Mertek Media Monitor
@mertekmonitor.bsky.social
A Budapest-based media policy think-tank. Pro-European, committed to democracy, rule of law and media freedom.
Lessons from the Hungarian campaign 4 months before the election campaign: fake-profile network full with AI-generated contents distribute pro-government messages on Facebook.
Young, attractive, fans of football, Orbán and relationship drama: inside the most sophisticated pro-Fidesz fake-profile network on Facebook
We identified a network of nearly one hundred Facebook profiles whose members live in an AI generated reality and systematically spread content that supports the governing party.
lakmusz.hu
December 8, 2025 at 1:06 PM
Lessons from the Hungarian campaign 4 months before the election campaign: fake-profile network full with AI-generated contents distribute pro-government messages on Facebook.
Media freedom organizations called on the European Board for Media Services (Media Board) – the independent EU advisory body established by the EMFA – to initiate an advisory opinion on the takeover of Ringier publisher in Hungary and its negative impact on media freedom.
Hungary: New EU Media Board should assess Blikk acquisition by pro-government media group – ipi.media
The International Press Institute (IPI) today joins media freedom partners in raising alarm about the recent acquisition of Hungary’s most-read tabloid newspaper by a pro-government media group and ca...
ipi.media
November 22, 2025 at 11:17 AM
Media freedom organizations called on the European Board for Media Services (Media Board) – the independent EU advisory body established by the EMFA – to initiate an advisory opinion on the takeover of Ringier publisher in Hungary and its negative impact on media freedom.
The same story happened in 1993, but what a difference between the two decisions and the two era!
www.rferl.org
November 21, 2025 at 10:38 AM
The same story happened in 1993, but what a difference between the two decisions and the two era!
"Ringier, which owned Glamour’s Hungarian edition and numerous other women’s magazines as well as Blikk, had received an offer it could not refuse from a pro-Orbán group called Indamedia" - important piece from Ivan Zsolt Nagy, former editor-in-chief of Blikk. #Hungary
Viktor Orbán’s Hail Mary.
I was editor in chief of Hungary’s most-read independent daily until a pro-government media network bought the newspaper. It’s the fifth time in thirty years that politics has cost me my job—and it’s ...
www.cjr.org
November 10, 2025 at 12:48 PM
"Ringier, which owned Glamour’s Hungarian edition and numerous other women’s magazines as well as Blikk, had received an offer it could not refuse from a pro-Orbán group called Indamedia" - important piece from Ivan Zsolt Nagy, former editor-in-chief of Blikk. #Hungary
Reposted by Mertek Media Monitor
#Hungary: Stakeholders met during a recent @coemediafreedom.bsky.social mission described a severely restricted media environment within which independent journalism operates, while also highlighting the deep political polarisation shaping the run-up to the 2026 elections. More findings ⤵️
Hungary: Independent journalism operates in a severely restricted media environment
The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joins partners of the Council of Europe’s Platform for the safety of journalists in outlining our support ...
europeanjournalists.org
November 7, 2025 at 11:23 AM
#Hungary: Stakeholders met during a recent @coemediafreedom.bsky.social mission described a severely restricted media environment within which independent journalism operates, while also highlighting the deep political polarisation shaping the run-up to the 2026 elections. More findings ⤵️
Ringier was the last big international investor in the Hungarian print publishing market and it sold its portfolio on last Friday. Background from @floragaramvolgyi.bsky.social in @theguardian.com
November 5, 2025 at 10:09 AM
Ringier was the last big international investor in the Hungarian print publishing market and it sold its portfolio on last Friday. Background from @floragaramvolgyi.bsky.social in @theguardian.com
Reposted by Mertek Media Monitor
Our new paper has been published in @cogitatiomac.bsky.social. The paper is about Megafon which is a Hungarian political influencer group, a typical example for state sponsored disinfo.
Outsourced Political Campaign: Role of Pro-Government Political Influencers in Spreading Hostile Narratives in Hungary | Article | Media and Communication
Kata Horváth, Gábor Polyák, Ágnes Urbán
www.cogitatiopress.com
August 28, 2025 at 5:23 PM
Our new paper has been published in @cogitatiomac.bsky.social. The paper is about Megafon which is a Hungarian political influencer group, a typical example for state sponsored disinfo.
The Hungarian government constantly talks about sovereignty, while the Hungarian ‘public service’ media cooperates with Chinese state propaganda.
Hungarian public media’s close cooperation with key Chinese media revealed after Átlátszó successfully sues for contracts – English
Hungarian public media has promised extremely close cooperation to its Chinese partners in several contracts.
english.atlatszo.hu
July 2, 2025 at 2:48 PM
The Hungarian government constantly talks about sovereignty, while the Hungarian ‘public service’ media cooperates with Chinese state propaganda.
Reposted by Mertek Media Monitor
27 EU member states mean 27 policy environments to deal with #disinformation . On top of that, there is the EU policy that applies in all member states. We had a country-by-country look in this EDMO report. edmo.eu/wp-content/u...
edmo.eu
June 25, 2025 at 12:02 PM
27 EU member states mean 27 policy environments to deal with #disinformation . On top of that, there is the EU policy that applies in all member states. We had a country-by-country look in this EDMO report. edmo.eu/wp-content/u...
Reposted by Mertek Media Monitor
🇭🇺#Hungary: A 'foreign agent'-style bill which would allow blacklisting, financial restriction & closure of media receiving foreign funds poses a severe threat to independent journalism & #pressfreedom & should be condemned and challenged under EU law👇
buff.ly/LZjBYFF
buff.ly/LZjBYFF
Hungary: Foreign funding bill poses most serious threat to independent media in years – ipi.media
A newly introduced bill which would allow for the blacklisting, financial restriction and potential closure of media outlets and civil society organisations receiving foreign funds poses a severe…
ipi.media
May 16, 2025 at 9:23 AM
🇭🇺#Hungary: A 'foreign agent'-style bill which would allow blacklisting, financial restriction & closure of media receiving foreign funds poses a severe threat to independent journalism & #pressfreedom & should be condemned and challenged under EU law👇
buff.ly/LZjBYFF
buff.ly/LZjBYFF
"Democracy, public participation and social action do not threaten Hungary's sovereignty - rather the government threatens Hungarian democracy" - joint statement of Hungarian civil society organizations and independent media outlets
No Country Was Built On Blacklists — Civilizáció
joint statement of independent civil society organisations and media outlets 14 May 2025 - The draft law submitted by the ruling party on Tuesday is nothing but an authoritarian attempt to hold on to...
civilizacio.net
May 15, 2025 at 5:37 PM
"Democracy, public participation and social action do not threaten Hungary's sovereignty - rather the government threatens Hungarian democracy" - joint statement of Hungarian civil society organizations and independent media outlets
"Viktor Orbán’s government is being accused of handing more than €1bn in unlawful subsidies to pro-government media (...)" A new complaint has been submitted to DG COMP regarding the market-distorting effect of state advertising. 1/2 on.ft.com/4lOTeLB
Hungary accused of illegal subsidies for pro-government media
Viktor Orbán faces scrutiny over his tightening grip on critical voices
on.ft.com
April 28, 2025 at 7:42 AM
"Viktor Orbán’s government is being accused of handing more than €1bn in unlawful subsidies to pro-government media (...)" A new complaint has been submitted to DG COMP regarding the market-distorting effect of state advertising. 1/2 on.ft.com/4lOTeLB
Reposted by Mertek Media Monitor
Agnes Urban, director of Mertek Media Monitor published a paper about the Hungarian media capture (The Restructuring of the Hungarian Media System). The pdf is downloadable. cjssp.uni-corvinus.hu/index.php/cj...
The Restructuring of the Hungarian Media System | Urbán | Corvinus Journal of Sociology and Social Policy
The Restructuring of the Hungarian Media System
cjssp.uni-corvinus.hu
April 11, 2025 at 11:59 AM
Agnes Urban, director of Mertek Media Monitor published a paper about the Hungarian media capture (The Restructuring of the Hungarian Media System). The pdf is downloadable. cjssp.uni-corvinus.hu/index.php/cj...
HDMO, the Hungarian member of the @edmo-eu.bsky.social hub has a conference today in Budapest with full house. Fight against disinformation is really an issue here.
April 2, 2025 at 12:29 PM
HDMO, the Hungarian member of the @edmo-eu.bsky.social hub has a conference today in Budapest with full house. Fight against disinformation is really an issue here.
Innovation Fair in Budapest for local media sustainability. Brilliant event organized by Center for Sustainable Media and @mediadiversity.bsky.social, supported by @ec.europa.eu. With @erdelyip.bsky.social
March 29, 2025 at 1:49 PM
Innovation Fair in Budapest for local media sustainability. Brilliant event organized by Center for Sustainable Media and @mediadiversity.bsky.social, supported by @ec.europa.eu. With @erdelyip.bsky.social
HDMO, the Hungarian member of @edmo-eu.bsky.social is organising a conference on the project's achievements so far and on further possible tools to combat disinformation. The event will take place in Budapest on April 2. politicalcapital.hu/news.php?art...
The Future of Disinformation – (Geo)political, Technological Trends and Countermeasures’
Conference
politicalcapital.hu
March 25, 2025 at 8:26 AM
HDMO, the Hungarian member of @edmo-eu.bsky.social is organising a conference on the project's achievements so far and on further possible tools to combat disinformation. The event will take place in Budapest on April 2. politicalcapital.hu/news.php?art...
Reposted by Mertek Media Monitor
💥 Viktor Orbán’s intelligence agency is compiling a blacklist of so-called foreign agents, NGOs, and media outlets that received support from the US and the EU—whom Orbán has labeled "stink bugs" and vowed to "eliminate."
🍲This and more scoops in @vsquare.bsky.social's latest Goulash newsletter.
🍲This and more scoops in @vsquare.bsky.social's latest Goulash newsletter.
Goulash: Blacklist Compiled by Orbán’s Intelligence Agency; Russia's Meddling in Germany - VSquare.org
The far-right is rising in Poland, while Viktor Orbán has been turning up the heat on his own radical agenda in Hungary—seasoning his rule with yet another alarming far-right shift. Our main scoop thi...
vsquare.org
March 20, 2025 at 8:18 PM
💥 Viktor Orbán’s intelligence agency is compiling a blacklist of so-called foreign agents, NGOs, and media outlets that received support from the US and the EU—whom Orbán has labeled "stink bugs" and vowed to "eliminate."
🍲This and more scoops in @vsquare.bsky.social's latest Goulash newsletter.
🍲This and more scoops in @vsquare.bsky.social's latest Goulash newsletter.
"The Dynasty" documentary of @direkt36.bsky.social has just reached 3.5 million views. The film shows how Viktor Orbán's family became billionaires over the past three decades. English subtitle is available. www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZ4S...
A dinasztia (The Dynasty) - így született az Orbán család gazdasági birodalma
YouTube video by Direkt36
www.youtube.com
March 20, 2025 at 3:55 PM
"The Dynasty" documentary of @direkt36.bsky.social has just reached 3.5 million views. The film shows how Viktor Orbán's family became billionaires over the past three decades. English subtitle is available. www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZ4S...
Reposted by Mertek Media Monitor
🤯After Viktor Orbán called his opponents “stink bugs” and talked of getting rid of them, news site Telex asked President of Hungary Tamás Sulyok to comment. In response, the president’s comms director labeled Telex journalists "degenerates" / "defects" and posted a photo of a stink bug. Seriously.
March 19, 2025 at 6:19 PM
🤯After Viktor Orbán called his opponents “stink bugs” and talked of getting rid of them, news site Telex asked President of Hungary Tamás Sulyok to comment. In response, the president’s comms director labeled Telex journalists "degenerates" / "defects" and posted a photo of a stink bug. Seriously.
Reposted by Mertek Media Monitor
#Hungary: IPI today warns of a looming crackdown by the government on independent media, in the wake of recent incendiary comments by PM Orbán in which he vowed to eliminate all media outlets & other organisations that have received foreign funding.
Hungary: IPI warns of fresh crackdown on independent media
The International Press Institute (IPI) today warns of a looming crackdown by the Hungarian government on independent media in the country, in the wake of recent incendiary comments by Prime Minister…
buff.ly
March 18, 2025 at 4:32 PM
#Hungary: IPI today warns of a looming crackdown by the government on independent media, in the wake of recent incendiary comments by PM Orbán in which he vowed to eliminate all media outlets & other organisations that have received foreign funding.
"Already reeling from the impact of the huge funding cut resulting from the USAID freeze, it is unclear where civil society organizations and independent media across Central and Eastern Europe go from here."
Great article by @tgoscee.bsky.social on the growing suppression of #CivilSociety in #Hungary #Slovakia #Serbia & how changes in the Transatlantic space catalyze it, with quotes from @milanninberlin.bsky.social & yours truly.
@deutschewelle.bsky.social
www.dw.com/en/civil-soc...
@deutschewelle.bsky.social
www.dw.com/en/civil-soc...
Civil society in the crosshairs in Central, Eastern Europe – DW – 03/12/2025
Faced with political challenges at home and emboldened by President Trump's dismantling of USAID, the illiberal governments of Hungary, Serbia and Slovakia are cracking down on civil society organizat...
www.dw.com
March 13, 2025 at 3:14 PM
"Already reeling from the impact of the huge funding cut resulting from the USAID freeze, it is unclear where civil society organizations and independent media across Central and Eastern Europe go from here."
Good summary of how Sovereignty Protection Office targeted investigative journalism center Átlátszó and the anti-corruption organization Transparency International Hungary.
Easter Purge? Orbán Sets Deadline to Crush Independent Media and Civil Society - VSquare.org
Since coming to power in 2010, Orbán has gradually yet systematically restricted the space for independent voices, largely following the Russian model. With Donald Trump taking office and U.S. funding...
vsquare.org
March 10, 2025 at 9:45 PM
Good summary of how Sovereignty Protection Office targeted investigative journalism center Átlátszó and the anti-corruption organization Transparency International Hungary.