World Radio Day 2022: It’s About Trust

February 13 is World Radio Day, which celebrates the radio as a way of edifying people, providing information, and promoting freedom of expression across cultures. It is also a day to remember the exceptional power of radio which touches lives and brings people together from every corner of the globe.

This year the theme of this day is “Radio and Trust”. This theme is focused on trust in radio journalism, accessibility, and viability of radio stations.

The aim of observing World Radio Day is to blow out awareness among the public and the media to escalate the importance of radio. It also encourages decision-makers to establish and provide access to information through radio, boost networking and generate a sort of international cooperation among the broadcasters.

Radio remains inexpensive and can be listened to everywhere, even when electricity or connectivity is not reliable. The radio is one of the most popular ways to exchange information, provide social interchange, and educate people all over the world. It has been used to help people, including youth, to engage in discussions on topics that affect them. It can save lives during natural or human-made disasters, and it gives journalists a platform to report facts and tell their stories. The first World Radio Day was officially celebrated in 2012.

In a post shared to mark the occasion, the United Nations noted the significant role that radio played during the Covid-19 pandemic. The medium made it possible to “ensure continuity of learning, to fight against misinformation, and to promote barrier gestures,” the organization wrote.

Radio stations were encouraged to create broadcasts providing a platform for dialogue and democratic debate over issues, such as migration or violence against women, helping to raise awareness among listeners and inspire understanding for new perspectives in paving the way for positive action.

Radio is an influential medium for commending humanity in all its diversity. For indigenous peoples in many countries, radio is the most accessible platform to have their say in the languages that they speak and understand. Radio, therefore, is an essential means of communication for indigenous peoples to maintain their languages and to exercise and defend their rights.