“Public media cannot lie” - Hungarian public broadcasting goes dark

Hungary’s public channel M1 briefly suspended broadcasting yesterday afternoon as it tries to distance itself from Viktor Orbán’s tight-fisted control of the media.

Kossuth radio also ended broadcasts midway through a classical music programme with websites for both also suspended, although it’s understood that MTVA’s other services carried on as normal.

The message shown on M1 reads: “Public media should not lie. We are sorry we did so for so long. We are working to change the public media system so that it is independent and trustworthy. Our news service is suspended. Stay tuned!”

Orbán was outed in an election earlier this year and he maintained a tight grip on the country’s media over the 16 years he was in power, including private outlets. He routinely used it for propaganda purposes and vilified “enemies” of the state.

Peter Magyar, the new prime minister, made it a post election promise to completely change the public broadcasting system in Hungary, comparing it to the kind of state propaganda seen in North Korea and other repressive regimes.

Magyar responded to the blackout saying: “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.”