The International Press Institute (IPI) today condemns the decision by the Trump administration to cut funding for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s Hungarian service and warns the cessation of its operations will further erode media pluralism in the country ahead of the April 2026 election.
RFE/RL’s Hungarian service will close at midnight tonight, November 21, following the decision issued by the Trump administration to terminate funding for the service for programming that it claimed “undermined President Trump’s foreign policy by opposing the duly elected Prime Minister of Hungary.”
The Hungarian-language outlet, Szabad Europa, operated with funding allocated by the U.S. Congress, administered by the United States Agency for Global Media (USAGM). The decision brings to a close RFE/RL’s operations in Hungary, after being relaunched five years ago.
The closure comes after months of legal challenges over sweeping federal funding cuts initiated by the Trump administration which targeted USAGM and its flagship outlets, including RFE/RL.
However, the announcement preceded a visit by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán to the White House on 7 November. The Trump administration and Kari Lake, the Trump official heading USAGM, have repeatedly taken aim at Szabad Europa and accused it of “destabilizing” Hungary.
“The closure of RFE Hungary by the U.S. is the latest example of how the Trump administration is openly aiding authoritarian leaders around the world”, said IPI’s Director of Advocacy Amy Brouillette. “Silencing this vital source of independent news comes at a moment when Orbán is ramping up efforts to tighten control over the media ahead of this spring’s election.
“The IPI global community stands in solidarity with the RFE Hungary team and extends our deep appreciation for their outstanding work to provide Hungarians with independent news. The fact that the Hungarian service was singled out for closure only underscores the impact and importance of its reporting.”
In a worrying blow to media pluralism, the closure comes shortly after the acquisition of Hungary’s most-read tabloid newspaper by a pro-government media group, which IPI has warned will further shrink the space for independent journalism in Hungary.
The two developments in the Hungarian media space come weeks apart and less than six months before the April 2026 election in which the ruling Fidesz party is facing its biggest electoral challenge in a decade and continues to trail in the polls.
IPI warns the closure of Szabad Europa follows likely lobbying by the Orbán government and, along with the acquisition of Blikk by a government aligned media group, is a further example of the Hungarian government’s long-term strategy of media capture and control.
Over the past 15 years, Fidesz has successfully orchestrated this strategy to the point where it is estimated the government holds sway or indirect control over 80% of the media market. This has been combined with capture of the public broadcaster, the installation of former Fidesz MPs to control the key media regulator, and the deliberate bloating of state advertising budgets to prop up media towing the government line.
As a new report published by IPI outlines, the result is the most sophisticated system of media capture and control ever developed within the European Union.
Following a recent visit to Budapest, IPI and partner media freedom organizations also warned that media freedom remains in deep crisis in Hungary.
RFE/RL’s Hungarian service was re-launched by Congress in 2020 amid this clear erosion of media pluralism and press freedom in Hungary under the Fidesz government.
In a statement announcing the closure, RFE/RL President and Chief Executive Officer Steve Capus praised the work of staff and their dedication to independent journalism. In Europe, RFE/RL will continue to operate in Romania and Bulgaria.
The Trump administration has also made significant cuts to other U.S-funded media outlets and broadcasters both domestically and internationally, including Voice of America and U.S. public broadcasters PBS and NPR.