This year, the Royal Embassy of Norway once again hosted the opening event of our investigative journalism mentor-mentee program on investigative journalism. During the 13th edition of the program, young people interested in investigative work who join the project will learn the secrets of the profession from experienced journalists.

On Wednesday, June 11, Transparency International (TI) Hungary launched its 13th investigative journalism mentoring program. The main goal of our program is to build successful professional cooperation between mentors and young people who are interested in journalism but do not yet have any experience.

József Péter Martin, Executive Director of TI Hungary, and representatives of supporting embassies, namely Norwegian Ambassador Vegard Kaale, Diana Madunic, Ambassador of Sweden, Jonathan Lacote, Ambassador of France, Kaisa Leidy, Chargé d’Affaires of the Embassy of Finland, and Andrew Davidson, Deputy Head of Mission at the British Embassy, reminded of the importance of the freedom of press and the high importance of the independent media in their welcoming speeches. They drew attention to the fact that journalism based on objectivity and fact-finding, as well as the media as an independent branch of power, are essential in a state governed by the rule of law in order to hold leaders accountable and expose corruption.

Following the welcome speeches, Marcell Dénes Jávor, communications manager at TI Hungary, introduced this year’s mentor-mentee pairs of the mentor program on investigative journalism to the audience.

Participants in TI Hungary’s 13th investigative journalism mentoring program are:

• Gergely Miklós Nagy, journalist at 24.hu, former winner of the Transparency-Soma Award, and Vilmos Molnár
• Viktória Serdült, journalist at HVG, and Nándor Dani
• Zsuzsanna Wirth, journalist and editor at the investigative news portal Direkt36, former winner of the Transparency-Soma Award, and Lél Kozek
• Tamás Bod, journalist and head of the Kis-Magyarország column at Magyar Narancs, Ádám Reitli, and
• Tamás Bethlen, editor of Borsod24, Szol24 and Szabolcs24, and Adrián Fazekas

Transparency International Hungary’s 2025 investigative journalism mentoring program is supported by the Finnish Embassy, the French Embassy, the British Embassy, the Norwegian Embassy and the Swedish Embassy.