Hungary’s New PM Suspends State TV News, Admits Years of Government Lies

Hungary’s new Prime Minister, Peter Medgyar, took a significant step on Tuesday evening by darkening the broadcasts of two state television channels, which had long been accused of serving as propaganda tools for former Prime Minister Viktor Orban. The channels displayed a continuous caption admitting that they had lied to the public throughout Orban’s 16-year rule and apologized for the deception. This move followed the government’s replacement of the management of the state radio and television.

Medgyar, who won a historic general election in April, ended Orban’s long tenure and secured a parliamentary supermajority exceeding two-thirds. This majority enables him to amend the constitution and reverse what his administration calls Orban’s anti-democratic measures, including a new law limiting any individual to a maximum of eight years as prime minister. Despite media bias during the campaign, where state outlets barred Medgyar from appearing, he confronted state media in live interviews shortly after his victory, accusing them of biased coverage and serving Orban’s agenda.

As part of his plan to restore press freedom, Medgyar announced the temporary suspension of news broadcasts on state media. He stated that all Hungarians deserve truthful public broadcasting and that a new media law and regulatory authority would be established to ensure independence and professionalism. On Tuesday evening, the main state channel M1 displayed a message stating that public broadcasting must not lie and apologized for years of misinformation. The news service was suspended temporarily while structural reforms are implemented.

Orban’s critics have long accused him of controlling not only public but also private media by consolidating ownership under allies through the Central European Press and Media Foundation, which held over 400 outlets by the end of his rule. Medgyar claimed that 70 to 80 percent of Hungarian media was acquired by Orban’s allies and used to defame him and his party with hundreds of daily falsehoods, denying him any media presence since September 2024 until the election. The state channel M1 is expected to resume broadcasting at 19:56 local time with a new format excluding news until the reforms are complete.