Mass Layoffs Hit Pro-Orbán Media As Former Hungarian Leader Defends Legacy

by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Europe Bureau Chief

BUDAPEST/BRUSSELS (Worthy News) – Hundreds of employees have reportedly been dismissed from media outlets aligned with former Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, highlighting growing turmoil within the country’s right-wing media landscape following his election defeat and the subsequent loss of political influence.

Among the hardest hit was the news website Origo, long viewed by critics as a strongly pro-Orbán and pro-Russian publication. Hungarian media reports said roughly three-quarters of its journalists were dismissed and ordered to leave the building immediately under security escort.

The layoffs come as owners of several right-leaning media outlets reportedly seek a new direction amid a sharp decline in readership and online traffic following the electoral victory of Prime Minister Péter Magyar’s Tisza Party.

The developments underscore the challenges facing a media network that expanded significantly during Orbán’s more than decade-and-a-half in power and benefited from substantial government advertising revenue.

The media shakeup coincided with Orbán’s appearance at a Patriots for Europe rally in Brussels, where the former premier sought to reassure supporters that his political movement remains influential despite losing office.

ORBÁN DEFENDS LEGACY

Speaking at an international press conference, Orbán argued that his election defeat had not altered what he described as the continuing rise of patriotic and conservative movements across Europe.

“An electoral defeat does not change the decisive fact that the advance of patriotic community organizations in Europe continues, and no electoral defeat can erase this historical process,” he said.

Orbán also commented on Hungary’s recent constitutional amendment barring anyone who has served more than eight years as prime minister from returning to the post, a measure that effectively prevents him from seeking the office again.

“Hungary is a 1,100-year-old state,” Orbán said. “We have a great deal of experience in how leaders are excluded from governing. You can pour hot lead into their ears, gouge out the eyes of pretenders to the throne, and then there is exile. Compared to that, I got away cheaply, receiving only a constitutional ban.”

The former prime minister acknowledged that mistakes had contributed to his defeat but suggested he was unlikely to fundamentally change his political style.

EU FUNDS DISPUTE

“My mistakes are part of who I am,” Orbán said. “I am too old to throw them away.”

Orbán, 63, also criticized the new Hungarian government’s efforts to unlock billions of euros in European Union funds that remain frozen over rule-of-law concerns.

According to Orbán, his Fidesz party viewed the European Commission’s demands as political pressure that should be met with resistance, including the use of veto powers.

“The tactic now is that the new government responds to the blackmail by giving in,” Orbán said. “They will give in to what Brussels demands.”

The Magyar government has argued that cooperation with Brussels and implementation of reforms offer the best chance of restoring access to billions of euros in suspended EU funding.

PRO-HUNGARIAN POLICY

Orbán further rejected accusations that his party pursued pro-Russian policies, insisting that Fidesz had always acted in Hungary’s national interest.

“No pro-Russian party ran in the Hungarian election,” he said. “Fidesz is not interested in the Russians or the Ukrainians. We pursue pro-Hungarian policies and will continue to do so in the future.”

Asked about the future of Hungary’s right-wing media sector, Orbán declined to intervene, saying responsibility rests with media owners rather than politicians.

“They do not have to see the situation of the right-wing press in any way because that is the responsibility of the owners of the right-wing press,” he said.

Analysts say the extensive layoffs suggest that parts of Hungary’s right-wing media establishment are struggling to adapt to a dramatically changed political environment after the end of Orbán’s long tenure in office.

MEDIA FUTURE QUESTIONED

Critics argue that some outlets became overly dependent on political patronage and government-linked advertising during Orbán’s years in power.

In the western Hungarian city of Győr, for example, critics reportedly compared the local media environment under Orbán-aligned leadership to that of North Korea, alleging that local officials and political allies effectively produced propaganda-style content and heavily influenced, or even directed, stories published by local news outlets.

Supporters of the previous administration reject such accusations, saying right-wing media merely provided a counterweight to what they viewed as a predominantly liberal press.

The developments come as Hungary’s new government continues efforts to reshape institutions, restore relations with the European Union, and investigate allegations of corruption linked to the previous administration, accusations that Orbán and his allies have repeatedly denied.

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