A Hungarian public media election office will be set up ahead of the upcoming parliamentary elections to oversee compliance with rules governing political advertising and election-related coverage, Duna Media Service CEO Anita Altorjai announced on Thursday morning.
Altorjai said the temporary body, called the Public Media Election Office (Közmédia Választási Iroda), will be made up of seven members delegated by Hungary’s public media’s two main pillars: the Media Service Support and Asset Management Fund (MTVA) and Duna Media Service. The office will operate until the elections are concluded.
According to Altorjai, the election office’s primary task will be to monitor the airing of political advertisements and campaign-related announcements. It will also supervise how election-related content appears across different programmes, including coverage of candidates, parties running lists, and other actors involved in the electoral process.
Altorjai underlined that Hungary’s election process and the media’s role in it are regulated by law, with public media having specific responsibilities. She added that public broadcasters must also adhere to the provisions of the Public Service Code. At the same time, she noted that these obligations do not eliminate editorial freedom.
‘Public media is working closely with the National Election Office’
The CEO also said public media is working closely with the National Election Office, which will prepare official statements and short informational videos to be broadcast by public media outlets.
Altorjai outlined the allocation of political advertising time, stating that public media will be required to air a total of 600 minutes of political advertising. Of that, 470 minutes will be allocated to political parties, while 130 minutes will be reserved for national minority organizations.
She added that registered political organizations will be able to air campaign advertisements of up to 30 seconds each during prime-time slots, specifically in two-hour windows starting at 6am, 12pm, and 6pm.
Altorjai also recalled that the Public Media Election Office was also established during the previous election cycle, describing the body’s work as based on a well-tested routine.
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