Hungary’s New Government Pledges Media Reform After Years of Alleged State Control

A promise to rebuild Hungary’s media landscape stands at the forefront of Prime Minister-elect Peter Magyar’s agenda following his surprise victory in last weekend’s elections. The win marks a decisive shift after 16 years of Viktor Orban’s governance, which critics say transformed public media into a political instrument that marginalized opposition voices.

“What we experienced was more subtle curbing of freedoms, which does have an impact on everyday life,” explains Eva Bognar, a media specialist at the Central European University’s Democracy Institute in Budapest. According to Bognar, Hungary’s current public service media delivers “disinformation” and “a lot of Russian propaganda.”

Magyar’s electoral success suggests Hungarian voters have grown weary of this system. The incoming leader has promised his government will “immediately seize the operations of the news segment of the public service media” until they can establish proper public broadcasting where “the free flow of information is possible,” according to his Tisza party’s campaign manifesto.

This pledge comes amid deep-seated public mistrust in Hungarian media. The 2025 Digital News Report by Oxford University’s Reuters Institute found that only 22 percent of Hungarians trust news most of the time – one of the lowest levels among countries surveyed.

“Journalism, journalists are not trusted, journalism in general is not trusted,” Bognar notes. “It will be extremely important for the new government to start mending this social fabric that’s been so torn apart.”

However, some media experts express concerns about Magyar’s approach. Bognar points out that while the narrative may change, the underlying structures could remain problematic if not properly reformed. “We don’t know if this will be the case or if there’s a chance that public service media and the media in general would just serve a different government,” she cautions.

These concerns stem partly from Magyar’s own history of criticizing independent outlets. “Magyar has been highly critical of independent outlets and made some quite problematic remarks when it came to independent media and independent journalists, calling them propagandists when they criticized him,” Bognar says.

The Orban government’s influence over Hungarian media evolved systematically over the years. According to media analysts, the administration first deployed legal mechanisms to gain control, then leveraged economic means such as state advertising to reward friendly outlets while weakening critical voices. This strategy culminated in the acquisition of independent media organizations and the formation of the pro-government KESMA conglomerate, which brought numerous outlets under centralized control.

Magyar’s media reform pledges form part of a broader initiative to reset Hungary’s troubled relationship with the European Union. Under Orban’s leadership, the EU suspended billions of euros in funding, citing democratic backsliding. Hungary currently risks losing approximately €10 billion in pandemic recovery funds if it fails to implement reforms strengthening judicial independence and tackling corruption by the end of August.

In a phone call with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Monday, Magyar committed to restoring Hungary’s democratic institutions, including protecting media freedom and academic independence, according to Politico. The incoming prime minister announced Wednesday that his new cabinet could be sworn in by mid-May.

The transformation of Hungary’s media landscape represents more than just a policy change – it marks a potential turning point for a nation where information flow has become deeply politicized. As Hungary prepares for new leadership, the international community and Hungarian citizens alike are watching closely to see whether Magyar’s promises of media reform will translate into genuine structural changes or merely shift control from one political force to another.