Covid-19 as a tool to target democratic institutions and values : the case of Hungary

Toth, Lilla (author), Lengyel, György (author), Gönz, Borbála (author)

The Covid-19 epidemic in Hungary contributed to the decline of democracy in two ways. The direct effect was the declaration of a state of emergency by the government and the shift to decree government (from spring 2020 until now, first with reference to the epidemic, then later with reference to the war in Ukraine). The indirect effect has been spreading disinformation about the EU and the domestic political opposition in the context of the epidemic. Disinformation erodes the public trust in institutions, including the media itself, and poses a threat to democratic values and political processes. Based on data from international empirical research the paper shows the process of the breakdown of democracy and the accompanying legitimating media discourses.

• Language: English
• Keywords: disinformation, media, polarization, populism
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Geographic coverage: Madžarska
• Organization: FDV - Faculty of Social Sciences
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2025
• Number of pages: Str. 121-143
• Numbering: Vol. 18, no. 1
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-179321
• UDC: 321.01:616-036.21(439)
• ISSN on article: 1338-1385
• COBISS.SI-ID: 267965443
• Publication date in RUL: 10.02.2026

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Journal of comparative politics
• Publisher: Department of Political Science, Center for Analysis of Administrative-Political Processes and Institutions, Alma Mater Europea-European Centre Maribor (AMEU-ECM)
• ISSN: 1338-1385
• COBISS.SI-ID: 29224285

Licences

• License: CC BY-SA 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
• Description: This Creative Commons license is very similar to the regular Attribution license, but requires the release of all derivative works under this same license.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Title: Covid-19 kot orodje za [napad na] demokratične institucije in vrednote

Abstract

Epidemija Covida19 na Madžarskem je prispevala k zatonu demokracije na dva načina. Neposredni učinek je bila razglasitev izrednih razmer s strani vlade in prehod na vladanje z dekreti (od pomladi 2020 do zdaj, najprej v zvezi z epidemijo, nato kasneje v povezavi z vojno v Ukrajini). Posredni učinek je bil širjenje dezinformacij o EU in domači politični opoziciji v kontekstu epidemije. Dezinformacije spodkopavajo zaupanje javnosti v institucije, vključno s samimi mediji, in predstavljajo grožnjo demokratičnim vrednotam in političnim procesom. Članek na podlagi podatkov iz mednarodnih empiričnih raziskav prikazuje proces zloma demokracije in spremljajočih legitimacijskih medijskih diskurzov

• Keywords: Covid-19, denzinformacije, polarizacija, populizem

Projects

• Funder: EC - European Commission
• Project number: 101004534
• Name: Mediatized Discourses on Europeanization and Their Representations in Public Perceptions
• Acronym: MEDIATIZED EU

• Funder: EC - European Commission
• Project number: 838335
• Name: National Contact Points (NCPs) Network of Societal Challenge 6 'Europe in a changing world – inclusive, innovative and reflective Societies' (SC6)
• Acronym: Net4Society5