Hungary suspends state media, apologises for Orbán-era 'lies' as Magyar begins overhaul

Hungarian state television and radio suspended all news output on Tuesday afternoon, replacing broadcasts with a black screen and an apology for years of "propaganda" under former prime minister Viktor Orbán. The move, ordered by Prime Minister Péter Magyar, fulfils a central campaign promise to dismantle the media apparatus that served Orbán's Fidesz party during its 16-year rule.

Campaign pledge

Magyar's Tisza party won the April 12 parliamentary election, ending Orbán's uninterrupted hold on power since 2010. Four days after the vote, Magyar gave his first interview in 18 months to the M1 channel and vowed to "suspend immediately the fake news service that operates" there. The pledge was part of a broader reform agenda that includes creating a new media regulator and restoring editorial independence. Over 90 journalists at the state news agency MTI publicly backed that goal after the election, according to Reuters.

Black screen apology

At around 15:00 on July 7, the main public channel M1, its news website Híradó.hu, and the Kossuth radio station all went dark. Viewers saw a black screen with white text:

Public media cannot lie. We apologise for having done so for many years. Public media are transforming to become independent and credible in the future. The news service is temporarily suspended.

Kossuth radio began airing the music programme of Bartók radio instead of news bulletins. The MTVA media group, which oversees six television channels and seven radio stations, said M1 would resume broadcasting at 19:56, a time chosen to evoke the 1956 Hungarian uprising against Soviet rule, but with films only and no news programmes. News services will return gradually as a new editorial leadership is put in place.

Reactions

Magyar celebrated the shutdown on social media.

A historic day. Today, the propaganda broadcast on public media platforms has finally come to an end. They lied at night. They lied during the day. They lied on every channel. It's over.

Orbán responded by calling the move "another example of the tyranny of Tisza!" and urged viewers "interested in the truth" to watch Hir TV, a channel linked to his Fidesz party. The former prime minister and his allies controlled roughly 80% of the Hungarian press, according to Reporters Without Borders.

What comes next

The suspension is temporary but open-ended. MTVA said news programmes would resume "gradually according to a set schedule" as the new management is formed. The government has not given a date for the return of news bulletins. Local media reported that some employees of the public broadcaster were dismissed on Tuesday, though the scale of the layoffs was not confirmed. The overhaul is the latest step in Magyar's effort to dismantle the Orbán-era system, following earlier changes in the judiciary and public administration.