President of the Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, has charged media professionals on professionalism and high ethical standard in the discharge of their duties as watchdog of society. He gave the charge in Abeokuta during a three-day training sponsored by the pan-African conglomerate, for journalists from across the South-west geo-political zone in the country.
Represented by the Senior General Manager, Branding and Communication, Dangote Industries Limited, Mr. Sunday Esan, Dangote said the role of the journalists is very critical in the society as both the governed and the government rely solely on the media for information to better the society.
He said media professionals could not afford to be less professional and unethical towards meeting the yearnings of the society, which was the reason for sponsoring the training aimed at finetuning the journalists for modern day expectation in view of the evolution of the social media.
Meanwhile, a case has been made for journalists of today to cultivate entrepreneurial spirit and skills in the use of new technology in order to remain relevant in the media and communication. The media practitioners were told to always look at the business side of the practice while discharging their duties.
Speaking during the training themed “The Convergence Journalism” organised by Folio Media & Creative Academy, the resource persons said that although the ethics of the profession of journalism remain sacrosanct, the practitioners must not lose sight of the marketing side of their job.
Dr. Victor Ogwezzy, a Communication and Brand Management expert, said marketing in the media is everybody’s business without which no media organisation would survive.