Péter Szikszai

editor-in-chief of HírTV, pro-government journalist with a final defamation conviction

Propaganda

Under the pseudonym "Zummer Fülöp," Péter Szikszai wrote a 2020 Magyar Nemzet article titled "The Scientific Characterization of the Organism Named Szabó Tímea," describing the opposition politician as an "organism" and a "biological weapon of a hidden power." In February 2022 the Budapest-Capital Regional Court (Fővárosi Törvényszék) issued a final ruling convicting Szikszai and Magyar Nemzet's then editor-in-chief, Tamás Toót-Holló, of defamation, sentencing both to one year of probation; the court found the piece used a dehumanizing style resembling that of the Nazi era, incompatible with respect for human dignity. The paper was ordered to delete the article, pay damages, and publish an apology. Despite the final conviction, Szikszai's career was unaffected: in January 2025 he was appointed editor-in-chief of the government-aligned channel HírTV.

Sources

Jogerősen elítélte a bíróság a Magyar Nemzet szerzőjét és főszerkesztőjét a Szabó Tímeát egy „háttérhatalom biológiai fegyvereként” leíró cikk miatt → Telex · 2022-02-02

Bekeményít a HírTV? A becsületsértésért elítélt Szikszai Péter lesz az új főszerkesztő → Media1 · 2025-01-10