Hungary Public Broadcaster Suspends News, Apologizes After Orbán Era Ends (Worthy News In-Depth)

by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Europe Bureau Chief

BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – Hungary’s state-owned public news broadcasters, long criticized for their close ties to former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, went off the air Tuesday after apologizing for what they described as years of lying to the public in an unprecedented move launched under the current government.

Instead of its regular programming, the M1 public television channel replaced its broadcasts with a black screen bearing the message: “Public media cannot lie. We apologize for having done so for years. State media is now being overhauled so that it can be independent and credible in the future. News service is temporarily suspended. Stay tuned!”

On Tuesday afternoon, M1 went off the air, while Kossuth Radio, Hungary’s main public radio news station, suspended its news broadcasts and temporarily relayed the programming of Bartók Rádió, the country’s public classical music station. The broadcasters’ websites also became unavailable.

At 19:56 local time—a symbolic reference to Hungary’s 1956 anti-Soviet Revolution—M1 resumed broadcasting. However, instead of news bulletins, the channel aired The Witness (A tanú), Péter Bacsó’s 1969 political satire ridiculing the abuses of Hungary’s Stalinist dictatorship. The film itself was banned for years under communist rule because authorities believed it drew uncomfortable parallels with their own regime. Its most famous line, “Facts are stubborn things” (“A tények makacs dolgok”), has since become one of Hungary’s best-known political sayings and remains widely quoted in public life.

Hungary’s state-owned public media organization, MTVA, said M1 would temporarily resume broadcasting without news programs while a new newsroom is established. It said news bulletins would gradually return as the transition progresses.

PUBLIC MEDIA OVERHAUL

Prime Minister Péter Magyar, whose Tisza Party won a two-thirds parliamentary majority in April, welcomed the move as the end of an era.

“A historic day. Today marks the end of propaganda broadcasts on public media platforms. They lied at night, they lied during the day, they lied on every wavelength. That is now over,” Magyar wrote on Facebook.

MTVA noted that since Hungarian Television began broadcasting on May 1, 1957, its screen had gone dark only during technical failures and, more rarely, following the death of a public figure, such as József Antall, Hungary’s first democratically elected prime minister after decades of communist rule, who died in 1993. It said Tuesday’s blackout symbolized “the end of an era.”

Orbán condemned the move. “Another example of Tisza tyranny!” Orbán said, referring to Magyar’s party. He urged viewers interested in “the truth” to watch Hír TV, a private broadcaster with close ties to Orbán’s Fidesz party.

The suspension followed the appointment of an interim management team at MTVA, which immediately dismissed several senior managers and journalists. Hungarian media reported some employees were escorted from the building by security personnel.

STATE MEDIA RESTRUCTURING

The overhaul also affected other state media. Kossuth Radio replaced its news programming with Bartók Rádió’s classical music service, while non-news public channels—including sports broadcaster M4 Sport—continued normal programming, including FIFA World Cup matches.

Beyond the public broadcaster, the new government has also moved against media organizations linked to Orbán allies. At TV2, one of Hungary’s largest private television broadcasters, several leading news anchors have been replaced and the news director has left since Magyar’s election victory.

The changes fulfilled one of Magyar’s key election pledges to overhaul what he called years of politically controlled public broadcasting.

Orbán, who governed Hungary for 16 years, was widely accused by critics of transforming public broadcasting into a government mouthpiece while allies gained control over much of the country’s private media landscape.

According to Reporters Without Borders, Hungary has fallen from 23rd place in 2010 to 74th in 2026 in its annual World Press Freedom Index, reflecting concerns over media pluralism and editorial independence.

PRESS FREEDOM CONCERNS

Following Hungary’s April election, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) concluded that the public broadcaster’s election coverage was “openly and disproportionately” favorable to the ruling Fidesz party, while opposition politicians received little opportunity to present their views.

Press freedom organizations have welcomed Magyar’s pledge to restore media pluralism after years of political control under Orbán. However, they have also urged his government to ensure that reforms protect editorial independence, comply with European standards, and include meaningful consultation with journalists and civil society.

Analysts say several privately owned broadcasters and newspapers linked to Orbán allies are expected to remain influential despite the change of government. However, they believe the overhaul of the public broadcaster could mark the most significant transformation of Hungary’s media landscape since Orbán returned to power in 2010.

For many Hungarians, Tuesday’s unprecedented suspension of state news broadcasts marked one of the most dramatic breaks with the Orbán era since Magyar took office, symbolizing a profound shift in the country’s media landscape.

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