Hungary’s ruling Tisza party submitted legislation on Friday to overhaul public media, which critics at home and abroad say became a government mouthpiece under former right-wing leader Viktor Orbán.
Public media reform was a key pledge by Prime Minister Peter Magyar’s Tisza party, which ousted Orbán in an April election landslide. A constitutional majority will enable Tisza to roll back Orbán’s reforms critics say have harmed democracy.
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The central stated aim of the proposed legislation is to restore independent, transparent and accountable public-service broadcasting.
Another key element is the restructuring of MTVA, a holding currently operating public media, splitting it into a company in charge of radio and television broadcasting and reinstate national news agency MTI as a standalone entity.
The bill also establishes the Independent Public Media Committee in charge of protecting the independence of public media, overseeing its operations and finances and taking part in the selection of its leadership.
The Committee would be run on a parity basis, with equal representation for the government and the opposition as well as independent media sector representatives.
In addition, a Public Media Council would monitor the principles of public service based on a Public Service Charter.
The bill would also reform the Media Council, a body of the National Media and the Info-communications Authority, to ensure its makeup is more balanced and decisions more transparent, while introducing stricter rules on conflict of interest.
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