Talkback radio is one of the "most sinister" avenues for inciting racial disharmony, says former race relations conciliator Rajen Prasad.
He told a Wellington conference on migration that inciting racial disharmony through "harassment" in the media was one of the most commonly reported areas of complaint received by his office while he was conciliator.
Professor Prasad is an associate professor at Massey University's School of Social and Cultural Studies in Albany.
He said that after monitoring talkback radio, he had concluded it was "one of the most sinister" platforms for racial disharmony because it gave licence to hosts and callers to air racist views - however subtle - under the guise of freedom of speech.
But, he said, the question of where freedom of speech ended and citizens' responsibility began needed to be addressed. Other areas of complaint included:
* Racial harassment of migrants and refugees in their communities - such as name-calling, harassment in the street and the general attitude of their host communities.
* Trouble in getting jobs.
* Getting goods and services that most New Zealanders took for granted.
- NZPA
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