Media professionals and union representatives on Wednesday put their views to a parliamentary committee on the Fidesz-sponsored media law package, saying that wider consultations were needed and complaining that rules on regulating content were unclear.

Antal Rogan, who last week submitted the package jointly with fellow Fidesz deputy Andras Cser-Palkovics, said after a meeting of parliament's culture and media committee that they will submit an amendment on regulations of publishing corrections by the press.

In the relevant bill submitted last week, corrections are stipulated in cases of factual mistakes, slander and the violation of the right to privacy. Under the amendment, this will only relate to factual mistakes. But the regulation will also apply to information published on the internet, said Rogan.

He insisted, however, that the new law would offer increased protection to investigative journalists.

Opposition parties, unions, civil organisations and media professionals have strongly criticised parts of the new package. Among their grievances is the overwhelming power that governing party delegates in the new supervisory bodies are to enjoy.

A major international journalists' lobby on Wednesday vigorously criticised a law package and called for the package of bills to be withdrawn, and media representatives in Hungary also called for a proper debate before a media law is enacted.

Laszlo Czegledi, chairman of the Hungarian Television Supervisory Board, said that greater opportunity should have been given to debate the package beyond Wednesday's hearing of parliament's culture and media committee.

Socialist politician Laszlo Mandur said that it had not been "elegant" of the package's proponents to invite the representatives of the media industry to debate the package just days before the parliamentary vote on the legislation. He said that if the bill is not withdrawn, the currently proposed August 31 deadline for submitting proposals to change the so-called media constitution part of the package should be extended till the end of September.

The Fidesz deputies say the package will reform "the currently dysfunctional public-service media sector" and make the system cheaper to operate. The Fidesz-Christian-Democratic governing alliance holds the two-thirds of parliamentary mandates needed to change the media law enacted in 1996.

Pal Eotvos, chairman of the Hungarian Journalists' Association, said had yet to be seen how broad an area of the media the new rules would cover.

"It is still unclear from the proposal how the future law will apply to the media business beyond the public-service sphere," he said.

The debate on the part of the package which codifies regulations on media content has been delayed to the autumn.

Eva Simon, of the Society for Press Freedom, said underlined calls for a broad professional and social debate, adding that if indeed the new rules were to apply to the internet, for example, they would be "impractical and impossible to implement".

Rogan told MTI that the requirement for balanced reporting will only affect news content on the internet and not blogs.

FEARS OVER REGULATORY STRUCTURE

Criticism has focused on a new body called the Media Council -- a powerful body operating within a new authority which merges the national radio and television authority ORTT and the telecom authority NHH -- whose members will be appointed for a nine-year term. Its head is to be appointed by the prime minister, despite an objection raised both by opposition parties and two Fidesz deputies.

The four other members of the Council will be appointed by a parliamentary committee comprising one member from each party initially aiming for a consensus, but lacking that, by a two-thirds majority. This procedure will mean the governing parties will control the body.

The broadcasting organisations -- television networks MTV and Duna, Magyar Radio and news agency MTI -- are to be converted into non-profit companies and will still be kept separate but supervised by a single public-service presidium as opposed to the four separate bodies up to now.

The opposition Socialists have objected to the provision to merge the supervision of MTI with the public media companies. A party official said that merging control over MTI with public radio and television was a convenient way of placing the company under government control.

Under current provisions, MTI is governed by a separate law and has its own supervisory council.

BILLS DRAW SHARP CONDEMNATION

The European Federation of Journalists, the regional body of the International Federation of Journalists, said the law package submitted to parliament last week would "turn the clock back" for press freedom in the country.

"The bill before the Hungarian Parliament is a restrictive measure that limits freedom of opinion and thereby freedom of speech," said Aidan White, EFJ General Secretary.

"It does not meet European standards of diversity and plurality and turns the clock back to a time when Hungary lived under communism and the shadow of state control of media."

The EFJ and IFJ called on Fidesz to withdraw the bill and "open up an intense public debate and dialogue with the media community and journalists."

"Such a dialogue should focus on providing media regulation that meets European standards and respects freedom of opinion and freedom of speech," the EFJ said.