WORLD RADIO DAY

 

Radio is a powerful medium for celebrating humanity in all its diversity and constitutes a platform for democratic discourse. 

World radio day was Proclaimed in 2011 by the Member States of UNESCO and adopted by the United Nations General Assembly (A/RES/67/124) in 2012 as an International Day.

At the global level, radio remains the most widely consumed medium. This unique ability to reach out the widest audience means radio can shape a society's experience of diversity, stand as an arena for all voices to speak out, be represented and heard. Radio stations should serve diverse communities, offering a wide variety of programs, viewpoints and content, and reflect the diversity of audiences in their organizations and operations.

Radio continues to be one of the most trusted and used media in the world, according to different international reports.

 February 13 became World Radio Day (WRD).

The objective of World Radio Day was to raise public awareness of the importance of radio and to encourage decision makers to use it to provide access to information, and to improve international co-operation among broadcasters. And it works. It is one of the most popular UN International Days.

Radio is portable among many modes of communication. They can be used in cars, stores, and other places, which helps to reach the targeted audience. According to researchers, broadcast radio reaches 99% of the Indian population today.

Radio continues to be one of the most trusted and used media in the world, according to different international reports. The theme of the 2022 edition of World Radio Day is thus devoted to "Radio and Trust".

The theme for the 12th edition of the World Radio Day, to be celebrated on 13 February 2023, is "Radio and Peace".

War, as an antonym to peace, signifies an armed conflict between countries or groups within a country, but may also translate into a conflict of media narratives. The narrative can increase tensions or maintain conditions for peace in a given context - for instance weigh in on the rough or smooth conduct of elections, the rejection or integration of returnees, the rise or tempering of nationalistic fervour, etc. In reporting and informing the general public, radio stations shape public opinion and frame a narrative that can influence domestic and international situations and decision-making processes.

Radio can indeed fuel conflict but in reality, professional radio moderates conflict and/or tensions, preventing their escalation or bringing about reconciliation and reconstruction talks. In contexts of distant or immediate tension, relevant programmes and

independent news reporting provide the

foundation for sustainable democracy and good governance by gathering evidence about what is happening, informing citizens about it in impartial and fact-based terms, explaining what is at stake and brokering dialogue among different groups in society.

"... since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defences of peace must be constructed."

That is the reason why support to independent radio has to be viewed as an integral part of peace and stability. On World Radio Day 2023, UNESCO highlights independent radio as a pillar for conflict prevention and peacebuilding.

 By Yvonne Gatwiri Salesio