Hungary’s State TV Abruptly Halts Broadcast, Apologizes for Years of Lies Amid Media Overhaul

Hungary’s state broadcaster M1 unexpectedly stopped its regular programming on Tuesday, replacing it with a message apologizing for years of misinformation. The screen displayed a statement reading, "Public media cannot lie. We apologize for having done so for years. The state media is now undergoing reorganization to become independent and reliable in the future. News broadcasts are temporarily suspended. Stay with us." This unusual interruption came just hours after the new interim management of the Media Services and Support Trust Fund (MTVA), which operates public broadcasting in Hungary, took office and began extensive reforms.

According to the Hungarian news site Telex, interim CEO András Horváth arrived with a new management team and immediately suspended several senior employees, including veteran TV reporter Attila Czézár, who was reportedly escorted out by security guards. Other suspended staff included radio station director Beatrix Siklósi, technology manager Antal Olbort, and chief production manager Béla Konczey.

The overhaul follows the April election victory of Prime Minister Péter Megyiar, who pledged to reform the public broadcaster, accusing it of becoming a "propaganda machine" under Viktor Orbán’s long tenure. Before forming the new government, Megyiar announced a suspension of public news broadcasts until independent and unbiased coverage could be ensured. Last week, the Hungarian parliament passed a law dismantling MTVA’s current structure, replacing it with two new entities, establishing an independent supervisory body, and introducing competitive selection processes for new leadership instead of direct appointments.

These reforms respond to longstanding criticism from the European Union, human rights groups, and press freedom organizations, which have accused Orbán’s government of turning public media into a government mouthpiece. Inside the news organization, dozens of journalists have also demanded a return to editorial independence and professional, politically uninfluenced reporting.