Proclaimed in 2011 by the Member States of UNESCO, and
adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 2012 as an International Day,
February 13 became World Radio Day (WRD).
Radio is a powerful medium for celebrating humanity in
all its diversity and constitutes a platform for democratic discourse. 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.
World Radio Day 2023
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.
Bruno Pecolatto-AIR130 tratto da https://www.unesco.org/en/days/world-radio?hub=66636
