Phone conversation between journalist and EU official, intercepted and published online

A private phone conversation between a journalist from Politico and an official of the European Union was intercepted and published online, prompting a security investigation. The recording, made on March 3, was uploaded to YouTube on March 16 and has been listened to over 5,100 times. Politico stated that it found no evidence of a compromise of its internal systems and emphasized that it will not be intimidated by this attempt to interfere with independent journalism.

The incident occurs in the context of discussions about leaks of confidential information from EU institutions, ahead of the general elections in Hungary. International reactions underscore the seriousness of the situation, and the president of the International Press Association in Brussels warned that hacking affects press freedom.

Politico has not disclosed the identity of the official involved, and the investigation continues to determine how the recording was obtained.