What if news was a living thing? Index.hu stands here in Budapest. It pulsates with the city’s rhythm. It reflects Hungary’s ever-changing face.
Index.hu is a major Hungarian news website. It covers both Hungarian and international stories. In 2018, Index.hu was Hungary’s most visited website. It had 1.5 million daily readers. Most articles appear in Hungarian. However, Index.hu also publishes articles in English every week.
Let’s rewind to 1995. Index.hu started as Internetto. Sociologist Andr\u00e1s Ny\u00edr\u0151 founded it. He also served as its first editor-in-chief. Internetto quickly gained popularity. By 1996, it had 2,000 daily readers. It covered IT news. Internetto launched its own forum, T\u00f6rzsasztal. It experimented with live event coverage. The first was the 1995 Di\u00e1ksziget.
In 1996, Internetto launched Internet Exp\u00f3. Gyula Horn, Hungary’s prime minister, opened the virtual exhibition. Live video interviews with Horn and Andr\u00e1s Lovasi boosted Internetto’s popularity. By 1999, Internetto had over 20,000 daily readers.
But trouble brewed. Ny\u00edr\u0151 and IDG Hungary, Internetto’s owners, clashed. IDG Hungary wanted Internetto to focus on IT news. Ny\u00edr\u0151 wanted to broaden its scope. IDG warned of a potential sale or closure. Ny\u00edr\u0151 and colleagues offered to buy Internetto in April 1999. IDG Hungary CEO Istv\u00e1n B\u00edr\u00f3 rejected the offer. He fired Ny\u00edr\u0151 and others on May 11, 1999.
Ny\u00edr\u0151 launched Index.hu on May 17, 1999. This was just six days after his firing. The first Index.hu was a near copy of Internetto. It mirrored its design and source code. IDG Hungary sued Index. However, they lost the lawsuits. Index.hu also took all 26 of Internetto’s editorial staff. Internetto became temporarily dysfunctional. It restarted with a new staff. In 2002, Index.hu bought the domain. It turned it into an archive of Internetto’s early days.
Ny\u00edr\u0151 resigned as Index.hu’s editor-in-chief in December 1999. P\u00e9ter Uj replaced him. He held the position until 2011. Index.hu continued its growth. By March 2000, it had over 50,000 daily views. In the summer of 2000, Index.hu started Totalcar.hu. This was the website’s online car magazine.
Index.hu faced financial struggles despite growth. In 2000, it generated a loss of 183 million HUF. This, combined with the dot-com crash, put Index.hu in danger. The company failed to compete with Origo.hu. Origo.hu was funded by MAT\u00c1V. By the end of 2001, Index.hu had almost no cash reserves.
Index.hu is more than just a website. It’s a reflection of Hungarian society. It is a testament to the power of independent journalism. Its story is a roller coaster. It is full of ambition, conflict, and resilience. As we stand here, remember the people who built Index.hu. They shaped Hungary’s media landscape. They fought to keep information free.