Hungarian state television announced on Tuesday that news broadcasts had been temporarily suspended as the government overhauled public service media to make them “independent and reliable.”
M1, the main state television channel, displayed the announcement on a black screen with the message: “Public media cannot lie. Nevertheless, we apologize for doing this for so many years.”
Early Tuesday, local media reported that some editors at state television and radio had been fired. Reuters could not immediately confirm this report.
The move is in line with Prime Minister Piotr Magyar’s election promise to overhaul state media and end what he called “propaganda” under former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.
“Public media is currently being revamped to be independent and trustworthy in the future. News broadcasts are temporarily suspended. Please stay with us!” M1’s announcement read.
Magyar citizens, who ousted Mr. Orbán’s nationalist Fidesz party after 16 years in power in an April election, have begun an overhaul of Mr. Orbán’s key power strongholds, including state media. He said he would restore checks and balances and crack down on corruption.
“This is a historic day because propaganda broadcasts on public service media have ended,” Magyar said in a Facebook post on Tuesday, adding that state-run Kossuth Radio had also ceased broadcasting.
Magyar said after the election that he wanted to create a “truly balanced and objective news service.” In one of his first orders as prime minister, he ordered a “comprehensive and immediate” review of public service media and its funding.
But analysts say creating a truly balanced public service media will be a major challenge.
Under Orbán, state media came under government control as new media laws were enacted, and several private broadcasters were shut down or taken over by pro-government businessmen.
In Reporters Without Borders’ Press Freedom Index, Hungary fell from 23rd place in 2010 to 74th place in 2026.
Orbán’s government denies pressuring the media and says it meets EU standards for media freedom.
