San Francisco Frontiers - Stopped broadcast, layoffs: Hungary media eyes post-Orban renewal

Reorganising the state media was a key campaign pledge for pro-EU Prime Minister Peter Magyar, who ousted nationalist leader Viktor Orban in April's elections, promising a "system change".

The self-styled "illiberal" system Orban developed during his 16 years in power drew criticism from the European Union over rule of law issues.

"We feel anxious and hopeful at the same time," one longtime public media employee told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity as staff are not allowed to give interviews.

"Even people who never served any political agenda are worried for their jobs... But we're also optimistic that we can finally serve the public," she added.

- Conservative media hit -

Private media companies are also feeling the effects of the change in administration.

Mediaworks, which describes itself as Hungary's leading conservative media company and is close to Orban's Fidesz party announced in June it was firing 200 people of its 2,000 staff.

It no longer receives the lavish government spending on adverts it enjoyed under the previous administration.

More than a dozen of the group's daily newspapers have either gone out of print or switched to weekly publication, as flagship outlet Magyar Nemzet did this month.

The independent rival Nepszava also ceased its print edition in late May due to the debt it accumulated to Mediaworks, which printed the newspaper, leaving Hungary without a political daily.

- Full relaunch -

At MTVA, a relaunch is slated for later this month, with several insiders anticipating a return of TV news broadcasting on August 20, the central European country's national holiday.

Interim management -- appointed by the government -- has been mum on the details, and multiple employees told AFP that they are having to rely on internal rumours and occasional press statements for updates.

For now, while camera crews still record events deemed newsworthy, the footage is directly archived without being broadcast.

MTVA's main channels suspended news broadcasts on July 7, two weeks after parliament passed a media reform bill, apologising in an on-air message for "lying" for years.

A flood of social media posts welcomed it as a symbolic reckoning with the past.

Under Orban, MTVA, employing over 2,000 people, received lavish funding from taxpayers' money, with its newsroom unquestioningly echoing the government's narratives.

The ministerial commissioner overseeing the current transition, Judit Grosz, told AFP that "serious and longstanding" problems with credibility and professional standards necessitated the shutdown.

Inside MTVA, reactions were mixed.

Many said it was important to "break with the previous era", while some viewed the blackout as pointless, since news broadcasts had already adopted a neutral tone after Orban's defeat.

"After the election, most of us felt liberated. Political control ceased; we could talk about facts, quote both sides, it felt incredible," one newsroom employee told AFP.

The journalist felt that previously they were disseminating government politicians' opinions and positions instead of news.

"It is undeniable that we bear responsibility... Most of us still haven't managed to reconcile this within ourselves," the employee said, adding as "breadwinner" they "could not afford" to quit on principle.

- Litmus test -

The current transition is seen as a prelude to more long-term reforms.

A new chief executive, chosen later through an open tender process, is expected to implement recommendations from an ongoing professional and public consultations.

The government stresses the aim is to restore the public broadcaster's credibility.

"The goal ultimately is to have the audience see public media as a trustworthy, professionally run and genuinely public-service institution," ministerial commissioner Grosz said.

However, the transition already sparked controversy.

Earlier this month, MTVA faced backlash after naming a new head of news programming who had previously been employed by media outlets and companies owned by Orban's inner circle.

Following the disapproving reactions, including from Magyar, the broadcaster reversed the appointment the next day, prompting even more criticism.

"It is not up to the prime minister to comment and decide on nominations," regional director at watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF), Pavol Szalai, told AFP.

Orban's Fidesz party leveraged the case as part of its broader efforts to cast the Magyar's ongoing reform drive as "authoritarian".

Grosz has denied any government interference, saying MTVA's interim leadership are responsible for all personnel and operational decisions.

According to RSF's Szalai, the litmus test on renewal will be whether public media "dares to criticise Magyar's government on a factual basis".

X.Roberts--SFF