TV2 (Hungary)
TV2 is one of Hungary’s national commercial TV channels. It is one of the two most important TV channels in Hungary. It started broadcasting on October 4, 1997.
It has become a propaganda channel for the Fidesz-KDNP government parties.[1][2][3] According to a survey by CEU’s media department, it is the least reliable media channel.[4]
History
[change | change source]TV2 began broadcasting on October 4, 1997, three days before its rival RTL started, making it Hungary’s first national commercial TV channel.
Criticism
[change | change source]Many foreign and Hungarian sources say that since 2016, TV2’s news has become a tool for government propaganda. The channel’s programs almost only show people from the ruling party.[5][6]
During the 2018 Hungarian parliamentary election campaign, 86% of TV2’s airtime went to government supporters, while opposition views got just 14%.[7]
In the 2019 European Parliament election, government-friendly politicians dominated with 87% of the airtime, leaving only 13% for parties not in the government coalition.
Before the 2022 parliamentary election, like four years earlier, TV2 hosts and news figures, including from the Tények program, campaigned for Fidesz–KDNP on the show’s Facebook page, saying they supported Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.[8] (The channel was fined 3.5 million forints for a similar video before, breaking media laws, but they did it again.)[9][10]
In 2022, half of TV2 Group’s operating costs 28 billion forints came from state funding through government propaganda ads. This upset some people, especially after October 10, 2024, when Tények aired a report focusing on opposition politician and EU representative Péter Magyar’s penis. The Media Council fined TV2 for this.[11][12][13][14]
References
[change | change source]- ↑ "A TV2 műsorvezetői ismét közös videóban buzdítanak az Orbán Viktorra való szavazásra" [TV2 hosts again urge people to vote for Viktor Orbán in a joint video.]. telex (in Hungarian). 2022-03-28. Retrieved 2025-04-06.
- ↑ Csaba, Segesvári (2023-05-11). "A kormány 6 milliárdért reklámozta magát tavaly a tévékben, főleg a TV2-n". atlatszo.hu (in Hungarian). Retrieved 2025-04-06.
- ↑ Bátorfy, Attila; and Urbán, Ágnes (2020-01-02). "State advertising as an instrument of transformation of the media market in Hungary". East European Politics. 36 (1): 44–65. doi:10.1080/21599165.2019.1662398. ISSN 2159-9165.
- ↑ Newman, Nic (2019-05-24). "Hungary". Reuters Institute Digital News Report. Retrieved 2025-04-06.
- ↑ Bátorfy, Attila (2019-12-18). "How Warsaw and Budapest use taxpayers' money to build pro-government propaganda". VSquare.org. Retrieved 2025-04-06.
- ↑ "From Reporting Styles to Propaganda: Portrayal of Migration in the Media | CMDS". cmds.ceu.edu. Retrieved 2025-04-06.
- ↑ "Letompította az ellenzéket a TV2 és a Duna TV". 24.hu (in Hungarian). 2018-04-19. Retrieved 2025-04-06.
- ↑ "Ismét Orbán Viktor mellett agitálnak a TV2 műsorvezetői, holott korábban már hasonló miatt bírságot kapott a médiaszolgáltató". Media1. 2023-03-28. Archived from the original on 2022-06-16. Retrieved 2025-04-06.
- ↑ "Megbüntették a TV2-t, mert Orbán mellett kampányoltak a Tények műsorvezetői". 24.hu (in Hungarian). 2018-04-10. Retrieved 2025-04-06.
- ↑ András, Iván (2018-04-10). "Megbírságolták a TV2-t a Fidesz mellett kampányoló műsorvezetői miatt". index.hu (in Hungarian). Retrieved 2025-04-06.
- ↑ "220 ezres bírságot kapott a TV2 a Magyar Péter péniszéről szóló riport miatt" [TV2 was fined 220,000 forints for a report about Péter Magyar's penis]. hvg.hu (in Hungarian). 2024-12-19. Retrieved 2025-04-06.
- ↑ Juli, Mészáros (2024-12-19). "Megbírságolták a TV2-t a Magyar Péter farkáról szóló anyag miatt" [TV2 was fined for the material about Péter Magyar's penis]. 444 (in Hungarian). Retrieved 2025-04-06.
- ↑ "220 ezer forintos büntetést kapott a TV2 Magyar Péter micsodája miatt az NMHH-tól" [TV2 received a 220,000-forint fine from the NMHH for Péter Magyar's penis]. telex (in Hungarian). 2024-12-19. Retrieved 2025-04-06.
- ↑ "Megbüntették a TV2-t, mert Magyar Péter nemi szervéről csináltak riportot" [TV2 was fined for making a report about Péter Magyar's penis]. 24.hu (in Hungarian). 2024-12-19. Retrieved 2025-04-06.