Elderly in Hungary Most Concerned about Media Freedom
According to a representative survey conducted in the V4 countries, concern for media freedom in Hungary increased from 48 percent in 2022 to 56 percent in 2023, showing a significant 6 percent rise from the previous year.
A study by the Committee for Editorial Independence, unveiled in Budapest on Thursday, revealed that 62 percent of Hungarians worry about the freedom of the media.
The survey, spanning the V4 nations, indicates a growing apprehension regarding media freedom, climbing 6 percent this year alone, while the proportion of those not concerned at all decreased from 33 to 28, and then to 23 percent. Hungary reports the highest rate of concern, with 35.2 percent of respondents highly anxious about this issue, marking nearly a 12 percent increase compared to two years ago. Analyzing the data, Gergely Márton, the editor-in-chief at HVG, suggested the rise might be a result of Fidesz's "dollar media" campaign, indicating that government supporters are likely perceiving governmental critiques, stemming from independent media outlets, as influenced by external forces.
This notion is somewhat supported by part of the research analyzing responses based on party preferences:
The figure reached 94 percent among supporters of the opposition coalition, 81 percent for those voting for the Hungarian Two-Tailed Dog Party, and 53 percent among followers of Our Homeland. Notably, while young people in Slovakia primarily fear for media freedom,
The number of individuals in Hungary considering media independence from politics as crucial is on the rise:
This aspect sets Hungary ahead of other V4 countries, albeit by a narrow margin with Slovakia and the Czech Republic only trailing by one or two percent, while 84 percent in Poland deem independence crucial. A statement claiming "media owners have the right to dictate what their journalists write or say" was disagreed with by 58 percent of Hungarians, a lower rate compared to other countries. Conversely,
57 percent agreed that editorial decisions should be made without external influence, focusing on chosen topics independently. The research also disclosed that among the four nations, Hungarians trust public media the least, yet exhibit considerable faith towards social media and various online messaging platforms. The survey further inquired about potential threats to the information environment, revealing
Interestingly, Poles are even more concerned than Hungarians about the influence of George Soros (45.6 and 42.1 percent, respectively)
The findings reflect the political changes and their effects in these countries over recent periods. It is apparent that concern for media freedom is highest in Slovakia, understandably so.
As Beáta Balogová, editor-in-chief of the SME daily, representing Slovakia mentioned at the event: Prime Minister Robert Fico is currently attempting to quickly enforce in Slovak media what Viktor Orbán achieved over more than a decade in Hungary. Conversely, since the displacement of the right-wing populist PIS party and the rise of a new coalition government in Poland, the media landscape has seen significant improvements, as clearly evidenced by this year's data.