Hungary Got a Fresh Start. Will Its Media?

As Hungarians put an end to Viktor Orbán’s regime, shutting down propaganda is first on the agenda of Péter Magyar, the incoming prime minister.

Three days after defeating Viktor Orbán in Hungary’s national elections, Péter Magyar, the prime minister–elect, paid a visit to the headquarters of MTVA, the country’s public media conglomerate. During the campaign, state media ran wall-to-wall pro-Orbán coverage: hit pieces on Magyar’s family, accusations that he conspired with Ukraine to drag Hungary into war with Russia, and reports on his plans for austerity that later proved to be false. Now Magyar had been extended an invitation. This was something of a last-ditch attempt to catch him off guard: MTVA reporters had a knack for interrupting, provoking, and insulting Magyar, in an apparent effort to extract a compelling soundbite. But following the biggest electoral victory in the history of modern Hungary, Magyar came prepared. “What you did here would’ve made Goebbels smack his lips,” he said, lambasting his interviewers. “This factory of lies will shut down. We’ll suspend this deceitful news service, and we’ll create an independent, objective, and neutral public media.” When he left the studio, state media employees applauded him. “Thank you for not giving up,” he told them. “I know that a lot of you didn’t do all of this for fun.”