ESTI HIRLAP, THE SOCIALIST TABLOID IN THE HUNGARIAN PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC (1956–1996)

The article is devoted to a unique phenomenon in the Hungarian press system of the socialist era, the Esti Hírlap newspaper, which was commonly referred to and was in fact a socialist tabloid. It was founded at the beginning of János Kádár’s political epoch and was actually the successor to the pre-war bourgeois tabloid Az Est. The analysis of this evening paper is important because it illustrated the nature of the so-called “soft socialism” in Hungary after the Hungarian autumn of 1956 and symbolized Kádár’s slogan: “He who is not against us is with us”. This was reflected in a certain liberalization in society and the absence of harsh censorship in the press. Therefore, this study goes to a certain extent beyond the media moving into the area of political science as well. The analysis of Esti Hirlap is based on the research carried out by the author in Hungary and a systematic study of the 20th century press of this country, as well as on a number of Russian and American sources. © 2022, MSU Publishing House. All rights reserved.