Viktor Orbán’s authoritarian grip on Hungary became a model for the American right. He hollowed out the country’s democracy and turned much of the media into a government megaphone. Then a small newsroom called Direkt36 exposed a plot against the opposition party involving a mysterious political operative, a young IT worker, a raid on a boat in the Danube and a whistleblowing police captain. A few weeks later, Orbán was ousted from power in a landslide election. Sean Cole reports on the investigation, called the Hungarian Watergate, and what it shows about why an independent press still matters. Question Everything is a production of KCRW and Placement Theory. And don’t forget to sign up for our newsletter. Guests: Zsuzsanna Wirth, Direct36 investigative reporter András Pethő, Direct36 editor Marius Dragomir, Director of the Center for Media, Data and Society Please support the organizations that support this show: Ground News is a platform that makes it easy to compare news sources, read between the lines of media bias, and break free from algorithms. Go to GroundNews.com/QUESTION to get 40% off the unlimited Vantage plan. Go to https://zbiotics.com/QUESTION and use QUESTION at checkout for 15% off any first-time orders of ZBiotics probiotics. DeleteMe makes it quick, easy and safe to remove your personal data online. Get 20% off DeleteMe consumer plans when you go to joindeleteme.com/QUESTION and use promo code QUESTION at checkout.

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“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.

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