WWI Centenary survey explores contemporary attitudes to personal sacrifice

On the eve of the World War I centenary, European public service radio audiences are to be confronted by a series of challenging questions regarding their attitudes towards the ultimate human sacrifice.

A questionnaire initiated by Radio France in collaboration with German Public Radio and financially supported by the EURORADIO Development Fund, explores a series of questions around the topic, what would you die for today?

Responses will be pooled and translated for EBU Active and Associate Members; in addition to Radio France, nine broadcasters are participating, including: BBC (United Kingdom), RTBF (Belgium), Radio Canada, Deutschlandradio ARD (Germany), Polskie Radio (Poland), Radio Romania (Romania), RTS (Switzerland), RTS (Senegal), Voice of Russia (Russia). More Members are welcome to join.

Participants will then interpret the results and produce programmes for their respective audiences, fulfilling an important aspect of their public service mission, said head of EURORADIO Christian Vogg.

The results of the study will be presented at the beginning of June 2014 at a conference organized by Radio France. President Jean-Luc Hees says the survey will help Europeans find fresh perspective on a conflict which continues to define todays geopolitical era, even as it fades from living memory.

We cannot prepare to commemorate the centenary of the start of World War I without reflecting on a certain number of questions," said Mr Hees."What would we risk our lives for? Our family, our political beliefs, or our country? What are our common values at the dawn of a new century?

General Director of Deutschlandradio, Willi Steul added: What have we learned from the horror at Verdun, when entire university classes marched off to war with flowers in their rifle barrels, expressly prepared to sacrifice their lives?

In support of Member activities, the EBU is offering a portfolio of thematically-linked projects, supporting a range of high impact co-productions across genres and platforms, connecting broadcasters, and providing facilities for the exchange of archival material. This portal will serve as a hub cataloguing commemorative projects.

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LINK:	http://www3.ebu.ch/cms/en/sites/ebu/contents/news/2013/12/wwi-centenar...
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