How did press censorship change in Hungary after the communist period?

Following the end of the communist period in Hungary, the landscape of press censorship underwent a significant transformation. While the press had been strictly controlled under communist rule, censorship was relaxed in 1988 and completely eliminated within the following two years, fostering a period of news media independence.1

However, this trend toward media freedom was reversed beginning in the 2010s under the government of Viktor Orbán. The administration consolidated influence over media outlets by favoring those with a pro-government orientation while minimizing the reach of independent outlets through the denial of state advertising revenue and the obstruction of business ventures. By the end of that decade, many media organizations had been sold to government supporters, were practicing self-censorship, or had been transferred to the Central European Press and Media Foundation, an umbrella organization managed by government insiders.1

It is a fundamental ethical principle that a free and independent press is essential to a healthy society; the systematic erosion of media pluralism and the imposition of state-aligned control represent a significant departure from democratic norms.1