"Orbánophobia" or the "Orbanization of America"? Partisan differences in US online news coverage of Orbán's Hungary from 2011-2021

Hannah VOS

Master's thesis

The Future of the US Republican Party? Partisan differences in online US media coverage of Viktor Orbán's Hungary between 2011-2021

Abstract:

Both conservative and progressive thinkers in the US have pondered if the future of the Republican Party will reflect the qualities of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. The rapport between Orbán and certain Republicans likely began in 2016 when he, the sole EU head of state to do so, supported Donald Trump's presidential campaign. Since then, popular political commentator Tucker Carlson visited Orbán, and in 2022, the Conservative Political Action Committee (CPAC) held its first Europe-based event in Hungary and has since invited Orbán to speak at another CPAC event. In April of 2022, concerns over Hungary's rule of law violations finally coalesced into the EU triggering its rule of law mechanism against Hungary. With allegations from scholars and political commentators over whether American conservatives will follow - or have already followed - in Orbán's footsteps, democratic backsliding in the US is a major concern. Due to the level of media coverage Orbán receives in the US, this thesis draws on qualitative content analysis and Framing Theory to analyze how online media coverage of Orbán's Hungary has developed since 2011, which is when Hungary's "Basic Law" was passed by the parliament, initiating charges of democratic backsliding. The research questions are as follows: What aspects of Hungarian politics have online media on the Left and Right focused on between 2011-2021 in the United States? Has coverage of Orbán's Hungary become more partisan in this period, in terms of how it is covered and how favorable or critical the media is toward Orbán? Findings show the main themes relate to democracy, migration, and LGBTQI+ rights. Findings also suggest the coverage of LGBTQI+ rights is consistently partisan and coverage of migration issues has become increasingly partisan since 2018. Coverage of democracy is consistently critical on the Left, but on the Right there is debate over whether Orbán should be embraced due to his conservative policies, or if his consolidation of power and democratic backsliding are too omnipresent to forget.

Abstract:

Both conservative and progressive thinkers in the US have pondered if the future of the Republican Party will reflect the qualities of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. The rapport between Orbán and certain Republicans likely began in 2016 when he, the sole EU head of state to do so, supported Donald Trump's presidential campaign. Since then, popular political commentator Tucker Carlson visited Orbán, and in 2022, the Conservative Political Action Committee (CPAC) held its first Europe-based event in Hungary and has since invited Orbán to speak at another CPAC event. In April of 2022, concerns over Hungary's rule of law violations finally coalesced into the EU triggering its rule of law mechanism against Hungary. With allegations from scholars and political commentators over whether American conservatives will follow - or have already followed - in Orbán's footsteps, democratic backsliding in the US is a major concern. Due to the level of media coverage Orbán receives in the US, this thesis draws on qualitative content analysis and Framing Theory to analyze how online media coverage of Orbán's Hungary has developed since 2011, which is when Hungary's "Basic Law" was passed by the parliament, initiating charges of democratic backsliding. The research questions are as follows: What aspects of Hungarian politics have online media on the Left and Right focused on between 2011-2021 in the United States? Has coverage of Orbán's Hungary become more partisan in this period, in terms of how it is covered and how favorable or critical the media is toward Orbán? Findings show the main themes relate to democracy, migration, and LGBTQI+ rights. Findings also suggest the coverage of LGBTQI+ rights is consistently partisan and coverage of migration issues has become increasingly partisan since 2018. Coverage of democracy is consistently critical on the Left, but on the Right there is debate over whether Orbán should be embraced due to his conservative policies, or if his consolidation of power and democratic backsliding are too omnipresent to forget.

Keywords

Viktor Orbán, Democracy, Democratic Backsliding, American Conservatives, Media Analysis, US Partisan Media.

Jazyk práce: English

Datum vytvoření / odevzdání či podání práce: 1. 8. 2022

Obhajoba závěrečné práce

• Vedúci: Mgr. Věra Bartalosová, Ph.D.

Palacký University Olomouc

Faculty of Arts

Master programme / odbor:
Humanities / Euroculture