ABSTRACT
UNESCO’s Information for All Programme (IFAP) represents a platform for equitable access to information among all stakeholders in knowledge societies. The participatory processes of community radio embrace all six IFAP’s priority areas (i.e., information for development, information literacy, information preservation, information ethics, information accessibility, and multilingualism). As South Asia nations went under lockdowns, forced to close their borders, and impose quarantines, community radio stations were on-air supporting their listeners. This chapter analyzes how the mixed media models combining the internet with terrestrial broadcasting used by community radio stations contributed to community awareness, community preparedness, and community participation to combat the pandemic in South Asia. Through an analysis of online conversations and data about community radio stations’ work, the chapter explains how community radio emerged as a credible and vital link for those at the grassroots and margins during the pandemic. The chapter suggests that given the community connect exhibited by community radio stations in the wake of the pandemic and their relevance in addressing the digital divide, they must be integrated into all national-level mechanisms to build voice infrastructures that offer not only more democratic access to knowledge but also greater control to communities over information technologies.
