Radio and Peace
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.”[1]
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.
Radio in Conflict Prevention and Peacebuilding
Radio is an important player and an essential part of maintenance and transition to peace. It is part of its agenda-setting function and provision of essential services to bring forward issues of concern, feature matters that deem attention from authorities and citizens, and give them salience.
Professional radio addresses both the root causes and triggers of conflict before they potentially explode into violence through specific radio programming and editorial choices. Issue-based programmes, for example, help cast a light on societal inadequacies, structural imbalances, poverty, resource or land disputes, corruption, arms racing, etc., reporting on and exploring options for underlying factors of conflict with journalistic standards. Radio’s editorial content may also raise alert to potential triggers of hostilities, such as miscalculations, growing propaganda, upsurge of specific controversies, escalation of tensions in certain zones, etc. It offers an alternative methodology of conflict prevention by clarifying frustrations or clashes of interest, clearing misunderstandings, identifying issues of distrust … This can help counter hate, the desire for revenge or the will to take up arms.
It is not radio flash reporting that contributes to conflict prevention and peacebuilding but radio professionals’ accountability to citizens, fact-checking, accuracy, balanced reporting and journalistic investigation behind each broadcast news and programmes. The freedom from commercial, ideological, or political influence enhances radio as a vector of peace. Furthermore, radio programmers’ varied collaborative techniques also reinforce a culture of dialogue by means of participatory programmes and formats such as calls-in, talk shows, listeners’ fora, etc. and so give opportunities to discuss latent issues democratically, on air, including disagreements.
Professional independent radio thus strengthens democracy and provides the foundation for sustainable peace. It should therefore more often be included in conflict prevention and peacebuilding strategies and be decisively a focus of media assistance.
Support to Independent Radio
It falls from the history of services rendered by radio to society that increasing its journalistic standards and capacity should be considered as an investment in peace. Support can be provided in various ways: through emergency funding or structural assistance to radio as a sector, promoting adequate legislation and regulation, fostering radio pluralism and diversity, safeguarding their independence, facilitating affordable taxes or overall financial viability, and so forth.
Otherwise, the risk is that radio advertently or inadvertently play into the dynamics of conflict due to fragile editorial policy, loyalty to certain leadership or ownership, censorship, surveillance, self-censorship, anti-terror laws, organized crime ...
Increasing support to independent radio should happen in recognition of their importance for peace – and should happen now.
[1] Constitution of UNESCO. Adopted in London on 16 November 1945
