Isn’t expansion seriously necessary?…

Today, it is alleged that many people do not read newspapers for several reasons including the papers risen costs, lack of time as people busily chase opportunities and engage in normal enterprises and professional callings and careers and the expansion of digital as opposed to traditional media spaces.

So when i earlier today got a chance to read through the Daily Nation, I realized that the news and features gem has not yet lost its sparkling shine and appeal.
For instance, my friend Anthony Njagi still holds strongly to his strength in arts and cultural issues news and analysis. His today feature article on the ongoing Schools’ Drama & Musical festivals ongoing at the Kibabi University in Bungoma captivated me and made me feel like I was at the event over the weekend..

While the various interesting local and international news captured my attention for some minutes, one international news item, however, caught my ‘reflective’ attention.
I found the news item on increasing forest fires in European countries such as Spain and France among other countries not only disturbing but worthy of more world attention… .
Though blamed on climate change and rising temperatures (as seen in recent months and especially during this year’s summer in that continent), I just wondered how the fires could be stopped before getting ignited or on how AI & related technologies could be used for early fire warnings and on how the technologies could also automate fire fighting immediately the fires are suspected or noticed.

The fires, dubbed ‘wild’, destroy thousands of hectares of forests and biodiversity spaces and one wonders how long it later takes to have the forests and their natural biodiversity restored. When the fires ‘wildly’ hit, extra costs of people, and perhaps animals, evacuations have to be incurred.
In some places in the US, the ‘wild’ fires even lead to loss of people & animals life.

This particular news item made me reflect on many issues but most importantly on why our local radio & TV stations choose not to broadcast such relatively important news.
I realized that most of our mass media outlets tend to ignore international news most of the time.
.. The outlets tend to broadcast what they deem as very important such as when wars breakout or when earthquakes or related catastrophes hit nations.
My reflection was that broadcasting news items such as those of excessive heat waves, floods and forest fires would much highlight the threats that climate change poses not just in Kenya and Africa but also throughout the world. This would help in raising the environment and conservation agendas notches higher.

My reflections and views may matter little since the onus of selecting and editing news may entirely lie on the many news & feature editors working in the Media outlets in the country.