Print It Yourself!

Project owner: eDemokrácia Műhely Egyesület

Responsible person: L. László János

2020

3rd Prize

HU

Civil Society / Social Economy

Challenge

With the adoption of the EU’s Sargentini report, the European Union has declared that democracy in Hungary is in danger. Violations of civil liberties and the freedom of the press are especially alarming. In the last few years, Viktor Orbán and the government currently control the majority of media outlets in Hungary and promote propaganda.

Idea

Reviving the Samizdat tradition of Eastern Europe, Nyomtass Te is! (Print it Yourself!) is a weekly summary of the most important news from independent media in simple, accessible language printed on a half-fold A/4 paper. The mini-newspaper can be downloaded from our website for anyone to print and distribute in any quantity.

Actors

Nyomtass Te is! participants include activists, volunteers, and rural communities. Due to the socio-economic background of our target group, we also deliver physical copies of news from independent websites to the elderly, low income, and rural communities with limited educational and internet access.

Impact

By reaching out to communities in small towns, we offer diverse perspectives on issues often represented only from one-side. Through countering government propaganda in the Hungarian countryside, we can improve public political consciousness and democracy in the whole country

Transfer

Nyomtass Te is! can be implemented in different countries and contexts. For example, the project can promote social and political engagement with civil society organizations, independent journalists. Local communities can volunteer to distribute and print local editions of Nyomtass Te is!.

Appreciation of the Jury

The Hungarian government currently controls more than three-quarters of all TV, radio, and print media in the country. This particularly impacts voting outcomes in rural communities. Nyomtass Te is! provides communities with non-governmental media and information with an innovative and simple approach. As a result, independent journalism and online news are accessible to the communities and political discourses of rural Hungary.