Hungary’s Government in Reality Controls More than Half of Leading Media

His statement, however, as unpicked below, is misleading; the outlets that are financially independent and able to withstand political influence neither operate as a uniform block, nor do they have 'oppositionism' as their primary mission. Among the outlets branded anti-government by Orban are those that are conservative - such as the crowd-funded Valasz Online - expressly neutral, left-leaning and hard left.

By contrast, almost all the outlets that uncritically echo the messages of Orban's governing Fidesz party have been shepherded into an openly pro-government media holding, the Central European Press and Media Foundation (CEPMF). Those that operate outside of the holding are as good as incorporated into CEPMF, because they are run by employees of Lorinc Meszaros, Orban's closest oligarch-ally.

Integrated media control, therefore, is not present among the so-called critical outlets but in the Hungarian prime minister's press empire, which already consists of more than 50 per cent of all influential outlets.

Following the call of the opposition Momentum party, demonstrators march against the dismissal of the editor-in-chief of the Hungarian news website Index.hu, in the streets of Budapest, Hungary, 24 July 2020. EPA-EFE/ZSOLT SZIGETVARY Uncertain status

According to research conducted by Válasz Online, there are currently 88 media outlets that, depending on the size of their teams, are able to influence public life - either by reaching millions or by publishing regular, exclusive content. Exactly half of these 88 (TV and radio channels, dailies, weeklies, and news portals) are now owned by members of Orban's closest circle.

Another nine outlets have what we term "uncertain status". This means that while...