Press Releases

Budapest, June 5, 2014 15:00

Being the exclusive owner of Origo Zrt, Magyar Telekom has always ensured the total independence of the editorship of Origo.hu. It has never interfered and will not interfere with the work of Origo.hu’s editorship and it will not take a decision about personnell issues that concern the editorship. The personnel decision being disputed in the media was the decision of the management of Origo Zrt. Magyar Telekom did not exercise any pressure and did not request the management of Origo Zrt to replace the portal’s chief editor.

Magyar Telekom is Hungary’s leading telecommunication services provider. The most basic aim of our activities is to ensure the free flow of information, free access to information, so commitment to the freedom of press belongs to our company’s core values. The management of Origo Zrt must ensure at all times the independence of the editorship of Origo.hu.

Magyar Telekom denies the most resolutely the speculations published in the press associating the replacement of the chief editor of Origo.hu with the partnership agreement between Magyar Telekom and the Government of Hungary. Contrary to the news published in the press there had been no pressure exerted on Magyar Telekom from the side of the Government with respect to either the person of the chief editor or the content of Origo.hu. In addition, the separation of the positions of the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer is a process started at subsidiary companies of Deutsche Telekom and completed already in several countries. That is why every assumption published in the press lacks any substantiation according to which the Partnership Cooperation Agreement for Digital Hungary signed on February 21 by Magyar Telekom and the Government of Hungary would have in any way affected either the company’ management structure and executives or Origo Zrt. This is the only valid strategic level agreement between Magyar Telekom and the Government of Hungary, available on both the Kormany.hu and the Telekom.hu websites. Dialogue between the government in office and the management of Magyar Telekom is a matter of fact, but its aim has never been to limit publicity or the freedom of press. As a company listed at the stock exchange Magyar Telekom, a subsidiary of Deutsche Telekom, also a stock exchange listed company, has ensured and will continue to ensure full transparency for the public.