The amendment to the media law in Hungary abolished the management of public media and opens the way to their complete reconstruction. The impact on independence is supposed to be fundamental.
On Saturday, the term of office of the previous executives of the Hungarian public media came to an end, because on Friday, the amendment to the Media Act, approved on Tuesday, June 23, was published in the Official Gazette. TASR writes about it according to the MTI agency.
- The term of office of the leading Hungarian public media has ended.
- Parliament approved an amendment to the Act on Media Services.
- Successors to the leaders are nominated by the new parliamentary committee and the commissioner.
- The reform establishes new non-profit media companies.
- The goal is to achieve free and independent public media.
The amendment to the Act on Media Services and Mass Communication concerns the chairman of the Media Council Andras Koltay and its other members, the director of the non-profit organization Duna Media Services Anita Altorjaiová and the general director of the Support Fund for Media Services and Asset Management (MTVA) Daniel Papp.
In accordance with the amendment, the standing parliamentary committee for media affairs with the ministerial commissioner responsible for public media, Judit Groszová, will immediately ensure the necessary procedures for the appointment of their successors. Until then, Groszová will oversee the temporary leadership of the public media.
Legislation will change how it works
On Tuesday, 145 MPs voted for the proposal of the Tisza government party, 39 were against and no one abstained. Part of the reform is the reorganization of the structure of the public service media by establishing the Hungarian Radio and Television Non-Profit Company and a separate non-profit company of the press agency MTI.
The Minister of Social Relations and Culture, Zoltán Tarr, after the adoption of the amendment, stated that the goal is a free and independent media that serves the public interest, provides accurate information and is a reliable and apolitical institution and does not serve the current government.
Prime Minister Péter Magyar wrote on Facebook that “after several decades, there will be free and independent public media in Hungary again.” He added that the new legislation will completely change the functioning and supervision of public service media “and, of course, their degree of freedom.”
