Hungarian politics

Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orbán gives a press conference following a meeting of prime ministers of central Europe's informal body of cooperation, called the Visegrad Group (V4) in Budapest, Hungary, last month.

World News

A discomfort with Western liberalism is growing in Eastern Europe

4:41pm December 04, 2021

by Joanna Kakissis

People of the former Soviet bloc rejoiced when the Iron Curtain fell and embraced membership in the European Union. Hungary is an example of a growing culture clash in the conservative East.

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Activists pose for a photo after raising a large rainbow heart in front of Hungary's parliament building in Budapest on Thursday. The activists are protesting against a new law they say discriminates against and marginalizes LGBTQ people.

Hungary Bans LGBTQ Content From Schools, But Some Teachers Say They Will Defy It

6:40pm July 09, 2021

by Esme Nicholson

Hungary is banning LGBTQ content from classrooms and media that reaches minors. Not if these educators can help it.

Radio journalists work in the studio at the headquarters of the independent Hungarian radio station, the Klubradio in Budapest on Feb. 9. It was removed from the airways after the national media regulator would not renew its license, raising new press fre

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As Hungary Cuts Radio Station, Critics Say Europe Should Put Orban On Notice

2:14pm March 08, 2021

by Rob Schmitz

Taking Klubradio off the air was the latest blow to press freedom in a country where the right-wing populist leadership and its allies have increased control and influence over the media.

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Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto speaks during the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly on Sept. 26 in New York.

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U.S.-Funded Radio Free Europe In Hungary Would Be An 'Insult,' Says Foreign Minister

10:34am October 01, 2019

NPR spoke to the country's top diplomat, Peter Szijjarto, about his government's hard-line stances against migration and liberal European Union policies.

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Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban speaks to the media from Berlin on July 5, 2018.

In Trump, Hungary's Viktor Orban Has A Rare Ally In The Oval Office

9:53am May 13, 2019

by Joanna Kakissis

When the Hungarian prime minister meets with President Trump on Monday, it will mark a coming together of two leaders known for their nationalist worldviews and hard-line immigration policies.

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Journalists Ervin Guth (left) and Ferenc Timmerfroh work out of a small office in downtown Pecs, a city in southern Hungary. They and colleague Attila Babos started the independent news site Szabad Pecs (Free Pecs) after the local newspaper where they wor

World News

Outlets Strive For Independence In Hungary, Where Most Media Back The Government

3:50pm May 08, 2019

by Joanna Kakissis

A handful of news websites are struggling to change the narrative from the dominating, pro-government media conglomerate one analyst calls a "centralized propaganda machine."

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban delivers a speech in front of the National Museum during Hungary's National Day celebrations on Friday in Budapest. Hungary's National Day celebrations commemorate the 1848 Hungarian Revolution against the Habsburg mo

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EU Struggles To Rein In Hungary's Hard-Line Government

9:10am March 16, 2019

by Joanna Kakissis

The center-right European People's Party faces off with its Hungarian partners that keep bashing Brussels and migrants.

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Advertisement in a metro station in Budapest in July. The Hungarian government said it would end its disputed ad campaign against Hungarian-American billionaire George Soros.

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Hungary's Leader Proposes 'Stop Soros' Laws Against NGOs That Help Migrants

11:45pm February 23, 2018

by Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson

Hungary's government has proposed a series of bills it says will curb illegal immigration. Critics say the motivation is to cripple NGOs linked to U.S. financier George Soros.

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