In November 2025, Kari Lake, CEO of the USAGM (United States Agency for Global Media), announced that the Agency would terminate funding for the Hungarian-language publications of Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), effectively ending the service itself, according to a summary by 444.hu on November 6. The justification stated:
“The Trump Administration’s position is that the original justification for adding Szabad Europa to RFE/RL’s programming lineup in 2019 is not aligned with U.S. national interests. This programming has undermined President Trump’s foreign policy by opposing Hungary’s duly elected Prime Minister, Viktor Orbán. As you know, Viktor Orbán was (and still is) the leader of Hungary, which is a close U.S. ally and a member of NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization).”
The announcement further indicated that the program will no longer produce or distribute content in countries considered allies, as doing so does not serve the interests of U.S. taxpayers. EU Commissioner Marta Kos called the decision “a gift to autocrats” in April, and urged the protection of Radio Free Europe.
The announcement seals the future of one of the key players in Hungary’s media landscape. It is important to emphasize: szabadeuropa.hu has not ceased operations, but the freezing of funding makes its long-term operation impossible.
Since its relaunch in 2020, szabadeuropa.hu has become one of the most important actors in the domestic media market, contributing to Hungarian democratic public discourse through investigative reporting, corruption exposés, local reports outside Budapest, and international analyses.
The most direct victims of this decision are the journalists and media workers who have worked for years at the Hungarian Szabad Európa under political pressure, hostile government communication, and ongoing uncertainty.
The freezing of funding affects the fate of the newsroom and signals a further weakening of diversity in the Hungarian public sphere.