Index
Index.hu, Hungary’s most popular news portal, has been operating under its current name since 1999, with origins in Internetto (founded around 1995), a local website covering IT topics.
Media assets
News portal: Index.hu
State Media Matrix Typology
Ownership and governance
Index.hu is formally owned by the For Hungarian Development Foundation (in Hungarian, Magyar Fejlődésért Alapítvány), which was created in 2017 as part of a structure purportedly meant to secure editorial independence. The foundation is controlled by László Bodolai, who had served long as the portal’s lawyer.
The business/commercial side (advertising, etc.) has been handled by Indamedia Network Zrt., which has taken over these functions and became owner of the media sales. In particular, Miklós Vaszily, a businessman with known ties to the Fidesz-government media network, acquired Indamedia in July 2020.
Source of funding and budget
Index.hu has traditionally relied on commercial revenues, primarily advertising, complemented by occasional crowdfunding campaigns. Following the Indamedia takeover, the portal’s revenue base has remained strong thanks to its large readership.
Financially, Index.hu has remained relatively stable in recent years, with total revenues rising from HUF 1.63 billion (€4.18m) in 2022 to HUF 1.93 billion (€5.01m) in 2024. Profit after tax, though modest compared to turnover, peaked in 2023 at HUF 12.4 million (€33,000) before easing to HUF 10.4 million (€27,000) in 2024. Equity strengthened year-on-year, reaching HUF 59 million (€153,000) by 2024, while fixed assets nearly doubled compared to 2023. At the same time, liabilities grew, with current liabilities topping HUF 535.6 million (€1.39m) in 2024.
The workforce also expanded, from 70 employees in 2022 to 89 in 2024, alongside a steady increase in average monthly salaries to HUF 707,295 (€1,838), reflecting organizational growth but also rising labour costs.
Editorial independence
Since 2010, the Hungarian government has consolidated control over a vast media empire through politically loyal oligarchs. Index.hu was long considered the last major independent news site in Hungary. To protect this independence, the Foundation structure was designed to insulate the newsroom. However, once Indamedia was acquired in 2020, this protection effectively collapsed. The editor-in-chief was dismissed under pressure, and nearly the entire newsroom resigned in protest, an event widely regarded as the end of Index’s editorial independence.
Since then, Ákos Starcz has served as CEO of Index.hu. Starcz is closely associated with businesses linked to the governing party, including his board membership in companies such as Libri, Hungary’s leading book publisher. In April 2024, he was appointed chairman of Libri’s board, further consolidating his role in government-aligned media and publishing structures.
There is no domestic statute or independent oversight body ensuring Index.hu’s editorial independence since the mass resignations of July 2020. Watchdogs and local journalists continue to view Index as a captured outlet, with diminished autonomy and clear alignment with pro-government interests.
September 2025