Weekly grassroots newspaper aims to buck Hungarian government propaganda

Weekly grassroots newspaper aims to buck¹ Hungarian government propaganda

Transcript²

As Hungary gears up for Sunday's election, an organization called "print-it-yourself" is distributing single-sheet newspapers with what it says is fact-based news to counter disinformation.

A MARTINEZ, HOST:

In Hungary, an estimated 90% of the media is believed to be under the influence of Prime Minister Viktor Orban's ruling party. And as the country prepares for an election on Sunday, Hungarian newspapers, radio and TV appear focused on getting Orban reelected. But as NPR's Rob Schmitz reports, one grassroots organization is distributing what it deems real news one mailbox at a time.

(SOUNDBITE OF DOG BARKING)

ROB SCHMITZ, BYLINE³: It's a sound familiar to anyone who's delivered a newspaper. But here in the rural Hungarian town of Dunabogdany, it's not just the dogs who view this deliveryman with suspicion.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: (Non-English language spoken).

SCHMITZ: As Kornel Klopfstein is about to slip a leaflet into another mailbox, its owners tell him not to bother. They're not interested in politics. He slips it into their mailbox and moves on.

KORNEL KLOPFSTEIN: It says, I don't want any leaflet. But I'm going to put it anyways (laughter). So you know...

SCHMITZ: Klopfstein is the co-founder of Print-it-Yourself, a weekly newspaper printed on a single sheet of A4-sized paper that's distributed by thousands of volunteers throughout rural Hungary, where people's access to news is typically limited to government propaganda.

KLOPFSTEIN: We are distributing these leaflets to show them that there is another reality out there. There is actually other news, corruption⁴ cases or how the health care system is doing or how the economy's doing.

SCHMITZ: Print-it-Yourself - called Nyomtass Te Is in Hungarian - has been around for four years. They printed up more than a million copies for their latest edition. It's funded by private donors⁵ and foundations, including George Soros' Open Society. This week's edition carries stories about official corruption, the platform of the opposition⁶ candidate to Orban and tells people where to vote. The paper is inspired by the samizdat tradition from the 1980s, when dissidents printed, copied and distributed news to counter communist propaganda. Hungary media expert Miklos Haraszti (ph) says today's threat to independent media in Hungary is no different, but that what's most frightening to him is that this top-down media consolidation⁷ has happened inside what is supposed to be a liberal democracy.

MIKLOS HARASZTI: It's a country where you have parliament, where you have elections and where you have market forces. And nevertheless, they could turn the part of the media which they sponsor into a totalitarian propaganda model.

SCHMITZ: And that, says Haraszti, has erased⁸ a crucial forum⁹ for public debate.

HARASZTI: Two generations have now grown up without experiencing what debate, what parallel measurement of arguments means.

SCHMITZ: Print-it-Yourself co-founder Klopfstein says he's encouraged by a survey that found 10% of Print-it-Yourself recipients¹⁰ change their opinions after six weeks of reading his paper.

(CROSSTALK)

SCHMITZ: But that is not the case for Marika Varga (ph). Klopfstein just gave her a newspaper. And as she reads it, she provides pro-government counterpoints. Like everyone I talked to in this town, Varga says she'll vote for Orban's party because she believes he has improved the country's economy. I ask her what she thinks of Klopfstein's newspaper. She answers through an interpreter.

MARIKA VARGA: (Through interpreter) I'm sure there's people who like it.

SCHMITZ: Not a glowing review but a better reaction than that of the first man Klopfstein delivered his paper to.

He took your flyer. He ripped it up. And then he put it under the windshield wiper of the car that you arrived in.

KLOPFSTEIN: Yeah. I mean, it's quite shocking - right? - I mean, that people just see, like, a newspaper and it makes them so angry. I mean, sometimes - yeah - I'm like, wow.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: (Non-English language spoken).

SCHMITZ: As we ponder the ripped-up newspaper, the man comes out of his house and yells at Klopfstein.

KLOPFSTEIN: Oh. I'm going to be, like, in the war. I'm going to catch some bullet. That's what he says.

SCHMITZ: OK.

KLOPFSTEIN: Well, I'm not going to reply.

SCHMITZ: We get in the car with the man still yelling. Klopfstein shakes his head, sighs and says, this is Hungary in 2022.

Rob Schmitz, NPR News, Dunabogdany, Hungary.

1 buck   

n.雄鹿，雄兔；v.马离地跳跃

参考例句：

• The boy bent curiously to the skeleton of the buck.这个男孩好奇地弯下身去看鹿的骸骨。
• The female deer attracts the buck with high-pitched sounds.雌鹿以尖声吸引雄鹿。

2 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

3 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

4 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

5 donors   

n.捐赠者( donor的名词复数 )；献血者；捐血者；器官捐献者

参考例句：

• Please email us to be removed from our active list of blood donors. 假如你想把自己的名字从献血联系人名单中删去，请给我们发电子邮件。
• About half this amount comes from individual donors and bequests. 这笔钱大约有一半来自个人捐赠及遗赠。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

7 consolidation   

n.合并,巩固

参考例句：

• The denser population necessitates closer consolidation both for internal and external action. 住得日益稠密的居民，对内和对外都不得不更紧密地团结起来。 来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源
• The state ensures the consolidation and growth of the state economy. 国家保障国营经济的巩固和发展。 来自汉英非文学 - 中国宪法

8 erased   

v.擦掉( erase的过去式和过去分词 )；抹去；清除

参考例句：

• He erased the wrong answer and wrote in the right one. 他擦去了错误答案，写上了正确答案。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He removed the dogmatism from politics; he erased the party line. 他根除了政治中的教条主义，消除了政党界限。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 forum   

n.论坛，讨论会

参考例句：

• They're holding a forum on new ways of teaching history.他们正在举行历史教学讨论会。
• The organisation would provide a forum where problems could be discussed.这个组织将提供一个可以讨论问题的平台。

10 recipients   

adj.接受的；受领的；容纳的；愿意接受的n.收件人；接受者；受领者；接受器

参考例句：

• The recipients of the prizes had their names printed in the paper. 获奖者的姓名登在报上。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The recipients of prizes had their names printed in the paper. 获奖者名单登在报上。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》