Propaganda against the West in the Heart of Europe. 
A masked official state campaign in Hungary Cover Image

Propaganda against the West in the Heart of Europe. A masked official state campaign in Hungary
Propaganda against the West in the Heart of Europe. A masked official state campaign in Hungary

Author(s): Márton Demeter
Subject(s): Politics, Theory of Communication
Published by: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Wrocławskiego
Keywords: political communication; anti-Western propaganda; media bias; populism; migrant crisis

Summary/Abstract: There is a twofold crisis in Europe: While mass migration is a serious challenge to the whole EU, we also have member-states striking at the EU itself. Our research shows that Hungary, with its overwhelming political communication, became the first post-socialist EU member state to run official anti-Western propaganda since the end of the Cold War and it seems that other CEE countries will follow its lead. Th e campaign does not go against Brussels directly: the real message is hidden between the lines. We analyzed 644 pro-government articles on migration issues. The research shows that anti-Brussels narratives were strikingly frequent, and a new “war vocabulary” propaganda campaign started, stating that the EU is fighting against Hungary, so Hungary has to strike back.

  • Issue Year: 11/2018
  • Issue No: 21
  • Page Range: 177-197
  • Page Count: 21
  • Language: English