Hungary’s main public television channel, M1, has halted all news broadcasts, while the state-run radio station Kossuth has been suspended entirely, marking a decisive shift away from the propaganda regime of former prime minister Viktor Orbán.
Péter Magyar, who won a landslide victory earlier this year, announced the move as “the end of propaganda broadcasts” and described it as a historic day for the country. The M1 screen displayed a stark apology: “Public media should not lie. We are sorry for doing it for so long.” The message promised a future of independent and trustworthy journalism.
According to a statement from TV Authority (MTVA), the channel will resume in a new format without news programmes for now, with bulletins gradually introduced alongside a freshly appointed editorial team. Kossuth’s frequencies were temporarily replaced by classical music on Bartok Radio, and both M1 and Kossuth websites went offline during the broadcast pause.
Former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán reacted via Facebook, denouncing the reforms as “another example of Tisza tyranny” and encouraging supporters to watch the party-affiliated Hir TV channel instead.
These developments follow a broader push by Magyar’s administration to break the entrenched media control of the Orbán era, promising a new public service media framework that prioritises press freedom and transparency across Hungary’s broadcast landscape.
