Content by Anthony Dockrill

One of the major themes I have been writing about for RadioInfo has been trust. It’s an all too rare quality radio currently possesses. It’s not just an ace up the industry’s sleeve when dealing with competition and disruption but it’s also a responsibility the industry has to our listeners.

The Community Broadcasting Association of Australia (CBAA) working on behalf of the community radio sector recently updated their codes of practice and one change struck me as an important addition and one the Commercial sector should be taking note of;

5.1 f) exercise special care when reporting on contentious or controversial matters where facts may be contested and not settled and avoid the amplification of misinformation and disinformation;

Misinformation is verifiably false, misleading, or deceptive information that has the potential to cause serious harm to the community and/or individuals, including disinformation, which is misinformation created and/or broadcast with malicious intent.

The new section on News and Journalist Content recognises that Community Radio has always trod a slightly different path to public and commercial radio but with the addition of the above ensures that the rabbit holes, silos and extremism that now fill up much of the conversations online and some of our more tabloid media do not find footholds on air.

It won’t be news to anyone for me to say we are now living in a more contested and confrontational world. Simple matters of science are being co-opted into culture wars and being used as weapons of debate.

Radio is trusted because it has long played the role of being a medium of communication that has provided tight editorial standards to the messages we choose to broadcast. It’s not a matter of censorship but of curation and taking seriously the quality of the information we pass onto our listeners. At no time has this job been under more serious and sustained attack. The Community sector has confronted this problem and I would argue has made progress by being direct and clear about the nature of problem and what is on the line.

During the pandemic Sky News, on various programs, but on Alan Jones‘ program in particular, led a toxic debate about covid and vaccines. Craig Kelly was put forward as an expert when his background was one of low end retail politician and before his political career he imported furniture. It has to be said the material Sky put to air received a substantial and vocal push back such that Jones ultimately lost his show and Kelly lost his platform to push his theories. While many at the time who supported Jones and Kelly saw this matter through the prism of diversity of views, if you value experts and public health the content put to air clearly fell into the above definition of disinformation. Many would agree with this as did many inside News Corp that lead a mini revolt against what was happening on Sky. Regardless I won’t be taking health advice from Sky anytime soon.

What are the lessons here apart from once trust is lost you can’t get it back?

If radio wants to hold onto it’s position of trust it needs to ensure editorial angles and audience engagement don’t take the places of long standing practice. The lines between opinion, news and facts need maintained.

It’s true when you speak to the people in the community there is always a range of views on issues and some of these views may be in conflict with editorial decisions that need to be taken. The point to take away from this is that trust is built not by echoing your audience but by being straight with them.

This means doing what is right and not what is easy. Long standing standards need to be protected and buttressed against attack and erosion. Basic facts and long standing science shouldn’t be replaced because it lost the battle to make better memes. To do so would not just be to give into the noisiest voices but to invite in what we are now seeing play out in America, where the most prosperous nation on the planet may soon be seeing the return of Polio.

The clear difference in editorial standards you hear when you compare radio to podcasting should be embraced. The higher standards of broadcasting should not be seen as a barrier or a cost to making great content – it’s a point of difference and it ensures trust is maintained.

Not everything can or should happen in someone’s bedroom. Radio is a profession and we all need to, from time to time, remind ourselves of that fact.

The Community Sector just did.

Anthony Dockrill is a Digital Producer at Pod Jam and the former Program Director of 2SER FM Sydney.