2025.12.31.

Varga T., Rakovics Z., Sik E. (2025). The (Un)Changing Language and Sentiment Associated with the Moral Panic Button (MPB) in the Wake of the Russian–Ukrainian War: The Hungarian Case. Central and Eastern European Migration Review 14(2): 137-156. doi: 10.54667/ceemr.2025.25

Abstract

In Hungary, several studies have analysed how migration was framed following the events of 2015. In this paper, given the distinct characteristics of the Ukrainian refugee crisis, we investigate whether the Moral Panic Button (MPB) altered its language when referring to individuals arriving from Ukraine, compared to those from elsewhere. Content-wise, we raised 2 questions: Is it true that, after the outbreak of the war, in the framing of pro-government media, the refugee label once again became the majority term instead of the unofficial migrant, in contrast to the non-MPB-operated non-government media? Is it true that this shift was somewhat limited due to the continued presence in Hungary of migration waves, primarily originating from the Middle East and Africa? To address the research questions, we utilised 2 special datasets comprising articles and Facebook posts both before and after 24 February 2022. On the one hand, we analysed the occurrence of the terms ‘migrant’ and ‘refugee’ separately for articles and Facebook posts, distinguishing between non-governmental and pro-governmental outlets. Additionally, through sentiment analysis, we sought to investigate the attitudes and emotional responses associated with key terms related to the war. Our results imply that the pro-government media in Hungary adapted its labelling and emotional framing of displaced persons significantly around the outbreak of the Russian–Ukrainian war. Whereas this shift reflected a rapid and strategic language change in the short term, especially in contrast to non-government media, the long-term trend shows a gradual return to the earlier pattern.