BUDAPEST — Hungarian public media outlets suspended broadcasting on Tuesday afternoon. Prime Minister Péter Magyar, who won the election in April, ordered a review of public service media.

Hungary's Kossuth radio station halted transmission, replaced by a Béla Bartók classical music program. The M1 television channel also ceased broadcasts, displaying a message stating, "Public media should not lie. We are sorry for doing it for so long. Public media now will be reformed so it will be independent and trustworthy. Our news programme is currently suspended. Stay tuned!" The websites for M1 and Kossuth were also down.

Magyar addressed the situation on Facebook, stating, "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." He had previously described state media coverage as a "factory of lies" during his election campaign. In one of his initial decrees as prime minister, Magyar ordered a "comprehensive and immediate" review of public service media and its financing.

The state media umbrella group MTVA issued a statement, indicating that M1 television would resume broadcasting in the evening without news programs. Other public service programs were not to be affected by the changes. Former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán commented on social media, writing, "Another example of Tisza tyranny!" Orbán, who served as prime minister for 16 years, also suggested that viewers "interested in the truth" should watch the Hír TV channel, which is linked to the Fidesz party.

Why It Matters

Péter Magyar's Tisza party secured a two-thirds supermajority in parliament during the April election. This suspension of public broadcasting and the subsequent review mark a change in Hungary's media landscape. Hungary's ranking in Reporters Without Borders' press freedom index fell from 23rd in 2010 to 74th in 2026. Under the previous administration of Viktor Orbán, who took power in 2010, an estimated 80% of the media landscape was reportedly controlled by Fidesz loyalists.