Broadcasting and the forging of History a case-study

The marathon event, in which the Greek soldier Pheidippides run 42.195 kilometers (26 miles and 385 yards), to announce to the people of Athens the victory of its army at the Battle of Marathon, shows how important the transfer of information is to History. Throughout modern-time history, radio has been the conveyor of important information at critical moments. As mentioned by Boyd “It was an intriguing idea to some governments, pressure groups, political enthusiasts, and revolutionary organizations in the mid-20^th century that well crafted radio broadcasts directed to supporters and opposers alike might play a major role in successfully promoting a particular cause to achieve a specific goal”. In the case of the struggle of the Jewish people for a homeland during the first half of the 20th century, Broadcasting served as an important tool, both to provide information on worldwide developments and to spread the news about activities of different clandestine militant groups. The high percentage of ownership of short-wave receivers in Palestine during WWII enabled the Jewish non-official organizations to prepare the residents towards the Declaration of Independence. This paper will discuss in general, the impact of Broadcasting on Historical developments in the 20th century with a specific case-study of Broadcasting stations in Palestine, towards the establishment of the State of Israel and its Broadcasting Authorities.