Hungary Suspends State TV News, Promises End to Propaganda

Hungary's new government has temporarily suspended the state television news broadcast as part of a comprehensive reform of public broadcasting. Shortly after the government led by Prime Minister Péter Medgyessy replaced the management of the state television and radio, the main channel M1 aired a black screen with an unusual apology message to viewers. The message stated, "Public broadcasting cannot lie. We apologize for having done so for many years. Public broadcasting is now undergoing change to become independent and reliable. The news service is temporarily suspended. Stay with us!"

Prime Minister Medgyessy hailed the move as a "historic day," declaring that the era of propaganda in Hungary's public media has ended. He emphasized that the broadcasts had lied day and night across all channels, but now that is over. This step marks a significant shift in Hungary's media landscape under the new administration, aiming to restore credibility and independence to public broadcasting.