Friends of Hungary Foundation is an NGO that aims to foster connections among Hungarians living abroad. As part of its efforts, it operates two news websites, one in English and the other in German.
Media assets
News portal: HungaryToday.hu, UngarnHeute.hu
State Media Matrix Typology: Captured Private (CaPr)
Ownership and governance
The Friends of Hungary Foundation (Magyarország Barátai Alapítvány in Hungarian) was established by 13 Hungarian personalities, six of whom have passed away. The foundation operates the news portals Hungary Today (in English) and Ungarn Heute (in German) through a Hungary-based limited liability company called Friends of Hungary. Additionally, the foundation publishes a print magazine called Friends of Hungary, which is mailed to over 200 Hungarians mainly living abroad.
Source of funding and budget
The foundation operates with the support of donations from various companies, including state-owned businesses like the oil and gas company MOL and Gedeon Richter. There have been no identified direct state funding allocations for the foundation to date. The foundation does not make its financial reports public.
Editorial independence
The Friends of Hungary Foundation was established in 2011 with the declared aim of providing value-based, yet non-partisan, information to the community of Hungary’s friends and the general public about events and successes concerning Hungary and Hungarians living worldwide. The foundation focuses on strengthening the ties between Hungarians living in their homeland and those in the diaspora.
The news portals operated by the foundation openly support the Hungarian government led by Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who regularly speaks at their annual conference. According to interviews with journalists and experts for this report carried out in March 2023 and May 2024, the foundation has strengthened its ties with Fidesz, Orban’s party, in recent years. As a result, its publications have become propaganda channels serving the Hungarian government.
August 2024