Hungarian state media journalists admit they forged ‘atmosphere of fear’

Many employees of the Hungarian state television (MTVA) told the Guardian on the condition of anonymity that they had to broadcast even false stories to support PM Orbán’s agenda. Sometimes the editors just dictated a story, but nobody knew what their source was. The journalists feel sorry because they influenced people with false stories and so they helped government parties to gain a 2/3^rd majority again in the elections last Sunday.

Lies to support government aims

‘I’d never experienced anything like that, even at MTVA: it was a clear lie’ – said a journalist about their report on the tragedy in Münster. Since it happened one day before the parliamentary election (April 8)

they had to report about it as an Islamist terrorist attack.

However, everybody knew by then that it was done by a German man having mental health problems.

Further false or incorrect messages they had to spread in Hungary included:

– millions of migrants are waiting at the border to enter Hungary even by using force

– there is a Soros-plan that aims to transform Hungary by letting in millions of migrants with the help of the opposition parties.

State media even had to fulfil character assassinations

Furthermore, they had to create Pavlov reflexes by linking together words like danger, terrorism, migrants, opposition, Soros and Brussels. Moreover, news programs always showed ‘archive footage from 2015 of migrants walking in Budapest, clashes between refugees and riot police at the Hungary-Serbia border, or terrorist attacks in Europe.’

Importantly, the state television channels also took part in character assassinations of Hungarian citizens who were openly critical of the government.

For example, one directive last year produced directly by the prime minister’s office targeted the activist Márton Gulyás, as well as a former Green party MP and a university professor. In Gulyás’s case, MTVA suggested that

he prepares unrest and clashes with the police.