Hungary relaunches public news with a more independent tone post-Orbán era

Hungary's public television channel M1 has resumed its news broadcasts with a stated commitment to independence and critical reporting, a significant shift after the suspension of services by the new government. The broadcasts were halted in July by Prime Minister Péter Magyar's administration, which labeled previous programming as a propaganda organ for the former ultranationalist government of Viktor Orbán.

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On the anniversary of the founding of the state (August 20), an independent and reliable newscast is relaunched. A new chapter begins today.

The first newscast, aired on August 20, covered current events including the inauguration of new President András Baka, opposition critiques of Magyar's government, and the impact of drought on the Paks nuclear power plant. This marks a departure from the previous 16 years, during which public media operated under strict government control and criticism of Orbán was absent.

During the Orbán era, news programs largely ignored Magyar despite his leading poll numbers, never interviewing him until after his election victory. The relaunched newscasts have also eliminated alarmist coverage of immigration, potential involvement in the Ukraine war, and criticism of Brussels, which had dominated previous broadcasts. Magyar had promised a thorough reform of the media, which he described as a propaganda instrument.

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Public media must not lie. We apologize for having done so for many years! Public media are now transforming to be independent and credible in the future.

The new structure also deviates from the previous model by not broadcasting news 24 hours a day. While the August 20 programming focused on Hungary's National Day, future schedules will include films, documentaries, and educational programs. M1 will air two daily newscasts starting August 21: one at noon and another at 7:30 PM. This reform follows Orbán's 2010 consolidation of media control through the "gag law" of 2011, which critics argued restricted press freedom.

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We need engineers, architects, urban planners, public health experts, our professional chambers, and NGOs with years of experience to manage a large city like Istanbul, and we want to manage Istanbul together with them.