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February 19, 2026European Journal of Communication0 citations

Between the state and the platforms: A socio-technical analysis of changing practices in Hungarian digital journalism

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TTTamás Tófalvy

Key Points

  • This analysis aims to explore the transformation of digital journalism in Hungary due to global platform influences and local government interventions.
  • Conducted a socio-technical analysis of Telex.hu, a prominent independent news site in Hungary.
  • Examined the relationships between digital journalism practices, government interventions, and platform influences.
  • Mapped the affordances and dependencies affecting journalism's content production and distribution.
  • Identified that government interventions weaken financial ties between journalism and advertisers.
  • Found that platform dominance reduces the direct connection between journalism and audiences.
  • Highlighted the creation of a hybrid ecosystem where content is shaped by both political and technological forces.

Abstract

In recent years, the field of digital journalism in Hungary has undergone a profound transformation. One of the driving forces behind this change is the global platformisation of journalism, which has had far-reaching effects on journalism's business and practices. Another, local factor is the government's increasing intervention in the media industry and journalism. Using Telex.hu, one of Hungary's most read independent online news sites as a case study, this paper maps the socio-technical web of affordances and dependencies that digital journalistic content production and distribution must navigate under these circumstances. The paper concludes that the government's economic interventions weaken the financial relationship between journalism and advertisers, while platforms’ dominance over distribution channels weakens the direct relationship between journalism and audiences. The interplay of media and platform captures form a hybrid ecosystem of control in which content functions as the operational intersection point of political-economic and technological power.

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Cite This Study

Tamás Tófalvy (2026) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6996a7efecb39a600b3ee2dahttps://doi.org/10.1177/02673231261423009
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