Partizán
Hungarian YouTube channel
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Partizán is a Hungarian independent media outlet. Run by Márton Gulyás, it is one of the most popular Hungarian political YouTube channels.[1]
History
Preceded by the channel Slejm – a torkon ragadt politika,[2] Partizán was started in the autumn of 2018 by Márton Gulyás,[1] a theater manager turned political activist.[3] In early 2020, during the COVID-19 lockdowns, Partizán broadcast live every day.[4] Prior to the 2022 parliamentary elections, the channel deployed a mobile studio on a truck that went to rural Hungarian towns with the goal of informing more people about the upcoming election, since the majority of people living there consume solely pro-government media and vote for the ruling Fidesz party.[5][6] In November 2025, Partizán was fined 200,000 forints (€525) for the interview of Péter Aranyosi, in which Aranyosi made insulting remarks about Romani people.[7]
Programming
As of 2025,[update] 180 volunteers work for the channel,[8] and as of November 2020,[update] 50% of the viewers are aged 18–35.[9] Partizán mostly posts political interviews, including with opposition politicians who could hardly get airtime on public television, such as Péter Márki-Zay and Péter Magyar,[10][4] and foreign politicians, like Bernie Sanders and Angela Merkel.[11] Fidesz politicians have not appeared in interviews despite having been invited numerous times.[12] Partizán also holds political debates,[13][14][15] talk shows, podcasts, newsletters, live events,[8] and produces documentaries[3] dealing with topics, including the takeover of the University of Theatre and Film Arts (SZFE),[16] and the enrichment of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and his family.[1] Its flagship daily show is a roundtable which analyzes the day's news from a leftist perspective. Partizán's videos often receive hundreds of thousands of views.[10] The Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism has described the channel as providing "in-depth, trustworthy reporting on issues ignored by most other outlets".[17]
Financing
The channel is financed by tenders[9] and micro-donors, with some larger sources, including the National Endowment for Democracy,[3] German Marshall Fund, and The Foundation for Democracy and Pluralism.[18] Through 1% donations of payroll taxes,[a] Partizán received 191 million forints from 21,122 people in 2023,[19] and 416 million forints from 36,978 people in 2024, becoming the most donated to organization in that year.[20] In 2025, 38,383 people donated 471 million forints.[21]
Awards
Notes
- Similar to Poland and Romania, taxpayers can allocate 1% of their personal income tax to a non-profit entity of their choice.[8]
