🔗 Share this article

Reporters at the country's most-read publication have shown disbelief after a media group viewed as friendly to nationalist prime minister Viktor Orbán's party, Fidesz, bought the popular daily from its earlier Swiss owners.

Context of Purchase

The buyout, which occurs while Hungary approaches important elections next year, is generally viewed as another attempt to increase state control on the press.

A pro-Orbán media company, Indamedia, declared on Friday it had bought a group of Hungarian titles, including Glamour magazine and Blikk, a popular tabloid whose news site attracts approximately three million web users monthly.

Leadership Changes

Blikk's outgoing chief editor, Ivan Zolt Nagy, announced on Monday that he and another senior manager were exiting in "mutual agreement" with the new owner.

They were appointed seven months ago to revamp Blikk, "focusing not on sensationalism but on compelling journalism" and to be "more audience-focused, addressing political affairs, economics, and culture," he commented on Facebook.

Employee Reactions

Workers from Blikk admitted feeling taken aback. "I came close to a medical emergency when I heard the news," said one journalist, who asked to stay anonymous. "Personally, this is ethically questionable."

Blikk has announced a new editor-in-chief, Baláz Kolossváry.

Press Environment Issues

Several media professionals who have chosen to remain acknowledge feeling in a complex circumstance as there are limited other media organizations available where they could look for work.

During the last 15 years, Orbán has been able to use a widespread government-supporting news ecosystem to boost his image and poll numbers.

Political Context

Whereas significant press acquisitions have usually happened either post-election or during a calm political phase, the purchase of Ringier Hungary comes under six months ahead of April's general election.

Blikk was seen as a main goal for Orbán and his political organization at a period when opinion research are signalling that they have a serious opponent for the initial occasion in exceeding a decade.

Political Rival Reaction

The political challenger, Péter Magyar, whose Respect and Freedom party is running on commitments to eliminate deep-seated corruption, has been direct about Orbán's "information apparatus" and the harm he asserts it has done to Hungary's democratic system.

He has questioned the Ringier Hungary transaction, stating it signifies another move by Orbán to cement his control over Hungary's press organizations.

Publication's Importance

While Blikk is a daily publication, renowned for its celebrity news and sensational captions, in the past few years it has also run multiple stories on possible misconduct.

"Blikk is by far the most widely circulated daily publication in Hungary, a industry frontrunner," said a communications specialist. "The web version has become unexpectedly successful in recent years, becoming the fourth most visited digital platform in Hungary. If biased information appears in such widely read and influential publications, it will have an effect on the public."

Global Perspective

For more than a decade now, Hungary has served as a example for other "illiberal democracies" internationally.

Ex-US administrators and their allies have consistently commended Orbán's Hungary even as it falls in media freedom indexes.

In 2022, Orbán told a gathering of US right-leaning politicians that the route to leadership required "controlling media outlets."

Past Press Control

In 2010, Orbán's regime approved a legislation that asserted state authority over the chief communications authority and placed the national media outlet in the control of loyalists.

Ownership Information

Indamedia is partially controlled by Mikló Vaszily, a state-aligned businessman who is also top executive of a government-friendly television station.

In a statement, Indamedia's additional partner and CEO, Gábor Ziegler, commented: "Via the purchase of Ringier Hungary, the company is gaining a successful press organization of equivalent magnitude to Indamedia, with solid commercial standing and recognized names that serve a crucial function in the Hungarian media landscape."

Ringier stated in a communication that its choice to divest was "motivated entirely by strategic economic considerations and our focus on our main internet businesses in Hungary."

A official representative was approached for comment.