Radio and misinformation

The Ryerson Journalism Research Centre (RJRC) is working on a new project with visiting researcher and senior counsel for Enterprise Canada, Supriya Dwivedi.

The project is focusing on misinformation that is spread on radio shows in English Canada, with highlighting Bill M103 (external link) , the UN Global compact on migration (external link)  and the Yellow Vest Movement (external link) .

According to Dwivedi, the original plan for the research project was to create a short radio documentary in which other clips from radio shows could be played, but the project now is unfolding in the direction of an academic paper.

“Talk radio clips are not easy to come by on their own sites,” Dwivedi said. “If you’ve ever been on a talk radio site looking for a particular date or a particular segment, you have to physically scroll back and scroll through every single clip that is posted.”

Some other issues Dwivedi found with searching radio shows is that not every show is posted in full.

“If there’s a guest host for the show, it won’t get posted at all, online.” She said, “I’ve started to notice...that in and around Christmas and in and around the summer months, it’s like talk radio musical chairs.”

The project will be focusing on Bell Media and Corus Entertainment’s radio stations in major cities across the country, with the tentative deadline being the end of the year.

Dwivedi said this project started forming when associate professor Janice Neil reached out to her after seeing a story about the threats Dwivedi  while working at Global News Radio.

“I was used to getting really shitty hate mail, that was either racist or misogynistic and directed towards me, or even my husband would get it at times.” Dwivedi said, “But there was a perceptible shift in mid summer of 2020, where my infant daughter started to get things directed towards her.”

After leaving her four-year position at Global News Radio, Dwivedi moved to Enterprise Canada as senior counsel for communications issues. 

What Dwivedi said was the most eye-opening part about speaking on the hate she was receiving was the response from other women in the industry.

“I just had so many messages from women, young and old...and they all sort of had the same underlying theme.” Dwivedi said, “And if it was—if the message of support was coming from a Black, Indigenous or another woman of colour, then it was like that times a gajillion.”

Despite only starting at Enterprise mid-March of this year, they’ve supported Dwivedi and this project.

“They know how important this is to me, so I’ve been quite lucky in that respect.”

What Dwievdi hopes to achieve from this project is for radio stations to think a bit more carefully about what they broadcast to the public.

“Think twice about letting misinformation on your airwaves because there are very real impacts,” She said. “You’re not just asking questions if you’re moving into conspiracy theory adjacent territory, and the implications are only for minority populations that are disconnected from you.”

You can find Dwivedi’s Twitter here (external link) .