Hungarian journalists feel the pressure lifting after Orbán’s defeat

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Just a few months ago, Hungarian investigative journalist Szabolcs Panyi faced smear campaigns in the pro-government media and accusations by top officials of spying for Ukraine. When the government filed a criminal complaint against him for espionage, he faced the prospect of years in prison, and left for Poland. Now, following an election in April that swept former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán out of office after 16 years in power, Panyi is again strolling the streets of the Hungarian capital, Budapest, and preparing to release his book, “Friends with Benefits,” which details Russian intelligence penetration and influence operations in Hungary.

Orbán’s landslide loss in the election changed the fortunes of Panyi and many other journalists in the Central European country, where the populist leader had consolidated control over the media and cracked down on press freedoms. When Orbán returned to power in 2010, Hungary ranked 23rd on press watchdog Reporters Without Borders’ World Press Freedom Index. But by last year, it had dropped to 68th, and the group had put Orbán — an ally of both U.S.

President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin — on its list of media “predators.” But now, under Hungary’s new center-right, pro-European government led by Prime Minister Péter Magyar, pressure on independent journalists has eased. Two weeks after the April election, police announced they’d dropped the Orbán government’s espionage complaint against Panyi, a fact he said showed that police and prosecutors had been under Orbán’s “tight political control.” “The political pressure is gone,” he said. But I believe we’re in a much, much better place than we were before April.” New government rolls back Orbán’s media dominance For a decade and a half, Orbán and his far-right Fidesz party operated a sprawling pro-government media empire that bolstered their narratives, smeared opponents and controlled what an independent analysis found was around 80% of Hungary’s media market.

On the campaign trail, Magyar vowed to end what he called “Orbán propaganda,” particularly that emanating from Hungary’s taxpayer-funded public media, which had served as a government mouthpiece. After taking office in May, Magyar’s administration suspended news programming on public radio and television. Viewers who tuned in saw only white t…