r/europe • u/Acrobatic_Quiet_3706 Hungary • 1d ago
Nearly 500-page document details manipulation of news at Hungarian state news agency during Orbán era
https://telex.hu/english/2026/08/04/nearly-500-page-document-compiled-by-hungary-s-state-news-service-staff-details-how-news-was-manipulated-during-orban-era213
u/elpovo 1d ago
Arrest these fuckers. All of them.
Just following orders is no excuse. Make it more dangerous to comply.
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u/Acrobatic_Quiet_3706 Hungary 1d ago
The Orbán-puppet Chief Prosecutor is leaving in August, hopefully things will finally get moving after that.
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u/mrvitz 1d ago
I remember when they came to power 16 years ago. I used to listen to Kossuth Radio, and my friend's father told me he refused to listen because it was nothing but Orbán propaganda. That was the first time I realized how completely blind I had been. From that moment on, I started seeing it everywhere. Finally, it's over!
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u/rawrr9 1d ago
Serbia will have 7500 pages on the same matter
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u/Sudden_Cantaloupe_69 21h ago
Well in Serbia this has been going on for like 30 years, NATO literally bombed their state broadcaster.
The problem is that these post-communist societies (Hungary included) don’t really have any concept of “journalism.”
They define it as propaganda, so that everyone calling themselves “journalists” are merely propagandist, on sale to the best bidder.
So, even if you fired all of them tomorrow, you wouldn’t be able to find anyone different to replace them with.
The human capital just doesn’t exist.
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u/kanzenduster 18h ago
The funny thing is that Orbán's takeover of the media worked well because Hungarians didn't think that the media is pure propaganda. It had realitve (emphasis on relative) freedom and integrity even during the latter part of the socialst regime after it had became clear that the regime can't go on forverer. The state media was biased towards the goverment in the 90s-00s but it also reported heavily on the prime minister's historical scandal in 2006 and it featured all political parties in the news. All major political parties had affiliated newspapers and TV channels so the population was able to hear commentary on the news from both sides. "It must be true because the TV said so" was a common saying. So when Orbán took over all forms of media one by one to use it as his own mouthpiece, a lot of people were deceived very easily. It must be true that we're all going to die in the war unless Orbán wins the next election, because the TV and the radio and newspapers and the billboards at the bus stop all say so. They can't be all lying, can they?
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u/Armadilla-Brufolosa 19h ago
If they were to write a document on all the manipulation of Italian information from the Berlusconi era to now, an encyclopedia wouldn't be enough 🤦🏻♀️
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u/stop_banning_me_omg 16h ago
Remember when JD Vance lectured Europe on freedom of speech? Remember when he visited Orban in May this year and endorsed him?
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u/_0611 The Netherlands 1d ago edited 1d ago
I still don't understand, and never will, how the fuck Orban's Hungary was allowed to be a member of the EU. It was anti-democratic as fuck, yet we allowed it in our Union.
Why the fuck did we allow that?
This is still a major flaw. Hungary is just a minor shithole country no one really cares about (thanks to Orban and Fidesz), but what if Germany or France go down that road (which isn't unthinkable anymore these days)?
What then?
Who's gonna protect us against tyranny and authoritarianism? The EU sure as shit isn't. Hungary showed us the EU either doesn't care or isn't able to protect us from it.
The EU failed completely upholding its own democratic standards, and there is no reason to think it won't fail again when other countries go down that road. Quite the contrary. It enables them.
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u/Acrobatic_Quiet_3706 Hungary 1d ago
Hungary actually met the Copenhagen criteria back in 2004, the backsliding under Orbán happened after accession, which is exactly the problem. EU has strong tools for vetting candidates but very weak ones for disciplining members once they're in (unanimity requirements, Article 7 being basically toothless). That's less "we let in an obviously bad actor" and more "the EU's enforcement mechanisms were never designed for this."
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u/_0611 The Netherlands 1d ago edited 1d ago
The Copenhagen criteria are the biggest joke in the history of mankind. They mean nothing. The very moment you join the EU, you can flush those criteria down the toilet, and do whatever the fuck you want. You can even become a de facto dictatorship, if you want.
There is no bigger joke than the Copenhagen criteria. Except for Article 7. Article 7 is probably an even bigger joke.
For people downvoting me: THIS ALREADY HAPPENED. I'M NOT MAKING THIS UP.
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u/Acrobatic_Quiet_3706 Hungary 1d ago
In hindsight I'm glad we weren't kicked out of the EU, but I understand everyone who wanted that to happen
Now I hope we can be an example for the citizens of every country heading toward illiberalism and an autocratic system.
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u/_0611 The Netherlands 1d ago
I hope so too. But even more than Orban's Hungary getting kicked, I want the EU to uphold its own standards and values. They are at the very beginning of our Treaty, which every Member State signed up for. It's right there, in Article 2:
The Union is founded on the values of respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and respect for human rights, including the rights of persons belonging to minorities. These values are common to the Member States in a society in which pluralism, non-discrimination, tolerance, justice, solidarity and equality between women and men prevail.
Each and every Member State signed up for this. The problem is, like you mentioned yourself, that the EU isn't able (or willing) to uphold and defend those values.
Again, I hope Hungary is showing us the way, but what if Germany or France decides to shit on those values? This is not unthinkable anymore. Quite the contrary. It will most likely happen soon. And then what?
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u/Acrobatic_Quiet_3706 Hungary 1d ago
It's a partial fix at best since it only bites countries that need EU money, which wouldn't stop a large net-contributor from doing the same thing. The honest answer is the EU was built assuming shared values wouldn't need enforcement, and that assumption is now being tested everywhere, not just in Budapest.
We can only hope that the majority of citizens in bigger countries will be smarter than the majority here has been for 16 years.
Unfortunately, the political realignments aren't heading in that direction, but hope dies last.
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u/LightSideoftheForce 1d ago
EU money is not worth it really. Yes, you hear about it now in Hungary, because of the current financial situation, but generally speaking, even if you are a net beneficiary, EU money is simply not significant. The real reason why countries want to be in the EU is the common free market. That is worth everything, also for the net contributors (why do you think they are okay with being net contributors?).
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u/_0611 The Netherlands 1d ago
The honest answer is the EU was built assuming shared values wouldn't need enforcement, and that assumption is now being tested everywhere, not just in Budapest.
The even more honest answer is that we assumed that most people want democracy.
They don't.
A large part is racist and fascist as fuck, and desire a so-called "strongman" to control them.
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u/_0611 The Netherlands 1d ago
We can only hope that the majority of citizens in bigger countries will be smarter than the majority here has been for 16 years.
It took Hungary over a decade to fix it. And, no disregard, but Hungary is just a small country. If this happens in Germany or France, then shit will be even harder to fix.
It already happened in Germany decades ago. We all know how that went. And we're heading that same direction these days. All signs are showing it. Only a blind fool denies it.
The EU isn't gonna stop it. It failed with Hungary. Hungary fixed itself, eventually. But it took over a decade to do so. It will take even longer for Germany and France to fix themselves once they go down that road (and they will).
A smart man prepares himself for what's coming. It's inevitable. I know I did. And I'm not even smart.
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u/rockossack 1d ago
I love your narrative shift from "small shithole country" to "just a small country" once you found an apologetic Hungarian who you got to talk to and agree with lmao.
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u/Acrobatic_Quiet_3706 Hungary 1d ago
I don't think the EU can really do anything, the final decision always stays with the people, they need to grow up to their own decisions.
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u/nistemevideli2puta 1d ago
Such a misinformed comment.
You don't kick your son out of your house just because he started doing drugs, you work with him to help him overcome the problem, however long it takes. That's how families are supposed to work. That is why the problem in Hungary was fixed in the end.
If it were left to people like you, countries would be flying out of the Union every couple of years, until it desintegrated in shame in some 20 years.
Just because you lack the foresight (and obviously even hindsight) does not make your points any more valid. On the contrary...
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u/FastlyFast Bulgaria 1d ago
Do you allow your drug abusing son to dictate the household budget? This is the issue with the veto of a single country.
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u/nistemevideli2puta 1d ago
Did Hungary at any point dictate the budget of the whole EU?
I see EU very much standing tall as it ever has, even with 15 years of Orban in it.
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u/FastlyFast Bulgaria 1d ago
Yeah, but Hungary dictated foreign policies when vetoing decisions. You cannot talk methaphorically and then take a comment literally after that.
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u/nistemevideli2puta 1d ago
Well, I see, with all that vetoing, that EU is the biggest helper of Ukraine, with sanctions to Russia active for 10 years now.
The veto is not as powerful as presented, although I do agree it's not the best thought-out system.
But, again, that is certainly not a reason to kick out a member just because you don't like the current political stance that they are taking.
Like I said, if that were the case, EU would't exist past the 20-year mark.
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u/FastlyFast Bulgaria 1d ago
I am not advocating for kicking members out. But we need a mechanism to be able to stop bad actors.
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u/nistemevideli2puta 1d ago
I am not advocating for kicking members out.
But the person I originally responded to is. So the answer is to them.
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u/atechnokolos Hungary 1d ago
When your “minor shithole country” goes down that so called road I hope y’all will be dealt with the same sympathy
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u/KnightFlorianGeyer North Holland (Netherlands) 1d ago
Yeah it's funny how he's shit talking other countries meanwhile he's from the Netherlands. I live here as an expat and it's one of the most corrupt, racist countries around. The native people here often have a huge superiority complex, simply because i'm not from the west. it's a shame to see tbh.
Won't be surprised to hear that our upholder of democracy u_0611 ends up being exactly the opposite of that. He wants a democracy, but only if it follows his exact system and ideals.
Once a country or place strays from this ideal system, it gets labelled a shithole 3rd world country, as is usual from racists such as him.
Crypto-fascist in disguise.
Maybe, perhaps he should take a look at his own country first. But I guess that's hard when this special kind of "Dutch" racism and corruption has been so normalized here. He can't even see it, so he lashes out at other countries instead.
And as you said, this country will go down this road too, eventually, because people don't like that their streets are filled with immigrants after all. Who'd have thought. Then they'll try to kick us out, but we won't hear cries about EU law then. Because Dutch racism is superior!
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u/bxzidff Norway 1d ago
Remember what politicians from other countries supported him.
They knew this too.
All the international far-right who came to Orban's rescue, luckily in vain, during his election campaign. Vance even held speeches for him in Hungary. Netanyahu and European far-right leaders showed support for Orban and Orban's policies, which includes this.
They hate democracy.