Hungary's newly elected Prime Minister, Peter Magyar, announced this Wednesday that he will suspend the state broadcaster's news broadcasts.
His statement comes after a fierce clash during a television interview where he accused the media of spreading propaganda and fake news during the election campaign.
Magyar said that the current public media must be reformed and returned to an independent and objective service. According to him, the state media acted as a machine of lies and spread false information about him and his family.
He compared the state broadcaster to North Korean propaganda, adding that not a single word of truth has been said there since 2010. Officials at the broadcaster have denied these accusations.
In an appearance on state-run Kossuth Radio, Magyar said that after he comes to power, steps will be taken to restore media freedom and reform the public broadcasting system.
"Every Hungarian deserves a public media that broadcasts the truth," he said.
Magyar added that it will take time to pass a new media law and create a new regulatory authority. He said that after the formation of the Tisza government, the news services of public media will be temporarily suspended until they regain their public character.
