Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty said it is shutting down it’s Hungarian service on Friday, weeks after Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban visited President Donald Trump at the White House for a summit. Photo by Aaron Schwartz/UPI | License Photo
Five years after it was relaunched, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty is shutting down its Hungarian service.
The U.S.-funded independent news service, called Szabad Europa, announced on Friday that it is immediately shutting down.
“We are deeply grateful for the trust, engagement and support our readers have shown us,” the service said in a statement.
RFE/RL’s Hungarian service originally ran from 1950 through 1993, but was relaunched in 2000 by an act of Congress in an effort to offer Hungarians an accurate, independent source of information.
Szabad Europa was part of RFE/RL’s nonprofit, multimedia broadcasting services that reach 23 countries, offering people in those countries uncensored local and regional news, as well as analysis and debate.
In March, President Donald Trump issued an executive order defunding RFE/RL and six other agencies that are overseen by the United States Agency for Global Media but a judge ruled that the administration could not just shut down services that Congress has appropriated funds for.
Trump’s argument at the time was that RFE/RL was “unnecessary” and aimed to reduce their functions to the minimum permitted by law.
Known historically for broadcasting into Russia and eastern Europe during the Cold War, and is often given credit for helping to end it.
The administration informed Congress on Nov. 5 that it would be shutting down the service, days before Hungarian President Viktor Orban visited Trump at the White House for a summit.
Over the course of his presidency, Orban has worked to bolster friendly media and cracked down on outlets that he sees as being critical to his rule.
RFE/RL president and chief executive thanked the work of the Hungarian service’s journalists and staff and their “unwavering contribution to our mission.”
“We are grateful for the audience’s attention and support from the first day of our new operation, and were honored to provide them with unique and original stories,” said Tibor Vovesz, the now former head of Szabad Europa.
The service’s content is expected to remain available online.
This week in Washington
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks during the press briefing in the James S. Brady Briefing Room at the White House on Thursday. Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo
