TEFI members – 444, Bellingcat, Gazeta Wyborcza, PressOne, and SME – categorically reject this defamatory campaign, which targets one of the last bastions of democratic institutions: the independent press.
Hungary's pro-government media machine has recently launched a massive smear campaign against 444.hu and Bellingcat (NL), while also targeting their international partners, PressOne (RO), Gazeta Wyborcza (PL), and SME (SK). These outlets cooperate in a cross-border journalistic project, The Eastern Frontier Initiative (TEFI) covering regional security, co-financed by the European Commission.