According to Deputy State Secretary for International Communications Ferenc Kumin, the perception of the international press regarding Hungary has improved recently and it may be observed that critical views always arrive from the same media.

The Student Union of the Budapest Corvinus University's Social Sciences Department organised a podium discussion entitled "The foreign perception of Hungary" on 2 April 2013 with the participation of Ferenc Kumin, Deputy State Secretary responsible for the International Communications Office of the Prime Minister's Office, and former Foreign Minister Dr. Péter Balázs.

At the event, Ferenc Kumin stressed that in his experience the majority of articles that have a negative tone are written with no detailed background research and generally mirror individual opinions, often political convictions, while regularly disregarding the facts.

Citing the results of recent research, he noted that in the case of English-speaking press agencies with offices in Budapest that focus on unbiased coverage, the vast majority of articles published are neutral or positive in their tone. According to the Deputy State Secretary, this also confirms that high quality press coverage based on facts and written on site presents an image that is much more detailed and realistic.

He also emphasised that articles of a negative nature are usually published in the form of opinion pieces, and the primary incentive of the writers of such articles is to express criticism of the Government at all costs. These media have visibly strong ties to the Hungarian opposition. Both of the event's invited speakers criticised the recently published manifesto in which German and Austrian artists protested against "the rise of fascism in Hungary" and called for rebellion.

(Prime Minister’s Office)