On Saturday, a massive crowd of tens of thousands gathered in front of the public media headquarters on Kunigunda Road to protest against government propaganda and to demand the restoration of the media’s independence. Organized by the TISZA Party, the large-scale demonstration featured speeches from the party’s leader, Péter Magyar, along with several opposition politicians, public figures, and civil activists, including Ákos Hadházy, Balázs Nagy Navarro, Zoltán Tarr, Zsuzsa Incze, and András Nagy Bandó. The demonstrators stood united for the reform of the public media and the restoration of truthful reporting while sharply criticizing the government’s propaganda machine and its operations.

During the protest, Ákos Hadházy emphasized that the building of the state television is one of the most crucial strongholds of power, and real change cannot be achieved until the public media returns to independent and impartial operations. According to Hadházy, the current state of the public media poses a serious threat to democracy, as the machinery of government propaganda not only distorts reality but also prevents people from accessing reliable information.

Balázs Nagy Navarro, a former employee of MTV, recalled the years when he himself protested against the manipulations within the public media and tried to raise awareness of these issues through a hunger strike. “Let’s give back the television and the radio to the people!” said Nagy Navarro, who believes that the current leadership of the public media serves not the citizens but the power interests. In his speech, he pointed out that the public media has completely lost its credibility and now operates solely as a mouthpiece of the government.

Zoltán Tarr, the TISZA Party’s representative in the European Parliament, also sharply criticized the public media, which he claimed serves not only the government but also foreign interests—such as Russian and Chinese propaganda. “Enough of the government selling off our country and betraying the most glorious moments of Hungarian history!” said Tarr, who was supported by the crowd with loud chants of “Enough!”

Zsuzsa Incze, former editor of the Csellengők (Wanderers) program, highlighted the public media’s lack of social responsibility, stating that it no longer deals with the issues of struggling families and missing children. “The public media should address these topics, not just disappearances, but the lives of families,” said Incze, who believes that the public television has completely abandoned its original mission and now only conveys the narrative of those in power.

Humorist András Nagy Bandó also took the stage to point out the bias of the public media, which, instead of real investigative journalism, produces content that serves the interests of those in power. In his speech, he criticized the public media journalists, who, in his opinion, do not perform real investigative work but simply echo the government’s narrative.

At the end of the protest, Péter Magyar sent a symbolic “surprise” to Papp Dániel, CEO of MTVA, and his colleagues. The demonstrators covered the public media building in national-colored confetti, signaling that the public media should serve the entire nation, not act as a tool of power manipulation. The event concluded with the participants forming a human chain around the headquarters, and then, led by opera singer Andrea Rost, they sang the traditional Hungarian folk song “Tavaszi szél vizet áraszt” (Spring Wind Brings Water).

The demonstration sent a powerful message: Péter Magyar, the TISZA Party, and the cooperating civilians and politicians will not give up the fight for truthful reporting and the independence of the public media. The participants demonstrated that they have broad support and unity behind them and are ready to continue the struggle against government manipulation and propaganda.

In his speeches, Péter Magyar emphasized that the current operation of the public media undermines the foundations of democracy, as it serves only the government’s interests while silencing or misrepresenting opposition opinions. He pointed out that public media outlets do not fulfill their fundamental role, as they do not provide balanced and credible information to Hungarian citizens. The goal of the demonstration was to draw attention to the harmful functioning of the public media and government propaganda and to demand the restoration of the independence of public television and radio.

During the event, Péter Magyar attempted to enter the state television building to read the TISZA Party’s 16-point list of demands live on air, which includes reforming the public media, restoring independent news editing, and stopping government propaganda. However, MTVA employee Gábor Simon informed him that he had no right to enter the building. The public media once again refused to provide a platform for opposition views, thus proving that it serves power interests and not the information needs of the Hungarian people.

“How is it possible that opposition leaders have not been allowed into the taxpayer-funded public media for over 210 days, while Viktor Orbán has his own special program every Friday?” asked Péter Magyar. According to the TISZA Party leader, the role of the public media today is nothing more than spreading government propaganda and distorting reality while concealing issues that affect the everyday lives of Hungarian people, such as the economic crisis, the deterioration of the healthcare system, or the declining quality of public services.

The rally was a clear signal that the fight against government propaganda and for free and independent media will continue. The participants proved that they are determined to achieve change and will not stop until the public media fulfills its original mission—to provide impartial and objective information for all Hungarian citizens.

Magyar News Online