Media organizations contest selection of new public media oversight board

Six major media professional organizations have issued a joint statement expressing concerns regarding the selection process for the new Independent Public Media Board (FKT), the body responsible for exercising ownership rights over public media.

The organizations, including the Hungarian Association of Publishers (MLE) and the Association of Hungarian Content Providers (MTE), argue that the current procedures do not clearly define the legal status and voting rights of participants during candidate hearings. They contend that the Public Service Council’s interpretation of the Media Act restricts the voting rights of professional organizations to a mere consultative role, which they claim is narrower than what the law intends.

Additionally, the organizations have criticized the criteria used to evaluate candidates. The selection process for the nine-member board—composed of three government appointees, three opposition appointees, and three professional organization nominees—is facing scrutiny over potential political affiliations of candidates and the potential for commercial media representatives to sit on a board overseeing their competitors.