The political turn in Hungary is also forcing local Hungarians in Vojvodina – politicians, journalists and all other stakeholders – to finally face reality. Until April 12, 2026, the vast majority of the public sphere was driven exclusively by party interests, which created enemies and excluded those who thought differently – or even dared to think at all. Many joined the regime, seventy thousand ethnic Hungarians quietly left their homeland, and a few of us tried the impossible – to live and work independently.
However, the unprecedented majority of Hungarian voters has now made it possible – or even more: mandatory! – to pour clean water into the glass of Vojvodina Hungarians and freely spread the word of truth throughout the entire Hungarian media sphere here.
That is why the Clear Words Media Conference was convened by the Press Freedom Foundation (the publisher of the Szabad Magyar Szó news site and of the monthly magazine Családi Kör) in Szabadka on May 29. To openly and honestly discuss the situation of the Hungarian-language media in Vojvodina – the most pressing issues of its past, present and future. We do not want to exclude anyone from this important joint deliberation, which is why we have invited the leaders of all Hungarian press organizations in Vojvodina, as well as some other prominent representatives of the local media world.
We sincerely hope that no potential attempt to influence invitees will be able to prevent media leaders from participating and from jointly conveying to media consumers and the political sphere the professional determination of their journalists, their commitment to press freedom, and their expectations for open social, cultural, and political communication.
