Magyar Hirlap
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
Ownership and governance
Magyar Hírlap is owned by Gábor Széles, a Hungarian entrepreneur who acquired the publication in 2005 from Ringier, a Swiss-owned publishing house. Széles is widely regarded as a loyal supporter of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. The publishing company, Magyar Hírlap Kiadó Kft., remains under his control. As of 2025, the company’s management structure lists two managing directors: Széles Kinga Júlia and Szigeti Krisztina, the latter also serving as editor-in-chief and responsible publisher (felelős kiadó).
Source of funding and budget
Magyar Hírlap, along with other news media owned by oligarchs close to the Prime Minister and his party Fidesz, receives substantial state financing. After 2015, Magyar Hírlap 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 Mérték. Although it remains unclear whether government funding accounts for more than half of Magyar Hírlap’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 confirmed.
The decision to discontinue the print edition in July 2022 was driven by market pressures, but also reflected the government’s willingness to streamline and minimize losses in politically controlled media. The company’s latest available financial report shows that in 2024 Magyar Hírlap Kiadó Kft. posted revenues of HUF 482.8 million, expenses of HUF 447.3 million, and an after-tax profit of HUF 24.2 million HUF, with equity rising to 49.5 million HUF. These figures indicate a return to profitability after earlier losses in 2022.
Editorial independence
Since Széles took over, Magyar Hírlap has become strongly pro-government, earning the reputation of a propaganda outlet for the ruling party. Local journalists and experts consistently describe the newspaper as aligned with the government’s communication priorities.
There is no statute establishing Magyar Hírlap’s editorial independence. The paper is subject to direct instructions from its owner to promote the government and its interests, and there is no independent assessment or oversight mechanism to validate its editorial autonomy. As of 2025, there have been no signs of editorial change that would suggest an increase in independence or pluralism.
September 2025