Blikk, a tabloid with about 3 million online monthly readers, bought by pro-Orbán media group Indamedia
Journalists at Hungary’s most-read newspaper have expressed shock after a media group seen as close to nationalist prime minister Viktor Orbán’s party, Fidesz, bought the tabloid from its previous Swiss owners.
The purchase, which comes as Hungary gears up for crucial elections next year in which Orbán faces an unprecedented opposition challenge, is widely seen as another attempt to increase government influence on the media.
A pro-Orbán media group, Indamedia, said on Friday it had bought a collection of Hungarian titles from Ringier, including Glamour magazine and Blikk, a popular tabloid whose news site reaches about three million online readers monthly.
Blikk’s outgoing editor-in-chief, Ivan Zsolt Nagy, said on Monday that he and another senior manager were leaving in “mutual agreement” with the new owner.
