Péter Magyar, Hungary’s election winner, has vowed to overhaul state media following his landslide victory ending Viktor Orbán’s 16-year rule. He plans to suspend broadcasts and establish a new media authority, aiming to ensure press freedom when his government takes office around mid-May.
Magyar described current state media as a “propaganda machine” spreading fear and lies to maintain Orbán’s power. He stated every Hungarian deserves public service media that broadcasts the truth and compared recent media coverage to that of Nazi-era Germany.
Over 90 journalists from the Hungarian state news agency MTI have called for the immediate restoration of impartial news coverage, following Magyar’s pledge to reform state media. He intends to pass a new media law alongside the suspension of broadcasts.