Hungary's Tisza Party Moves to Restore Independence in Public Media
Overview of the Tisza Party's Public Media Reform Legislation
BUDAPEST, June 12 (Reuters) - 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 Orban.
Public media reform was a key pledge by Prime Minister Peter Magyar's Tisza party, which ousted Orban in an April election landslide. A constitutional majority will enable Tisza to roll back Orban's reforms critics say have harmed democracy.
Key Details from the Legislation
Following are key details from the legislation:
Main Goals of the Overhaul
* The main goal of the overhaul is to restore independent, transparent and accountable public-service broadcasting.
Structural Changes to Public Media
* The bill would restructure MTVA, a holding currently operating public media, splitting it into a company in charge of radio and television broadcasting and reinstate a MTI as a standalone national news agency.
Establishment of Oversight Committees
Independent Public Media Committee
* The bill 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.
Public Media Council
* A Public Media Council would monitor the principles of public service based on a Public Service Charter.
Reform of the Media Council
* The bill would also reform the Media Council, a body of the National Media and Infocommunications Authority, to ensure its makeup is more balanced and decisions are more transparent, while introducing stricter rules on conflict of interest.
Leadership Changes and Interim Management
* The reforms would terminate the mandates of current public media leaders, putting Culture Minister Zoltan Tarr in charge of public media for an interim period, while new public media leaders are chosen in an open application process.
(Reporting by Gergely Szakacs; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)
