• by Joe Mandese  @mp_joemandese, March 29, 2022

A new report backed by Dentsu and published by the Responsible Media Forum (RMF) seeks to define the most pressing issues facing the media industry as its most "material" ones. Not surprisingly, it focuses on things like climate change, COVID-19 and various diversity, inclusion and equity initiatives.

"The report aims to support media companies, ensuring their focus is aligned with the expectations and needs of their customers, employees and investors," says a Dentsu spokesperson, adding, "Climate change has risen to the top of the agenda for the media sector, joining responsible content, diversity, equity and inclusion and data privacy and cybersecurity as the top five issues facing the sector."

She noted that Dentsu has been a long supporter of the RMF, an alliance of 26 major media companies -- primarily European ones -- founded in 2003 and helped produce the report, including its definition of materiality.

"Since 2004, the [RMF] has regularly identified the material issues to the media sector," the report explains, adding, "We decided the time was right to update that assessment, following the societal impacts of COVID-19 as well as increased focus on climate change and diversity, equity, and inclusion among many other sustainability issues. Please see below a summary of our insights on materiality to date.