DUE is the National Society of Student and Youth Journalists of Hungary. The Society was officially founded in 1989, when with the fall of communism, it became possible to establish NGOs in the country. Before that, since 1982, we also regularly organized national radio and journalist camps in the summer, courses, and competitions.
Founding
DUE was the first organization in Central Eastern Europe that realized the need, to educate young people in rather informal ways, and to unite them.
DUE’s main object is to facilitate the work of young journalists, radio, tv and video makers, and vloggers, and it has a major role in the development of media in small societies, and thus democracy.
DUE is a high priority company in the public interest, a non-profit organization.
Board members
Founder and president between 1989 and 1997: dr. Miklós Tomszer
President: István Kecskés (editor at Rádió Lakihegy)
Vice-Presidents: dr. Géza Balázs (university teacher at ELTE-BTK)
József Szayly (former vice-president of the Hungarian Radio)
Head of the Executive Committee: Boglárka Panulin
Head of the Foreign Committee: Szabolcs Turányi-Vadnay
Structure of the organization
DUE is directed by the president, two vice-presidents, and the Executive Committee, which has three members.
The board receives help from the activist group, in the organization of big events, and in the daily work of the office. Their work is essential for the perfect function of the organization.
The General Assembly is called together periodically.
To help the work of DUE, the DUE Producer’s Office was founded. It is a company which has paid workers, and it helps and sponsors the work of DUE. It also pays the honorariums of guests who were invited to certain events, and rent of buildings, where events are held etc.
Members
Due has 6000 registered members. Out of these, there are ca. 800 active members.
Anyone can become a member, through an online registration. The membership is currently 3600 HUF (€11), for a year. Members receive a plastic press card, with their name, date of birth, card number, and their picture on it. On the back there is a sticker which indicates the validity of the card. The press card is in Hungarian and English, and it has the address and phone number of DUE on it.
There are no automatic advantages attached to this card, but it proved to be a useful tool in the hands of young journalists. Both in Hungary and abroad, people look at it as the card of professional journalists.
Activities
The office in Budapest is open five days a week, and it helps the flow of information and communication among the members. It also plans the schedule and organizes the programs of the organization.
DUE Student Radio Network
220 schools are members of the Student Radio Network. Every month, they receive programs with information, a program, and music on it. Professionals are editing this selection. Radio makers can use it in their work; occasionally there are also special programs for holiday seasons.
To become a member of the DUE Student Radio Network is entirely free, the programmes can be downloaded from a website, or also played from a CD. The school radios promise to use this selection in their programs, and the sponsors pay DUE for this.
There are trainings for these young radio makers, and they also receive the DUE Hírek, and the DUE Tallózó.
DUE Hírek
The newsletter of the organization is sent out along with the Tallózó, every second month. It is printed in 30 000 copies. It is sent to the members, to the Student Radio Network, the School Network, and to the sponsors for free.
DUE Tallózó
This magazine is edited ten times during the school year in 30 000 copies, since 1999. It has 32 pages, and it is distributed to the members, and sponsors. It is distributed in more than 500 schools in the country. It contains a selection of the best articles of the school magazines, there are topics which could be interesting to students, such as study of languages, European Union, environmental protection, school problems, music, films, books, theatre, sports, traveling and drugs. DUE thinks that it is a motivation to young journalists that their article could be published in a national magazine. Statistics show that about 250 000 students read DUE Tallózó each month. The online version can be found at www.duetallozo.hu.
Summer Media Camp
This is a 10 days long intensive journalist, radio, and TV program maker training.
In the camp, a newspaper is edited each day. It can be a camp magazine, a tabloid, women’s/men’s magazine, the participants’ – creativity knows no boundaries.
The DUE Radio broadcasts its programs live in the morning. This is an informal show, with lots of music and jokes. At noon, there is a live news magazine called Chronicle, and in the evening, a magazine type of show is broadcasted. Not only the students in the camp, but the inhabitants of the village, where the camp is held, receive these programs, due to the radio transmitter.
The participants are working in groups; their leaders are former students of DUE, who became successful in the Hungarian media.
The different groups are specialised for TV, creative video making, photo, and digital graphics, online newspaper, print newspaper, and radio.
The team spirit is very strong here, besides learning a lot, everyone is having a great time.
Media Festival
It is a whole day entertaining program, where the young journalist can meet media stars, celebrities, actors, singers, athletes, politicians, ministers. The president and the prime minister of Hungary was our guest as well in the previous years. There are press conferences where the young journalist can ask their questions.
The prizes of the DUE competitions are also presented here. The schools get prizes and at the end of the day, there is a huge party and concerts.
There are more than 1600 participants between the age of 14 and 25.
Media Day
It is a professional program, since 2001, free of charge for members. Journalists and TV personalities are invited to do presentations, and the young journalist can ask them questions. Usually there are 200 participants at this event.
Competitions
Every year DUE puts up an appointment for competitions. A prize is given out on the Media Festival for the “journalist, student radio maker, newspaper, caricaturist, and helping teacher of the year”. Winners receive sponsorships, presents, and free admission to the summer camp.
There is a Youth Press Prize, given out on the Media Festival. The candidates have to send a portfolio of their works.
Besides the national competitions, DUE presents other competitions as well. These can be found on the homepage, and in DUE Hírek.
Occasional programs
There are many occasional programs each month, such as: media weekends in the country, camps, factory visits, cultural programs, field trips, parties, foreign exchange programs. These programs can be found on our website.
Foreign Affairs
DUE was one of the founder members of the European Youth Press (Basel, 1992) and of Youth Press European Network (Youth PEN, 2000).
The first General Assambly of Youth PEN was organized in Alsóörs, Hungary in the year 2000 by DUE and the vice-president was also delegated by the Hungarian organization.
After Youth PEN was wound up, DUE was invited to Berlin, to the founding conference of a new organization, European Youth Press (EYP). DUE delegated one member to the board of this new organization, and one member to the auditing commission.
National Society of Student and Youth Journalists
Diák- és Ifjúsági Újságírók Országos Egyesülete (DUE)
Office: Hungary, 1148 Budapest, Örs vezér tere 11.
Tel/fax: +36-1-222-8213
E-mail: [email protected]
Homepage: www.due.hu
