Paper short abstract:

How can media be leveraged to engage those on the margins to participate as active citizens and contribute meaningfully to healthy democracy and the promotion of public good? Conceptualising people-run community radios as platforms for revitalising citizen participation and voice capability, this paper argues for recognising them as a public service supporting democracy and human development.

Paper long abstract:

The author has closely observed and researched India’s community radio (CR) movement for over two decades. She has traced the history of Public Broadcasting in India as it has evolved from patronising and authoritarian colonial control to the post-colonial period. She has argued that even as radio completes 100 years in India, it continues to be governed by two archaic legislations, and no comprehensive policy defines its future vision and pathways. The unique opportunity community radio offers to democratise the mediascape is being hampered as the state swings between autonomy and regulation. The paper argues that refashioning the ‘mainstream’ media into propaganda tools and business ventures has resulted in the ‘Habermasian re-feudalization of the public sphere’. Young audiences especially are increasingly relying on social media platforms for information, contributing to the well-documented diffusion of dis- and misinformation that has been challenging the stability and health of democratic societies. As the mainstream media worldwide and in India seek new revenue models or undertake trust-building endeavours, the fundamental problem remains unresolved: how can media be leveraged to engage those on the margins to participate as active citizens and contribute meaningfully to healthy democracy and the promotion of public good? Conceptualising people-run community radios as platforms for revitalising citizen participation and voice capability, this paper argues for recognising them as a public service supporting democracy and human development.