Veterans reflect on radio’s past, present and future at the UN – Global Affairs

To mark UN radio’s 1946 birthday, we reached out to two veteran broadcasters and journalists, who recently retired from UN News.

Elena Vapnitchnaia is our Russia Unit Commander, and Jerome Longue, our former French Unit Commander – both served for many years at United Nations Radio and later with News Section. ie United Nations.

About this World Radio DayWe asked them to share some memories related to their work in radio and their views on the prospects and strength of radio in general, to help fight the misinformation pandemic. , in the Internet age.

A look at history

Since the first official broadcast of UN Radio on 13 February 1946, programs have been broadcast in the organization’s five original official languages: English, French, Chinese, Russian and Spanish – then Arabic.

By 1950, United Nations Radio was broadcasting in 33 languages, and in 1980 UN peacekeeping missions began launching their own radio stations.

Our language networks provide a daily 15-minute program of news, interviews and features from different groups working at United Nations Headquarters in New York.

The first two decades of this century, saw significant changes in the work of UN Radio: reels and cassettes gave way to digital media, and audio broadcasting became fashionable. enriched and enhanced with multimedia features, bringing together text, audio, photos, video, and other web-based graphics through the explosion of social media.

The United Nations radio services have been transformed into multi-dimensional news outlets that maintain their own websites.

Experts with extensive experience in the field of journalism, wide vision, open to the world, always ready to help each other and share necessary information, have always worked at UN Radio.
Elena Vapnitchnaia

Today, they create digital content and tell multimedia stories and disseminate products, shows — and increasingly podcasts — through multiple platforms, including social media. assembly, not only in the six official languages ​​of the United Nations, but also in Portuguese, Kiswahili and Hindi.

The UN radio services always work side by side, in one arrangement, in the UN Secretariat building in New York. “In the office, our neighbors are journalists of the Russian agency on the one hand, and our Portuguese colleagues on the other. We could always hear them in action, and over time we learned some words in those languages: for example, “Dobroe utro” (‘Good morning!’ In Russian) or “Obrigado” (‘Thank you!’ In Portuguese), recalls Jerome Longue, the former Director of the French Department of News, who worked for United Nations Radio and United Nations News for 30 years.

Elena and Jerome believe that such multiculturalism and cosmology will help when you’re in the news business.

“Experts with extensive experience in the field of journalism, wide vision, open to the world, always ready to help each other and share necessary information, have always worked at UN Radio. I am very happy that I was able to work in such a team,” emphasized former Russian Police Chief Elena Vapnitchnaia.

“For example, with a woman from Kyrgyzstan who attended a conference on the International Day of People with Down Syndrome. She is an activist and the mother of a child with the syndrome, and she also adopted a baby girl with the same syndrome.”

UN radio and other news producers also often accompany the Secretary-General on official trips and on many occasions testify to major world events.

Radio remains the most popular means of communication. It is available when other means of communication are not working. A vivid example of that is the 2010 Haiti earthquake.
Jerome Longue

“We took part in meetings with Colonel Gaddafi, with the presidents of Chad and Sudan, during the reintegration of child soldiers in Sierra Leone, and also covered the signing of agreements. peace, such as the agreement between Ethiopia and Eritrea,” Jerome recalls Longue.

And, of course, every year at the opening of the General Assembly, the heads of state and governments of the United Nations member states come to New York.

For UN News staff, the Senior Week of General Debate offers rich news coverage and is difficult to interview players on the world stage.

Trusted Source

Many pundits, drawing from the hit song of the old 80s, “the video that killed the radio star”, wrongly predicted the end of radio. This has been proven false as millions of people around the world continue to rely heavily and primarily on radio as their primary source of information and education – be it via radio, Internet platforms. or podcasts on a smartphone.

Radio has transformed into a digital avatar, and it has not only retained loyal listeners, but also attracted newer and younger audiences.

“The idea that radio will soon die has been talked about for a long time — ever since television appeared, but I don’t think radio plans to die,” Jerome told us.

“Moreover, radio remains the most common means of communication. It is available when other means of communication are not working. A vivid example of that is the 2010 Haiti earthquake,” he added.

Unparalleled Reach

During the 2015 Nepal earthquake, BBC and other traditional sonar-based radio stations were still functioning well, serving as a vital lifeline for remote communities cut off from the capital. dollars, long before other media formats can be accessed.

He adds that radio is the best way to convey the voices of minorities and individuals – because it doesn’t require investing in any expensive equipment or creating a direct channel of communication. separate line.

Elena believes that radio, unlike television or other media, creates a more intimate connection between listeners and the voices emanating from the radio.

“Unlike television, one usually doesn’t listen to radio and podcasts with the whole family or in a group of friends. The radio is usually turned on in the car, or when going for a walk, or when exercising.” That may be why radio continues to be influential, reliable, enduring, and always accessible.

Radio in the age of disinformation

The importance of radio as a reliable source of information has greatly increased in recent years, with the age of fake/false news spreading rapidly, both on social networks and through the media. other media.

“We must all fight this scourge. And of course, thanks to audio interviews and live on-site broadcasts, radio, as a media channel, provides a wealth of reliable and irrefutable information,” believes Jerome. thought.

Elena adds that UN News follows very strict journalistic standards: objectivity, neutrality, fairness, accuracy and credibility.

These principles, along with the United Nations’ neutral and fair stance, plus equality, have played an important role in the coverage of recent events, especially since the very beginning. pandemic, when fake and unverified information floods social networks and other information platforms. .

News

“In COVID-19 pandemic, we’ve made a lot of our products based on WHO recommendations: these are not just dry numbers and statistics, but recommendations for parents who are self-isolating with their kids on how to stay healthy during quarantine; as well as disseminating information about the first vaccines – especially reassuring information about how they were developed and thoroughly tested.

“We really hope that these publications and works help combat misinformation and are useful to our listeners,” said the former head of the Russian News Agency. “So keep listening to UN News audio productions and broadcasts, across broadcasts, online platforms and podcasts!”