There’s an article today in The Atlantic (https://www.theatlantic.com/, March 15, 2025) by András Pethő, an investigative journalist in Hungary. It tells of Viktor Orbán’s rise in Hungary using control of the press and media. It’s an important lesson that, here in the United States, we had better learn quickly.
When Donald Trump took office for his second term in January 2025, he wasted no time making it clear: The press is still the "enemy of the people." But this time, he wasn’t just complaining about "fake news"—he was doing something about it. The White House quickly rolled out a new media policy, giving priority to "New Media"—a fancy way of saying pro-Trump podcasters, bloggers, and influencers. Traditional news outlets were shoved to the back of the room or, in some cases, kicked out entirely. Fox News, Newsmax, and One America News Network (OANN) were back in Trump’s good graces. But there was a bigger plan here—one that looked a lot like what Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán did to take control of his country’s media. The goal was to make sure Trump’s version of events was the only one people heard.
If you want to understand what Trump is doing, you have to look at Viktor Orbán. Over the past decade, the Hungarian leader has turned his country’s media into a government mouthpiece. He didn’t shut down newspapers or arrest reporters—he just made sure most of Hungary’s media was owned or controlled by his allies. Orbán had a simple formula: reward friendly media with money and access, punish critics by cutting off resources or buying them out. "The path to power is to have your own media," he told American conservatives at a CPAC event in Hungary. That message has clearly reached Trump and his team, because they’re following the same blueprint.
Fox News, which had a brief falling out with Trump in 2020, is now back in the fold. Newsmax and OANN, which never wavered in their loyalty, are getting more access than ever. The Pentagon has even changed its press pool, replacing major news outlets with pro-Trump media.