Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

From spying to a criminal probe: Hungarian media baron says Orbán has upped silencing campaign

From spying to a criminal probe: Hungarian media baron says Orbán has upped silencing campaign

Zoltán Varga, one of Hungary’s last independent media moguls, tells POLITICO Viktor Orbán has taken his tactics to a ‘new level.’

Viktor Orbán’s allies tried to buy his papers, he said. They pulled advertising, he added. His phone was on a Pegasus spyware hit list, according to leaked data. 

But now, Zoltán Varga, one of Hungary’s last independent media barons, is facing a far graver threat: years in prison. Hungary’s tax authorities recently designated Varga, a wealthy businessman with a large media portfolio, as a suspect in a criminal case.

The move represents a major escalation in a pressure campaign targeting Varga, long in the crosshairs of Orbán, Hungary’s prime minister, and his ruling Fidesz party. Varga claims the probe is baseless.

“I’m completely innocent,” the businessman told POLITICO in an interview, arguing that the Hungarian government’s targeting of independent figures has reached a “new level.” 

Over the past decade, Orbán’s government has transformed the country’s media market, taking control of state media and concentrating ownership of hundreds of outlets in the hands of government-friendly entities. 

Varga argued this latest investigation is simply part of that long-running campaign to silence dwindling free voices. Essentially, he said, it’s not about him: “It’s 20 percent for me, but 80 percent it’s a message to every member of the Hungarian elite.”

That message? 

“If you’re not with us, and if you open your mouth, then this and that retaliation will follow.”


Wide reach, tough environment


Running independent media outlets in Hungary is far from easy. 

Advocacy group Reporters Without Borders has ranked Hungary No. 85 in the world — below countries such as Serbia, Kyrgyzstan and Haiti. 

The organization dubbed Orbán a “press freedom predator,” pointing out in its annual World Press Freedom Index that the Fidesz party “has seized de facto control of 80 percent of the country’s media.” 

As a result, Hungary’s media landscape is highly skewed, and some Hungarians don’t regularly access independent news coverage of political issues. Vast sums of state advertising are funneled to media that mirror the government’s political messaging, putting pressure on the relatively few remaining fully independent publications. 

Hungary PM Viktor Orbán has been dubbed a “press freedom predator”


But the country still has a number of outlets not controlled by the government. There is the foreign-owned RTL television channel, as well as a handful of popular online outlets, some of which rely heavily on crowdfunding.

While operating in Hungary is tough, Varga’s Central Médiacsoport (Central Media Group) has managed to keep running a host of publications.

Among them is 24.hu, a news site that focuses on politics and is widely read in Budapest. 

Central Media is also known for its many print products, which range from the popular women’s magazine Nők Lapja to the Hungarian editions of Marie Claire and National Geographic. 

Overall, the company’s publications reach more than 80 percent of Hungarian adults who use the internet. 

But despite its reach, state-funded ads can’t be found in Central Media publications. 

Varga said the lack of state advertising is a direct outcome of his decision not to bend to government pressure. 

The businessman described calls and messages from government-affiliated individuals who wanted to influence 24.hu’s news content. 

“They reached out to us, [saying] that ‘These are not good articles, these have to be taken down,’” Varga recalled. “And then we responded, ‘We can’t take these down.’” 

The pressure, according to Varga, extends even to lifestyle publications, and in particular Nők Lapja — which has wide reach among women outside big cities. 

“If anything is very important for the government, it’s the countryside population,” he said, noting that there have recently been requests for Fidesz politicians to be put on the cover of the popular women’s publication. 

“This we have thus far always rejected,” he said, “and we will reject because the paper is edited by the editors.”


An escalation 


Hungary’s National Tax and Customs Administration is now probing Varga — following a complaint from a Fidesz party parliamentarian who claimed the businessman caused harm to the EU budget by selling a company partly created with European funds at a price below market. 

“This is a political tool,” said Varga, pointing out that more than 200 government-linked media outlets have run articles attacking him. 

Hungary’s tax authority, which questioned Varga as part of its investigation last month, declined to comment on questions about the case and the businessman’s concerns.

“The National Tax and Customs Administration does not publish information on the matter in question,” it said in a statement.

A spokesperson for the Hungarian government also did not respond to a request for comment. 

The media owner, who maintains that the accusations against him are false and based on illegally obtained data, argued that the legal case represents a new form of intimidation in Hungary. 

“The big difference with the issues of the past,” he said, “is that what they suspect me of comes with a two-to-12-year jail sentence.”


Emulating Turkey and Russia


Media freedom advocates have also sounded the alarm over the investigation.

“We are watching this case very, very closely,” said Pavol Szalai, head of the EU and Balkans desk at Reporters Without Borders. 

While declining to comment on the accusations against Varga, Szalai said there are four reasons why his organization is particularly concerned.

Hungary’s government continues with “the objective to take control over independent media,” he said.

The group has also seen the “state apparatus being abused by the ruling party to censor media,” he added, while the judicial system “is not sufficiently independent in Hungary.” And finally, according to Szalai, he is worried because Varga was targeted by the Pegasus spyware and the issue was not sufficiently investigated or justified. 

It is “quite exceptional in the EU” for a media owner to be ensnared in a criminal procedure, he said. “We are worried.” 

Varga said his case points to Hungary moving in a more authoritarian direction.

Budapest, he said, appears to be pursuing “the Turkish and Russian route.”  

“Fundamentally,” Varga said, “the independent media bothers the Hungarian state.”

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Sentenced to Fifty Months in Prison Following Prostitution Conviction
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Trump Says Ukraine Can Fully Restore Borders with NATO Backing
Europe Signals Stronger Support for Taiwan at Major Taipei Defence Show
Germany Weighs Excluding France from Key European Fighter Jet Programme
Cyberattack Disrupts Check-in and Boarding Systems at Major European Airports
Björn Borg Breaks Silence: Memoir Reveals Addiction, Shame and Cancer Battle
When Extremism Hijacks Idealism: How the Baader-Meinhof Gang Emerged and Fell
JWST Data Brings TRAPPIST-1e Closer to Earth-Like Habitability
Trump Orders $100,000 Fee on H-1B Visas and Launches ‘Gold Card’ Immigration Pathway
France’s Looming Budget Crisis and Political Fracture Raise Fears of Becoming Europe’s “Sick Man”
Three Russian MiG-31 Jets Breach Estonian Airspace in ‘Unprecedentedly Brazen’ NATO Incident
European manufacturers against ban on polluting cars: "The industry may collapse"
Turkish car manufacturer Togg Enters German Market with 5-Star Electric Sedan and SUV to Challenge European EV Brands
Christian Brueckner Released from German Prison after Serving Unrelated Sentence
World’s Longest Direct Flight China Eastern to Launch 29-Hour Shanghai–Buenos Aires Direct Flight via Auckland in December
New OpenAI Study Finds Majority of ChatGPT Use Is Personal, Not Professional
The conservative right spreads westward: a huge achievement for 'Alternative for Germany' in local elections
Pope Leo Warns of Societal Crisis Over Mega-CEO Pay, Citing Tesla’s Proposed Trillion-Dollar Package
Poland Green-Lights NATO Deployment in Response to Major Russian Drone Incursion
U.S. and China Agree on Framework to Shift TikTok to American Ownership
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
The New Life of Novak Djokovic
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
×