Pro-government people say Fidesz predominates in the media

Even on Kossuth Radio, voters consider TV2 to be a more pro-government medium, while Fidesz voters say it is important for government-critical press to reach everyone – among other things, this is clear from research conducted by Median and the Measure Media Analysis Workshop with the support of the Friedrich Eber Foundation.

According to the report of 24, 2020 was also an unusual year in terms of news consumption because, due to the coronavirus epidemic, the demand for fresh news increased significantly, and epidemiological measures became the focus of public discourse. Online and community news sources have become more valuable as they can meet the demand for news quickly, but the question is whether this will continue after the pandemic subsides or whether television-centric news consumption with moderate openness to public affairs will resume.

One of the important conclusions of the survey, recorded by Endre Hann, Klára Megyeri, Gábor Polyák, and Ágnes Urbán, is that the importance of internet news consumption has practically caught up with television, and social media has become even more valuable. 71 per cent of internet users regularly use the world wide web to get information on political and public affairs. In addition, while Facebook has already lost its popularity due to Twitter, Instagram, or TikTok in many countries, it has significantly improved its position in Hungary in two years, and more than half of the respondents are already on the social media site.

The researchers conclude that in the next period, opposition parties should also focus even more on online and social media coverage in terms of political communication.

Not only because they do not have access to much of the traditional media anyway but also because potential voters search the internet for news. 74 per cent of those under the age of 50 use the internet for political orientation, while among those over the age of 60, that number is only 28 per cent. Among the youngest voters, the highest proportion is those who do not read the news regularly, or even at all (28 per cent, compared to 8 per cent of those over 60). For this reason, however, it is precisely the government measures that significantly affect this age group that open up opportunities for the independent media and the opposition to address young people more effectively than before.

According to the authors of the survey, the results provide convincing evidence that not only the selection of news sources but also the interpretation and evaluation of news is significantly influenced by the respondent’s party affiliation. Unsurprisingly, Fidesz voters find the pro-government media more credible, and despite encountering news sources contrary to the government’s narrative, they also interpret daily events in line with Fidesz’s position. For this reason, there is a big difference when party sympathisers are asked which news source they consider credible. 

While M1, Kossuth Radio, Hír Tv, and TV2 are in the top four for Fidesz voters, RTL Klub, HVG, 24, and 444 are preferred by the opposition.

On the other hand, 444 is in last place among the ruling party, and M1 is in the last place among government-critics. The polarisation of Hungarian society, which can also be seen in news consumption, is a serious limitation of political dialogue in the long run, as those on the opposite political side do not view the media considered authentic by the other side as a serious source of news. In addition, news consumers often have a very strong view of where a news source belongs politically. TV2, for example, a commercial channel considered the second closest medium to the government for years, could only be overtaken by the public media. According to respondents, Origo has become much more pro-government since 2018, while RTL Klub is considered the most balanced.

A significant proportion of pro-government voters is also aware that Fidesz dominates the media system, but they do not view this negatively. However, even for the vast majority of Fidesz voters, it is not acceptable for an editorial office to publish externally directed and ready-made material, but this does not seem to cross their stimulus threshold. This is interesting because there is no difference between Fidesz and opposition voters in two respects: to varying degrees, they consider it important to access government-critical news sources and see the press as tasked with uncovering abuses.

The most dramatic development in 2020 for the media was the resignation of the former editorial board of Index, and this has reached even those who have previously been less interested in media market events. The editorial board of Index has since founded Telex, which is run exclusively on donations, which could be a breakthrough in the development of the willingness to pay for news, the authors of the study believe.

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Source: 24.hu