Hungary’s Incoming Prime Minister Goes on State Media To Say He’s Shutting Down State Media

Hungary’s incoming prime minister, Péter Magyar, went on the state TV station to announce that he will shut it down, accusing it of airing Nazi Germany-style propaganda.In a heated exchange during a Wednesday interview, Mr. Magyar said that what the national broadcaster had aired since 2010 would have made the Nazi Party’s chief propagandist, Joseph Goebbels, proud. He also compared it to something that would air in North Korea.Mr. Magyar said that not a single true word was spoken on the air and that can’t continue.Mr. Magyar’s Tisza Party soundly defeated Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz party in national elections last weekend. Mr. Magyar is poised to become prime minister in May with a parliamentary majority of around two-thirds of all seats.The interview was Mr. Magyar’s first appearance on the broadcaster in nearly two years. He claimed that false information about him, including that his own children don’t talk to him, was spread on the air.“The fake news broadcast here must stop, and we will create independent, objective and impartial conditions to end this propaganda,” Mr. Magyar said.The interviewer tried defending the outlet, saying Mr. Magyar had been invited to appear on the air and that rejected claims that presenters had insulted his family.In a separate interview on state radio, Mr. Magyar made similar claims, calling the outlet a propaganda machine. “Every Hungarian deserves a public service media that broadcasts the truth,” Mr. Magyar said.Mr. Orbán led Hungary for 16 years and his government became increasingly authoritarian. He consolidated political power through constitutional and election law changes. Mr. Orbán also made regular appearances on the state broadcasters.President Trump supported Mr. Orbán and Vice President Vance appeared at a pre-election rally in an effort to boost support. Mr. Magyar is expected to seek closer relations with the European Union and help lend support to Ukraine in its fight against a Russian invasion.Mr. Magyar is following a similar path that Poland’s prime minister, Donald Tusk, took with state media after taking office in 2023. Mr. Tusk’s government took over Polish public broadcasters, fired the management, and replaced them with picks chosen by his new culture minister.

Hungary’s Incoming Prime Minister Goes on State Media To Say He’s Shutting Down State Media

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