Hungarian Civil Liberties Union

The Hungarian government has centralized communications about the pandemic and is filtering the release of information about COVID-19, a new report claims. 

It says alternative sources of information, especially healthcare workers, are afraid of being fired if they talk to the press, and that the new "Coronavirus bill" will lead to more self-censorship among journalists. 

Rights groups warn that legislation submitted to the Hungarian parliament, giving the government of Viktor Orban unprecedented power of decree in the fight against COVID-19, would have a "chilling effect" on independent media in the country.