World Radio Day 2022 – Radio and Trust
February 13 is World Radio Day (WRD)
Eugen Cojocariu, 11.02.2022, 16:24
According to UNESCO, “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 societys 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 various international reports. The theme of the 2022 edition of World Radio Day is therefore devoted to “Radio and Trust”.
According to an EBU study conducted in September 2021, radio is the most reliable mass medium in Europe, ranking first in 65% of the countries surveyed. 58% of Europes population trusts the radio, which is the medium in which the difference between those who do and those who do not trust it (the net trust index) is +23. In contrast, the index is +9 for the print media, +6 for television, and -19 for the Internet and -49 for social media.
Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of the UNESCO, said on World Radio Day that we are celebrating the independence and reliability of radio. We turn to radio, more than any other medium, when we need to be informed, as radio is the only medium that can reach everywhere, especially in the remotest of areas. During a pandemic, radio thus remains one of the safest ways to know what to do, without confusing controversies. “Radio is often the medium through which learning continues when schools are closed”, Azoulay said, concluding: “A medium over 100 years old, radio is today more relevant than ever. May it live on for many more years to come!” (tr. M.I.)
