MISA Malawi today, February 13, joins the rest of the world in commemorating World Radio Day (WRD) with a call for radio stations to safeguard trust in radio by being independent of external influence and embracing creativity in their programming.
2022 WRD is being celebrated under the theme ‘Radio and Trust’.
February 13 was proclaimed as World Radio Day by UNESCO member states in 2011 and adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 2012 as an International Day to celebrate the importance and crucial role that radio plays in information dissemination.
On this day, the world celebrates radio as a powerful medium for celebrating humanity in all its diversity and constitutes a platform for democratic discourse.
With over 60 operational radio stations and about 71 percent active listenership, radio remains the widely used source of information in Malawi.
At a time digital-inspired misinformation or inaccurate/false information has negatively affected the flow of information, radio remains one of the most accurate and trusted sources of information.
MISA Malawi therefore calls on radio stations to jealously guard and sustain that trust by providing verifiable content to the listener. Radio stations must put in place proper gate-keeping processes and ensure that fact-checking mechanisms are functional.
Whether public or private, national or community, religious or non-religious, radio stations also need to be independent of any political and corporate influence in their programming. Political and corporate leanings in radio programming distract and destroy media practitioners and media outlets. Radio stations must also avoid self-censorship at all cost.
We also urge radio stations to be innovative and utilize modern technology to reach out to a wider and new audience for the expansion of their own audience base and marketing or advertising gains.
MISA Malawi is impressed with pluralism and diversity in the radio industry but we believe local radio stations can do more by being more creative and striving to be unique in both content and presentation.
We wish all radio personalities, radio stations and radio listener a happy World Radio Day.
Contacts
MISA Malawi Chairperson Teresa Ndanga
Cell: +265 999 247 911 or email teresa.temweka@gmail.com
MISA Malawi National Director Aubrey Chikungwa
Cell: +265 999 327 311 or email info@misamalawi.org
