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cover of episode Lessons From Hungary’s Democratic Backsliding. Plus, What Makes a Resistance Movement Successful?

Lessons From Hungary’s Democratic Backsliding. Plus, What Makes a Resistance Movement Successful?

2025/6/6
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On the Media
AI Deep Dive AI Chapters Transcript
People
A
Andrew Morantz
C
Christopher Ruffo
J
Juana Filip
M
Martin Guliash
M
Micah Loewinger
M
Michael Olinger
Topics
Micah Loewinger: 我认为美国正面临民主倒退的风险，这体现在特朗普政府对民主制衡的削弱、对权力的滥用、对信息的控制和对异议的压制。我最初对罗马尼亚记者向美国记者寻求关于民主倒退的建议感到震惊，因为我一直认为美国是民主的典范。然而，通过对匈牙利局势的研究，我意识到美国可以从匈牙利的经验中吸取教训，特别是在媒体逐渐被侵蚀和政治权力被滥用方面。 Juana Filip: 我认为美国正在走向非自由政权，因为我看到了对人民的无端驱逐等现象。我向美国记者寻求建议，是因为我曾经认为美国是民主的典范，但现在我看到它正在崩溃。 Andrew Morantz: 我认为民主倒退很少以政府法令的形式出现，而是逐渐发生的。匈牙利总理欧尔班通过微妙的方式逐渐侵蚀民主，这值得警惕。我认为，欧尔班所谓的“非自由民主”实际上是指保留他喜欢的、能让他继续掌权的那部分民主。我走访了中欧大学，亲眼目睹了这所大学如何从一个开放社会的支柱变成了一个空壳。我认为，美国可以从匈牙利的媒体逐渐被侵蚀的经验中吸取教训，并警惕政治权力被滥用。 Christopher Ruffo: 我认为精英大学确立了文化信号，然后向下传播到整个大学部门。我从对匈牙利的访问中获得了灵感。 Martin Guliash: 我认为即使在最敌对的时期，也要尽可能公平地对待特朗普政府。我建议美国记者要保持冷静和专业性，不要把听众囚禁在任何类型的泡沫中。我认为美国和匈牙利的情况截然不同，美国有足够的财富来拥有不同的精英、工会和其他非政府组织，而匈牙利没有。我认为，当记者被禁止进入议会时，整个新闻界应该站出来。

Deep Dive

Chapters
This chapter explores the potential democratic backsliding in the US by comparing it with Hungary's experience under Viktor Orbán. It examines the subtle ways autocracies consolidate power and the challenges faced by journalists in such environments.
  • Comparison of US and Hungary's democratic backsliding
  • Subtle methods of autocratic power consolidation
  • Challenges faced by journalists in illiberal regimes
  • Orbán's political strategies and popularity

Shownotes Transcript

President Donald Trump’s countless executive orders and mounting deportations are testing America’s democratic institutions. On this week’s On the Media, what we can learn from Hungary’s recent backslide into autocracy. Plus, why resistance movements throughout history have succeeded with 3.5 percent of the population, or less, behind them.

[01:36] Host Micah Loewinger speaks with Andrew Marantz), a staff writer at The New Yorker, about his recent piece, “Is the U.S. Becoming an Autocracy?” and what we can learn from Hungary’s recent backsliding into authoritarianism.

[16:17] Micah speaks with Márton Gulyás, founder of Partizán), Hungary’s leading independent news show, about what lessons journalists in the US might take away from his experience.

[37:53] Micah sits down with Maria J. Stephan), political scientist and co-author of Why Civil Resistance Works, to dissect the 3.5% rule, a statistic that’s been making its rounds on social media, which is a measurement of the power of collective action. Stephan and her co-researcher Erica Chenoweth first coined the term in 2010. 

Further reading:

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