Radio's neglected moral responsibility

When training radio professionals, I always ask them what they see is their role as broadcasters. When they reply with the stock phrase "to inform and entertain" (they even have a phrase for it: 'delivering infotainment'), they seem a little surprised, even hurt, when I reply that they then have no aspiration, and that they're not being very professional or intelligent.

'Delivering infotainment'

In 1994, while we were celebrating a peaceful transition to democracy, Rwanda was in the midst of one of the most horrific episodes of genocide in human history, driven to a large degree by the very same people who hide behind the veneer of 'delivering infotainment'. That's right - it is a well-documented fact that, prior to and during the genocide, radio stations in Rwanda were fuelling ethnic hatred and encouraging the massacre of Tutsis by Hutus.

Sure, most radio professionals today will claim that their regular offerings of schmaltz-pop, showbiz news and lists of 10 Things You Wouldn't Like to Hear from the Lips of Your Granny are a far cry from the racial savagery of the radio broadcasts of Rwanda in 1994. But they're missing the point: broadcasters have a moral responsibility towards their listeners.

This responsibility is multi-fold: not only to provide information and entertainment; but also to provide balanced perspective and, critically, to expand the opinion base of the audience. In the process, radio presenters have to inspire, motivate, frustrate, incentivise, and, importantly, challenge their audience; and at no time is it more important than now.

Remained largely in the wings

It was as I was explaining this during a recent session with a team of presenters that the penny dropped. They asked me if radio stations back in South Africa were all that concerned. They had realised that while the printed press has made a lot of noise around the media appeals tribunal and the so-called Secrecy Bill, radio professionals seemed to have remained largely in the wings, assumedly protected by this invisibility cloak called 'infotainment', thinking that the threatened crackdown on the media won't really affect them. They'd forgotten their moral responsibility.

The reality is that anyone with the capacity to address an audience has to do so responsibly. This is not just for anyone standing up delivering a speech, such as a politician. It's also just as important for anyone in a position of authority, such as a manager or union representative; and especially the case for those with the capacity to use their authority within a position of trust to dramatically influence others. Such people include teachers and religious leaders... and radio presenters.

That's right. Radio presenters often forget that they hold a rather unique position within our social fabric. They are entrusted with the authority to disseminate opinion to tens, often hundreds of thousands of people. They shape peoples' understanding of the world around them; and as such they are often held in high regard.

And that's where the problem comes in.

Lose perspective

Many radio presenters are so blinded by the illusion of their own brilliance that they lose perspective. They forget that people look to them for guidance, leadership and valued judgement; and they spew forth commentary that embeds inelastic misperceptions.

In brief, they can perpetuate binary thinking: it's right if it's this, and it's wrong if it isn't. It's like saying you're good if you're Hutu, but bad if you're Tutsi.

Some could argue that radio's always been that way; and they would be correct. But that was a time when a radio presenter's rhetoric would simply stop at the listener, or, at most, be shared at the water-cooler.

We're in a time now where people can rapidly re-disseminate broadcast opinion through social networking, spreading that same rhetoric beyond a presenter's broadcast footprint. In the process, however, it can lose perspective - there's only so much one can say in 140 characters; and, to make matters worse, as I always say to presenters: listeners don't... listen, that is.

Use time for introspection

I hope that the ongoing political machinations around the media have not been lost on radio professionals. They should use this time for a little introspection, and ask themselves if they really are ready for this rapidly changing media landscape.

Now, more than ever, presenters have to be equipped with the capacity to provide balanced opinion, and to encourage people to hold and engage multiple perspectives. This is not just the presenters' moral responsibility; it's what's called 'professional, intelligent radio'.

The question is: is the current corps of radio presenters really qualified for the job?