On Sunday evening, a group of left-wing, news outlets led by The Guardian broke the story that according to a “leaked” database of phone numbers, they could “prove” that certain governments, including Hungary, have employed software called “Pegasus,” developed by Israeli surveillance firm NSO Group, and, according to the reporters, have used it to “spy on” critical journalists and political opponents.

The first problem with the “scandal,” and this is according to Interior Minister Sándor Pintér, is that since PM Orbán’s government took power from the Socialists in 2010, there has been no illegal surveillance in Hungary. And the results of supervision protocols support this fact. The minister added that Hungary is a democratic state where the rule of law prevails, therefore it acts according to the regulations in effect when deciding about actions in individual cases. Period.

Meanwhile, in an interview with leftist Hungarian daily Népszava yesterday, Minister of Justice Judit Varga pointed to the obvious fact that states must have the necessary tools to combat the many threats that they face today. And this includes preserving the ability to protect a country against the questionable endeavors of foreign secret services and their agents or actions that aim to undermine constitutional order. Those who claim otherwise are simply naive.

Then there’s the not-so-small problem that all of this comes down to unsubstantiated claims. We read references to “leaked” lists and so forth, but there appears to be nothing more than uncorroborated claims.

A few weeks ago, a prominent American TV news personality, Tucker Carlson, citing an anonymous source, claimed that the U.S. National Security Agency was monitoring his electronic communications. The media immediately demanded that Carlson produce more than an anonymous source to back his claim.

Wouldn’t it be great if the media in this case demanded a similar level of proof as well, or even simply asked a few tough questions about this “leaked” data? But the bombshell charges are against Hungary and the government of Prime Minister Orbán, so the media just gobbles it up without question and runs with the herd.