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Mapping Magyar Media
This project aims to answer the question of how power and influence has transitioned and changed in nature in the realm of Hungarian media between 2010 and 2019. 2010 was a year of drastic changes in Hungarian politics and government, catalyzed by the Fidesz party’s rise to power through the parliamentary elections. During the reformation of the constitution in 2012, new laws pertaining to media regulation were introduced, including legislation that gave the incumbent administration, Fidesz, power over the National Media and Infocommunications Authority. After their reelection in 2014, Fidesz was also informally given authority over much of Hungary’s private media through crony and oligarchical connections. Throughout the past decade, actors (cronies, politicians, business owners, and organizations) have conducted many transfers of power through the ownership and production of media outlets and products. If these patterns are present across the broader scale of the media landscape, it not only poses the possibility of mass corruption, but also undermines the principles of democracy in Hungary. The goal of this project includes mapping the dynamic system of media outlets, products, and actors between 2010 and 2019 in Hungary. This will involve a survey of the current media profile of Hungary (print media, digital media, and ownership thereof), and backtracking through the history of each piece of media. It will also include a survey of the actors involved in the world of Hungarian media, which are the citizens, public officials, and media-based organizations. Finally, this project will also lead to an analysis of the impact of the changes throughout this survey, ultimately in the potential influences of electoral behavior recent Hungarian elections.
