) and the story goes on. In essence, they did not let the local media to develop on its own effort/merit/money. The internet helped a lot but now I have the feeling that currently the @index.hu is in a very similar situation as the Nepszabadsag was in the 90-s. Only they have the structure, the staff and the heavy hand and everybody missed the boat creating another corner of similar weight. Good times, fun times, try that in any other country.