Knowing only politics makes us ignorant.
My husband was the one who saw the news brief on his phone yesterday morning. He told me that a wildfire had destroyed the lodge at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon and that part of the park was closed.
Searching my phone and social media, I couldn’t find any news reports about the story. I watched the first half of the PBS Newshour last night, and it wasn’t reported during those thirty minutes either.
My sister-in-law said the same. She had to “Google it” after my husband texted her about the fire, as she didn’t see reports of it either.
The same goes for our son, who lives in Colorado. We informed him in the afternoon yesterday, and he hadn’t heard about the fire either.
What gives?!
This is an iconic National Park with one of its historic lodges now lost to wildfire. It should have been more widely reported.
If we are only aware of the political stories in our world, then we are ignorant souls. The news should include stories like the Grand Canyon Lodge burning at the North Rim more prevalently.
I mean, how many people have been there? Probably millions.
Surely, the devastating loss and park closure at the North Rim is worrisome. Part of our collective history is now gone. The effects of climate change continue to ravage our landscapes and change our way of life.
But it wasn’t reported widely or in any depth. You had to search for the story online.
I don’t understand this. But, then again, I don’t understand a lot of what is happening in our world today.
The lack of reporting on this environmental and cultural loss shows the extraordinary reporting on the politics of the day. It seems like it’s the only thing that is discussed.
We’ll probably only hear more about the fires in the Grand Canyon National Park AND the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park (now also closed due to wildfires) once they become politicized.
The parks belong to all of us, and information about them should be treated as such.
Before finishing this article today, I searched my social media feed, news feed, and online sources about the fires. Nothing showed organically on my social or news outlets on my phone.
When I entered the Grand Canyon fire as a search prompt, I got a list of articles, but the oldest was 2 days ago. Most reports were made within the last 24 hours.
When I asked my search engine why the media was not reporting on the Grand Canyon Fire, AI responded that it was — extensively! Really?! That is not what I am experiencing.
The supposed extensive reporting was cited to be from the BBC, CNN, Al Jazeera, and NBC News, where my husband happened to see it. Extensive? I think not. These are only four networks among many. I did see an AP article this morning and a New York Times article from yesterday.
My point is that news is not being covered like it used to be. Even a decade ago, when wildfires caused the closure of Estes Park in Colorado, it was reported so that people would be aware. It caused the cancellation of a trip out west for our family. We did not hear of it from the park, but rather from our national news. It seems this was not done with this fire.
I’m sure there will be lots of opinions tossed about on why this happened, why the fire was reported as contained, and then it wasn’t. But nature rules. And if we don’t do something soon, we won’t have any parks left to visit.
The other point I want to make is that we need to be cognisant of the news. Unfortunately, as the news outlets are part of the algorithm for social media, we are only fed what we visit. Make sure you have a variety of sources. I know that from now on, I will.
I’m sure I’m not the only one mourning the loss of the lodge at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. Even though I’ve only visited the South Rim, I know that the North Rim was a place of peace from the busy crowds found across the canyon. The lodge offered many their first glimpse of the canyon — an awe-inspiring sight — now altered forever.
Like many natural disasters, I hope we can recover from this tragedy. And the news outlets start to report more than just the political news of the day.
If you can help the National Park Service, please do. Buy a park pass, donate to a land conservancy like the one Yosemite National Park has, and support our firefighters and the communities they serve. Do something because the fight for our public lands will continue, and it seems we are not only battling ourselves but also Mother Nature.
The links above are for your convenience. I hope you take action. My suggestions are simple. Pay attention to more than one news outlet, perhaps one offering different views than the ones you are usually fed. And, if you can help those in need — those affected by these fires or the lands affected by natural disasters — please do so.
Thank you for reading!
The Apples in My Orchard 