Bognár Éva | Médiafórum

Poll: Most Hungarian Internet Users Don’t Judge Media with Foreign Funding

For years, the government has been fiercely attacking media outlets that operate with funding from outside Hungary. In May 2025, a bill was introduced in Parliament that, if passed, would give the Sovereignty Protection Office and the government virtually free rein to silence anyone on this basis. The 21 Research Center and Mediaforum conducted a … Poll: Most Hungarian Internet Users Don’t Judge Media with Foreign Funding

Press Freedom Organizations Condemn Hungary’s Proposed “Foreign Agent” Law

The Committee to Protect Journalists and the International Press Institute are urging European Union leaders to “unequivocally and immediately condemn Hungary’s proposed ‘foreign agent’ law,” warning that it “poses severe threat to independent journalism and press freedom and should be immediately challenged under EU law.” On May 13, 2025, a Fidesz MP introduced a bill … Press Freedom Organizations Condemn Hungary’s Proposed “Foreign Agent” Law

No Country Was Built On Blacklists – joint statement

14 May 2025 – The draft law submitted by the ruling party on Tuesday is nothing but an authoritarian attempt to hold on to their power. Its aim is to silence all critical voices and eliminate what remains of Hungarian democracy once and for all. The draft is an attack on remaining independent organisations more … No Country Was Built On Blacklists – joint statement

Hungary Proposes ‘Foreign Agents’ Law Targeting Independent Media and NGOs

On May 13, 2025, an MEP of the ruling party introduced a bill reminiscent of Russia’s “foreign agents” legislation that would severely restrict organizations receiving funding from abroad. The proposal, titled “On transparency in the public sphere,” would grant Hungary’s Sovereignty Protection Office sweeping powers to target independent organizations deemed threats to national sovereignty by … Hungary Proposes ‘Foreign Agents’ Law Targeting Independent Media and NGOs

Constitutional Amendment Enables Suspension of Citizenship

The Fidesz-KDNP governing parties have adopted a constitutional amendment that “creates the possibility that the Hungarian citizenship of Hungarian citizens who are also citizens of another state, not including citizens of states with the right of free movement and residence, is suspended in accordance with the provisions of a cardinal Act.” Under the new legislation … Constitutional Amendment Enables Suspension of Citizenship

Magyar Hang files state aid complaint to the EC against Hungary

Two media companies—Alhambra Press, publisher of Magyar Hang, and another company that wishes to remain anonymous—have filed a complaint with the European Commission alleging illegal state aid in Hungary’s media sector. Their comprehensive analysis documents a severely market-distorting allocation of state advertising revenues: media outlets aligned with the government have reportedly received over €1.1 billion … Magyar Hang files state aid complaint to the EC against Hungary

Journalist “bugs” and press freedom

On March 15, in his public speech (where only national television stations were allowed to broadcast), Prime Minister Viktor Orbán raised the intensity of the hate campaign against organizations and individuals critical of the government to a new level, comparing them to bugs. In his own words: “The heady day of 15 March 1848 was … Journalist “bugs” and press freedom

More Extreme, Unfounded Attacks and Serious Threats Against Independent Media from Prime Minister Orbán and His Party

Since the inauguration of President Donald Trump, the Hungarian government’s war on NGOs and independent media has escalated. The smear campaigns, communications from Prime Minister Orbán and his allies, and actions by state agencies all point in the same direction: taking advantage of the international situation, the government is intensifying its efforts to silence independent … More Extreme, Unfounded Attacks and Serious Threats Against Independent Media from Prime Minister Orbán and His Party

Sovereignty Protection Office: The European Commission is Building a New Media Empire

The latest “research report” from the Sovereignty Protection Office (SPO) seeks to expose the consortium led by the publisher of 444, Magyar Jeti Zrt. as a tool for political pressure by the European Commission. The Eastern Frontier Initiative, which includes 444, Dutch Bellingcat, Polish Gazeta Wyborcza, Romanian PressOne, and Slovak SME, is funded by the … Sovereignty Protection Office: The European Commission is Building a New Media Empire

Journalists Were Taken by the Police When Seeking to Question Viktor Orban

Reporters of Telex were detained by the police when they wanted to question Viktor Orban at a public event. The Committee to Protect Journalists condemned the intimidation of journalists and the obstruction of reporting in a statement, which “marks a clear escalation of intimidatory tactics, previously unheard of in Hungary”, and called for a swift … Journalists Were Taken by the Police When Seeking to Question Viktor Orban