U.S. funded broadcaster ends Hungarian service, raising alarms ahead of elections

Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty said on November 21 that it would close its Hungarian service, Szabad Európa, after five years of operation, a decision that came in the wake of a U.S. Agency for Global Media determination to end funding for the outlet. The announcement prompted immediate concern from press freedom groups and analysts who warned that the loss of a prominent independent voice in Hungary could further narrow the space for critical reporting ahead of next year’s parliamentary vote.

The U.S. agency’s administrator, Kari Lake, framed the funding decision as a matter of domestic accountability, saying taxpayer funded programming should not "destabilize" Hungary. The statement underscored an emerging alignment in policy between the current U.S. administration and Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in Budapest, where relations have visibly warmed in recent months. That diplomatic shift has complicated longstanding American support for public diplomacy tools aimed at countering disinformation and bolstering independent media in Central and Eastern Europe.

RFE/RL said its Hungarian staff had worked to provide independent reporting and indicated that its content would remain available online after the service’s closure. The outlet launched the Hungarian service five years ago as part of a broader push to reach audiences in countries where local media environments had grown more restrictive. Supporters say those services filled a critical information gap, offering investigative reporting and coverage of civic and political life that domestic outlets often avoided because of ownership consolidation and state influence.

Press freedom advocates reacted sharply to the decision, describing it as a setback for Hungarian voters who, they argue, increasingly rely on a mixture of domestic and international outlets to obtain impartial information. The closure removes a U.S. funded presence that many saw as a counterweight to state aligned media networks that have been strengthened under Prime Minister Orbán over the last decade.

The move also raises larger questions about the role of state funded journalism in international affairs. For decades, broadcasters like RFE/RL operated as instruments of soft power, advancing informational plurality in regions where media pluralism was at risk. The termination of the Hungarian service is likely to fuel debate in Washington and among American allies about the balance between diplomatic rapprochement and commitments to democratic norms such as press freedom.

European institutions and civil society in Hungary will be watching closely as the 2026 elections approach. For voters in Hungary and observers across the continent, the closure is a vivid example of how geopolitics and domestic politics intersect in the media sphere. The loss of an independent, internationally backed outlet may reduce the diversity of perspectives available to Hungarian citizens at a politically sensitive moment, while prompting scrutiny of how far Washington will go in recalibrating its foreign policy priorities when they conflict with democratic advocacy abroad.