Hungary's main public television channel M1 and state radio station Kossuth temporarily halted transmissions on Tuesday, issuing an apology for 'lying for years'. The move is part of new Prime Minister Péter Magyar's promised media reforms.

M1 displayed a message on a black screen with white text: 'Public media should not lie. We are sorry for doing it for so long.' It added that public media would be reformed to become independent and trustworthy, and that the news program was suspended.

Kossuth's frequencies were temporarily replaced by classical music station Bartok Radio. Websites for both M1 and Kossuth were also down. MTVA, which operates M1, said the channel would temporarily restart in a new format without news programs, with bulletins gradually introduced alongside a new editorial team.

Prime Minister Magyar described the day as 'historic', marking '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,' he added.

Former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, ousted in April after 16 years in power, called the move 'another example of Tisza tyranny' and urged his followers to watch Hir TV, affiliated with his Fidesz party.

Magyar, who broke away from Orbán's party in March 2024, won a landslide victory in April. He had promised to reform state media and form a new broadcast authority to ensure press freedom.

Source: www.bbc.co.uk