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Here’s to 2026: Ten things the public expects from NMG’s journalism
Nation Media Group must deploy technology, including interactive tools, for digital storytelling instead of replicating the newspaper text.
What you need to know:
- News perishes fast, many times as fast as the bulletin ends, or the day ends, and readers wait for the next day’s newspaper.
- Give us some joy too. Media thrives on emotions and, unfortunately, negative emotions tend to excite people more.
Predictions for journalism this year are both optimistic and pessimistic—from the shrinking and death of newsrooms to the enduring force of journalism, and in between. For Nation Media Group journalism, the Public Editor proposes 10 things editors should do to provide consumers with content that can improve their lives, prepare them to tackle challenges and opportunities, and help them understand the world better, ultimately empowering them to make informed decisions about their lives.
Investigative journalism: The NMG platforms closed 2025 with a series of special reports, many of them well-sourced investigative pieces. The power of investigative reporting is that it often serves the media’s key functions of informing and educating consumers. And, as the special reports aired and published at the end of last year showed, investigative journalism is not only about scandals, theft and corruption, it can be about routine social issues where important information is uncovered.
Accountability journalism: As Kenya prepares for next year’s General Election, 2026 will be the perfect time to hold leaders accountable for the promises they made to the electorate and their performance in office. However, accountability journalism must go beyond political leadership to cover all levels in society, including the corporate sector, the village leaders and professionals. In bringing those responsible to account, NMG will be contributing to the just society we all aspire to.
Follow-up stories: News perishes fast, many times as fast as the bulletin ends, or the day ends, and readers wait for the next day’s newspaper. Even on the website, a story disappears from open view once it is relegated from the homepage. Unfortunately, this means readers don’t get to know how the story ended. Take the sad cases of the patients who could not access treatment through the Social Health Authority. Were their issues ever resolved? How about the public offices that were reported to be dysfunctional? Follow-ups are important for the public’s social knowledge, but also for accountability and justice. Court reporters must follow stories through from the time an individual is charged to when the judgment is read or the matter dropped. It is the only way to ensure justice for both parties.
More than tears, lamentation, and doom: Give us some joy too. Media thrives on emotions and, unfortunately, negative emotions tend to excite people more. However, research shows that news avoidance is real and that those who avoid news cite the everyday negativity on media platforms. Many good things are happening that should find not just space, but also prominence on the NMG platforms regularly. Reporting that brings joy confers agency on people and shows that, despite the failures of the government and institutions that are often highlighted, individuals are providing solutions that are powering communities and the nation. When ordinary people, doing extra-ordinary things, see themselves in the media every day, they feel valued and begin associating with the media platform.
Value for time and money: Quality journalism matters. When media platforms fail to invest in or to enforce quality journalism, they feed the public stale, unpalatable content. The public wants information that enriches and enhances experience, feeds curiosity and aspirations, and is presented in a clear and concise language. Poorly structured, written, or voiced stories have no place in today’s journalism. Grammatical errors, including typos, put off consumers. Readers, listeners and viewers are fickle customers for whom loyalty is not engendered forever. They vote with their eyes and wallets.
More thematic reporting: People interested in business want to understand how the government works and the key decisions it makes. Niche publications like the Business Daily must invest in thematic reporting, especially focusing on the political economy.
More collaboration between platforms: The most powerful and brilliantly executed stories in 2025 involved close collaboration between television, the newspaper and the digital platforms. These stories served the audience of the various platforms equally. Sadly, such collaboration has tended to apply to only special projects, making it an exception rather than the norm. Closer collaboration between the Business Daily and NTV, for example, would give TV audiences better quality business news.
Real digital stories: Successful content creators on social media keep people glued to their phones because they have mastered the art of digital storytelling. NMG must deploy technology, including interactive tools, for digital storytelling instead of replicating the newspaper text.
Revitalise podcasting: NMG started podcasts with some powerful stories and promised listeners more. It is hoped that 2026 will be the year to move beyond ideas to action.
Media for Kenya, East Africa and Africa: One of the ironies of our time is that, the more governments have become nationalistic, focusing on their countries’ priorities and going against the spirit of the East African Community, the more NMG’s coverage has retreated. Yet, there can never be a better opportunity for regional news than today, when more people, institutions and businesses are working across the region. The impending Uganda elections will be the next big test of NMG’s regional muscle.
Contact the Public Editor to raise ethical concerns or request a review of published material. Reach out: Email: [email protected]. Mobile Number: 0741978786
