Magyar Hirlap is a daily newspaper known for its support of Hungarian conservative values. In July 2022, the newspaper ceased its print edition, moving entirely online.
Media assets
Publishing: Magyar Hirlap
State Media Matrix Typology: Captured Private (CaPr)
Ownership and governance
Magyar Hirlap is owned by Gabor Szales, a Hungarian entrepreneur who acquired the publication in 2005 from Ringier, a Swiss-owned publishing house. Szeles is known as a loyal supporter of Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
Source of funding and budget
Magyar Hirlap, along with other news media owned by oligarchs close to the Prime Minister and his party Fidesz, receives substantial state financing. After 2015, Magyar Hirlap became a dominant recipient of state advertising, with approximately 4% of the total state advertising expenditure going to the newspaper in 2018, according to the local NGO Mertek.
Although it’s unclear whether government funding accounts for more than 50% of Magyar Hirlap’s annual budget, the government’s support is significant and helps the publication remain financially viable, as local journalists and experts interviewed for this report in May-June 2023 and March 2024 have stated.
The newspaper’s decision to discontinue its print edition in July 2022, driven by market-related reasons, also reflects the government’s efforts to minimize losses in controlled media.
Editorial independence
Since Szeles took over, Magyar Hirlap has become strongly pro-government, as local journalists and experts reported, earning the reputation of a pro-government publication.
There is no domestic statute establishing Magyar Hirlap’s editorial independence. The newspaper is under strict orders from its owner to promote the government and its interests. There is no independent assessment or oversight mechanism to validate Magyar Hirlap’s editorial independence.
August 2024