Radio Channels’ Contribution to the Nation’s Media Landscape
Radio channels’ contribution to the nation’s media landscape
“The unequal economic and political powers of countries, industries, and corporations cause some cultures to spread, others to wither” (UNDP, 2004, 90). According to some analysts (Steven, 2004), the dominant media players control media, control public opinion, exploit propaganda techniques to set political agendas and can shape the opinions of the masses. The term, media domination, refers to the prevailing trend for global information to be a one-way, biased, and “imbalanced” (Thussu, 2006, 160). The opening quote of the United Nations Development Programme’s Human Development Report 2004 adds credence to concerns about massive power imbalance and injustice in the global media landscape. The problem of global media or media that is controlled by just one person or group is that it is a power that can be abused. The timeless quote by Lord Acton “Power does corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely” has led to a principle of fairness and accountability over authority which supports the separation of powers and the rule of law in the majority of the world’s justice systems (Bylund, 2004). However, this most fundamental principal fails to be applied to a force likely to be more powerful, more uncontrolled, than an individual sovereign state’s legal system, the media dominators. Diasporic radio is a phrase used to describe radio, most commonly local, community radio, which is catered for a non-majority group of a given society. In Australia, an example of diasporic media services is those provided by SBS. This group provides both radio and television catered for various linguistic and cultural groups in Australia. SBS is recognized generally as a successful and important component of Australian media, however, in other nations, diasporic media services have not received the same level of support. Diasporic radio services fulfil a role which is largely unappreciated but vital as a mechanism
“The unequal economic and political powers of countries, industries, and corporations cause some cultures to spread, others to wither” (UNDP, 2004, 90). According to some analysts (Steven, 2004), the dominant media players control media, control public opinion, exploit propaganda techniques to set political agendas and can shape the opinions of the masses. The term, media domination, refers to the prevailing trend for global information to be a one-way, biased, and “imbalanced” (Thussu, 2006, 160). The opening quote of the United Nations Development Programme’s Human Development Report 2004 adds credence to concerns about massive power imbalance and injustice in the global media landscape. The problem of global media or media that is controlled by just one person or group is that it is a power that can be abused. The timeless quote by Lord Acton “Power does corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely” has led to a principle of fairness and accountability over authority which supports the separation of powers and the rule of law in the majority of the world’s justice systems (Bylund, 2004). However, this most fundamental principal fails to be applied to a force likely to be more powerful, more uncontrolled, than an individual sovereign state’s legal system, the media dominators. Diasporic radio is a phrase used to describe radio, most commonly local, community radio, which is catered for a non-majority group of a given society. In Australia, an example of diasporic media services is those provided by SBS. This group provides both radio and television catered for various linguistic and cultural groups in Australia. SBS is recognized generally as a successful and important component of Australian media, however, in other nations, diasporic media services have not received the same level of support. Diasporic radio services fulfil a role which is largely unappreciated but vital as a mechanism
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