The Representation of the Arrival of Ukrainian Refugees in the Hungarian Media in 2022

This paper examines how the positive image of Ukrainian refugees was constructed in 2022 in the Hungarian media by analysing refugee-related news coverage across various media types, adopting quantitative content analysis. Utilising the concepts of illiberal informational autocracy and authoritarian populism, the study seeks to shed light on how the media represent refugee issues within an illiberal, authoritarian and populist context. The analysis hypothesised that, while pro-government propaganda media avoided portraying Ukrainian refugees negatively, their representations would still reflect the regime’s populist and authoritarian characteristics. Our findings largely confirmed these assumptions. Pro-government media emphasised the government’s competence significantly more than other media types, adopted an emotionally intense tone primarily toward Hungarian helpers and employed depersonalised representations of refugees.