Bence X. Szechenyi
@BenceXavier
Journalist @columbiajourn @pulitzercenter @direkt36
Investigative journalism can be an act of patriotism.
19th-century aristocrat István Széchenyi spent his fortune on the public—funding the Chain Bridge & Academy of Sciences. Now, his 🇺🇸🇭🇺 descendant, journalist Bence Széchenyi, helped expose how Orbán drains public money for his family’s luxury in @direkt36's film, The Dynasty. 1/2
🌈💪Billboards across Budapest now display a photo of Hungary’s largest-ever Pride March—banned by Orbán, defied by 200K people, and turned into a mass anti-government rally—put up by the capital’s opposition-led leadership. No text—just a photo of a crowd like never seen before.
💥Viktor Orbán’s main lobbying arm abroad, Mathias Corvinus Collegium (MCC), was founded by his ex-national security advisor András Tombor. @444hu reveals testimonies suggesting MCC’s founder was the “godfather” behind a decade-long scheme siphoning public funds from Budapest.🧵
“We found a special position in the Hungarian media landscape. We’re not part of the news cycle. We focus all of our resources on investigative projects, reporting on stories that matter for the audience.” @andraspe co-founder of @direkt36 buff.ly/BTrK2Cr
Interjút készített velem a Válasz Online. Itt olvasható: valaszonline.hu/2025/02/12/sze…
"The Dynasty" - Direkt36's new documentary has reached one million views. Thank you! If you haven't seen it yet, you can watch it here: youtu.be/bZ4SXv9qJHM?si…
The new @direkt36 documentary is finally released! “The Dynasty” investigates how Viktor Orban’s family got so rich. Everyone should watch and learn the mechanisms of corruption. (Featuring reporting by me) youtu.be/bZ4SXv9qJHM?si…
🎥🍿 Full house at @direkt36’s 10th birthday party and the exclusive screening of “The Dynasty: How Viktor Orbán’s Business Empire Was Born”. Huge thanks to our supporters & the creators! The first documentary on the Orbán family’s enrichment—coming soon to YouTube! @andraspe
💰💸 By year 15 of PM Viktor Orbán’s rule, his son-in-law became one of Hungary’s richest men. Our investigative documentary, The Dynasty, reveals how Orbán’s family—from his father to his daughter—built a family business empire by milking the state & EU funds. 🎬 Stay tuned!🍿
🚨 THE DYNASTY: HOW THE BUSINESS EMPIRE OF VIKTOR ORBÁN’S FAMILY WAS BORN 🚨 The very first documentary on the Hungarian PM’s family wealth is coming soon on Direkt36—also with English subtitles! Stay tuned & spread the trailer! 🎥🔥
💥💥NEW INVESTIGATION: Hungary spied on EU officials, including OLAF investigators who were probing the company of PM Orbán’s son-in-law. However, there’s a twist to the story: Hungary’s intelligence agency became entangled in internal political rivalries. direkt36.hu/en/english-eu-…
❗️#Hungarian CIA reportedly spied on EU officials. Officials from EU anti-fraud office were allegedly followed, wiretapped and had their laptops hacked by Hungary’s intelligence agency. Original story by @panyiszabolcs politico.eu/article/hungar…
❗️🇭🇺 Election system overhaul”. Just weeks after opposition Tisza party overtook Fidesz in polls, #Hungarian justice committee submits bill to change the election system. This includes a redrawing of the election map, Budapest sending two MPs less to Parliament. Stay tuned
Armenia and Azerbaijan have been engaged in peace talks since the end of the Nagorno-Karabakh War, an effort commended by Western representatives. Yet for Armenians, a gulf exists between a forced peace and dignified peace. pulitzercenter.org/stories/price-…
Western representatives praise the Armenia-Azerbaijan peace talks as capable of bringing dignified peace to the region. Our reporting from Armenia shows a far more complex reality.
The U.S. commends Armenia and Azerbaijan for formalizing the rules of procedure for border delimitation, demonstrating that progress is possible through sustained dialogue. We support both sides’ work towards a durable, dignified peace for security and prosperity in the region.
Me and @ellachakarian for @pulitzercenter. This story took months of reporting. Please give it a read 🤍 pulitzercenter.org/stories/price-…
Parliament denounced Azerbaijan’s poor human rights record and called on the EU to end its gas dependency on Baku. europarl.europa.eu/news/en/press-…
This morning, two peacekeepers were injured after an IDF Merkava tank fired its weapon toward an observation tower at UNIFIL’s headquarters in Naqoura, directly hitting it and causing them to fall. The injuries are fortunately, this time, not serious, but they remain in hospital.
The need for media literacy grows ever more important
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