The Hungarian government will submit legislation next week aimed at a comprehensive overhaul of the country’s public media system, Prime Minister Péter Magyar announced on Saturday.
In a post published on Facebook, the prime minister said the reform’s primary objective is to ensure balanced and impartial public service broadcasting.
‘The news is sacred, opinion is free,’ Magyar wrote, echoing a principle commonly associated with independent journalism.
The announcement comes amid a broader restructuring of state institutions following the recent change in government. While the prime minister did not provide details of the proposed legislation, members of the cabinet have already outlined some of the government’s intentions regarding the future of public media.
Earlier this week, Minister for Social Relations and Culture Zoltán Tarr stated that the transformation of the public media system would take place in two phases. According to Tarr, the process will include a nationwide public consultation designed to gather citizens’ views on the role and responsibilities of public service media in Hungary.
The government has argued that public media should serve the entire population rather than any particular political interest, and has signalled its intention to reassess the structure, governance and editorial standards of existing public broadcasters.
The planned reform has already triggered changes within the current leadership of Hungary’s public media institutions.
On Friday, Dániel Papp, chief executive officer of the Media Services and Support Trust Fund (MTVA), announced that he had initiated the termination of his employment. According to a statement issued by MTVA’s Press and Marketing Office, Papp submitted his resignation to András Koltay, chairman of the Media Council of the National Media and Infocommunications Authority (NMHH).
The forthcoming legislation is expected to provide the first detailed outline of how the government intends to restructure public broadcasting, including potential changes to governance, funding, oversight and editorial practices.
The bill is expected to be submitted to Parliament in the coming days.
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