Peter Magyar has won an election victory in Hungary, ousting Prime Minister Viktor Orban. Staff at MTI called for the restoration of editorial autonomy following the election of Magyar.

• Staff at Hungary’s state news agency MTI have demanded the immediate restoration of editorial independence, citing political interference.
• The move follows the election of Peter Magyar, who defeated Viktor Orban and pledged reforms to state-run media.
• More than 90 staff signed a letter calling for impartial reporting, amid claims that coverage under Orban required approval on politically sensitive topics.

Hungarian national news agency staff demanded the restoration of “editorial autonomy,” in a letter seen by AFP on Thursday, with one editor saying they “had had enough of unlawful, external political interference”.

Prime minister-elect Peter Magyar, who defeated long-time nationalist leader Viktor Orban in a weekend election, has promised to suspend news coverage by state-run outlets accused of serving Orban.

“We demand that the Hungarian news agency’s independent, impartial and professionally based news service be restored immediately,” read the MTI staff letter, addressed to managers on Wednesday.

“Our goal is to restore the editorial autonomy of the national news agency: we want to be the ones to decide which events to cover and to determine the structure of our reports based on our own professional principles,” it added.

Leaked emails seen by AFP show that MTI was tightly controlled. News items related to Orban’s flagship policies or his foreign allies required special approval from top editors.

READ | Orban concedes defeat to Magyar after 16-year rule in Hungary

The letter was signed by over 90 staff, “almost everyone from MTI”, according to one editor, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to talk to the press.

“We’ve had enough of unlawful, external political interference, and we want to do our work freely, in accordance with the law, and keep the entire Hungarian public informed,” he told AFP.

“The censorship here was like that of a totalitarian dictatorship. Enough is enough,” he added.

Anita Altorjai, head of the public broadcaster overseeing MTI, asked for the staff’s “patience”.

In an email, also seen by AFP, she asked staff to continue their “duties in accordance with the relevant laws and regulations” until the transfer of government is complete.

MTI, founded in 1880, is one of the oldest news agencies in the world. It merged with other state-run outlets in 2015 under Orban.

Under Orban’s 16-year rule, many independent media outlets closed, while others were bought by his business allies and turned into pro-ruling party organs.

Hungary ranks among the lowest in the EU on Reporters Without Borders’ (RSF) annual press freedom index.