Editorial staff faces an existential crisis as pro-government oligarchs take over their once-democratic stronghold. Conflict zone reporter Andras journals the turmoil.

Balkan Watchers 2024

András Földes, a war correspondent, rushes down a narrow corridor with his camera, but instead of a war zone, he enters Hungary’s largest independent newspaper, Index.hu’s newsroom, his workplace. He’s not there to report on any physical conflict, he’s there to witness a different kind of war: a battle between a free press and an autocratic government. In an unprecedented move, 80 journalists walk out, leaving the newsroom empty. The journalists refuse to back down and decide to create a new online newspaper, Telex.hu, led by Vera, who becomes the editor-in-chief. They face enormous challenges: they must build a new platform from scratch, find new sources of funding, and navigate an increasingly hostile environment. To blur a happy ending, reality soon enters this protected environment, and the story takes another unexpected turn.