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TikTok now warns users of Hungarian government-related content
TikTok has applied a new warning label to a wide range of Hungarian media outlets and organisations closely linked to the governing Fidesz party, identifying them as “Hungarian state-controlled media”.
The move affects much of the pro-government media landscape on the platform and is intended to encourage users to consider the origin of the content they consume.
TikTok warns users of Hungarian government-related sites
As HVG reported, the label has appeared on the TikTok profiles of several prominent outlets, including Mandiner, Origo, Magyar Nemzet, HírTV, Ripost, as well as numerous regional newspapers owned by Mediaworks. Tabloids such as Bors and Metropol, and even the lifestyle magazine Life.hu, have also been marked. In addition, the Mathias Corvinus Collegium (MCC), which holds ownership stakes in several of these media organisations, has received the same designation.
Many of the affected accounts have significant audiences, ranging from tens of thousands to several hundred thousand followers. At the time of writing, a few exceptions remain, including Inforádió, which is majority-owned by MCC, and the TikTok page of TV2’s Tények, a news programme that has openly supported Fidesz during recent election campaigns.
The company labelled these accounts with the help of indepentent experts
According to TikTok, the label is applied to accounts where “the government exercises control over the editorial content”. The platform says the warning is designed to help viewers make informed judgements about the source behind the videos they encounter. Importantly, the designation does not restrict the operation of the accounts, and organisations have the option to appeal if they believe the classification is inaccurate.
The Chinese-owned platform, operated by ByteDance, stressed that the decision was not made arbitrarily. TikTok says it works with independent and credible experts when assessing whether a media outlet should be considered state-controlled. While the company has not disclosed detailed information about these experts, it has published general guidelines outlining its methodology.
These guidelines also cover what TikTok describes as indirect forms of government influence. This can include control over content production or distribution, even if there is no direct editorial instruction from state authorities. Such criteria appear to have played a role in the classification of several Hungarian outlets that consistently promote government-aligned narratives.
Hungary is in its own league
The issue has also surfaced in TikTok’s most recent transparency report, published in November. In the report, the platform highlighted a separate case involving Hungary, in which it identified a coordinated network of fake accounts promoting messages favourable to Fidesz.
According to TikTok, the network consisted of 95 accounts operating across multiple online platforms, collectively reaching more than 131,000 followers. These accounts were found to be part of an organised effort to amplify specific political narratives. While TikTok did not explicitly state the outcome for these profiles, the platform typically removes accounts found to be fake or engaged in coordinated inauthentic behaviour, suggesting they were likely taken down permanently.
Could it be a blow to Fidesz before the elections?
The appearance of the state-controlled media label has already sparked debate in Hungary, where the relationship between politics and the media has long been a contentious issue. Critics argue that the government has gradually consolidated influence over large segments of the media market through ownership changes, state advertising, and institutional ties. Supporters of the government, however, often reject such claims and describe the media landscape as pluralistic.
Mediaworks and the Mathias Corvinus Collegium have been contacted for comment regarding the TikTok labels. Questions were raised about whether the organisations were informed in advance, whether they agree with TikTok’s assessment, and whether they intend to appeal the decision. Any responses are expected to shed further light on how the affected outlets plan to react.
For now, TikTok users in Hungary and beyond will continue to see the new warning attached to many of the country’s most influential pro-government media accounts, marking a notable intervention by a global platform into the ongoing debate over media independence and political influence in the country.
The uncomfortable reality for all humans on the Planet Earth is that, no matter what your nationality or political views is that you cannot accept anything at face value, without researching.
And by ‘researching it’ I mean that you daily take the time to find honest and knowledgeable sources.
This process is actually a hard and tedious one, but, over time you will see if your sources were accurate in what they told you.
Foreign language ability helps, too, because it is best to get information about that country from those who either live there, or who lived most of their life there.
Lastly, and most importantly – do NOT carefully filter sources out that do not agree with your world view.
I am Far Right, in my political views, but, every day I listen to people like Dobrev Klara, Juhász Péter, Puzsér Robert, Cseh Katálin, Ungváry Krisztián, Pottyondi Edina etc. etc … people with whom I disagree with at least 50% of the time.
In doing this, I find out many things that people who are on my side of the political spectrum either miss or refuse to talk about.
I see the news in a 360 degree circumference, unlike the 18ö and 9ö degree circumferences many people think is ‘the truth’.