Founder of Penpushing Media, owner of online newspaper and television, Prince Dimeji Kayode-Adedeji has charged media organisations to embrace the institution of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) as part of their operations.
Kayode-Adedeji gave this charge while speaking as a panelist at the 2025 World Communication Day organised by the Catholic Diocese of Abeokuta at the church premises, located in the Isale-Ake area of the ancient town.
The veteran journalist noted that media outlets should not just stop at churning out news, but also look inward to see how they can give back to the society and how to address as well as proffer solutions to the plights of victims being reported.
He said, ‘I have noticed that as journalists, what we do is just to report news and move on and leave the fate and plights of the affected victims to the general public, and thereafter close our eyes.
“I am of the opinion and view that we should not just stop at reportage, but as individual organisations, we should also start thinking of, after the news is reported, we should also look at how can we solve the reported plights and not just leave the victims for the general public to address.
“When we started Penpushing Media, we thought of this, and injected it into our operations, as a policy, and within the last seven years of our operations, we have been effectively addressing the plights of the needy. We have given out scholarships, paid medical bills, among others.”
In his homily on the occasion, the Catholic Bishop of Abeokuta Diocese, Most Reverend Kayode Odetoyinbo, charged media practitioners to be worthy representatives of God.
Odetoyinbo noted that they should equally be mindful of their critical role as propagators of good news and hope to a world grappling with despair, stressing that journalists and communicators have a responsibility to bring hope and positivity to their audience, particularly in a world filled with challenges and uncertainties.
During the event, which had the theme, “Share with gentleness the Hope that Is in Your Hearts’, the cleric stressed the importance of inspiring hope and avoiding aggressive language in communication.
Bishop Odetoyinbo further stressed that journalists and communicators have a responsibility to bring hope and positivity to their audience, particularly in a world filled with challenges and uncertainties.
He encouraged media professionals to rise above temptations and sustain the hope that resides in Christ, guiding what comes from within them with the virtue of truth as they communicate to the outside world.
He emphasised the need for integrity, professionalism, and a commitment to truth-based reporting in the discharge of their duties, as well as engage in humanity-focused media practice, and truth-based news reporting in promoting social development.
Meanwhile, other discussants, including Dr Niran Malaolu, (Chief Executive Officer, Rock City FM Abeokuta), who served as moderator; Stella Sawyer (Head of Public Affairs, Apple and Pears Limited), and Fidelis Moses (Chief Executive Officer FPN Communications), who all faulted the current trend of the advent of social media which has eroded the values of professionalism and ethics in Journalism and media practice.
