Breaking News – Developing
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James Joyner | Wednesday, July 25, 2007 |
Paul Farhi reflects on a growing trend in cable news in which anything and everything is hyped with a banner proclaiming instant freshness:
President Bush’s latest news conference? CNN labels it a “Developing Story.” A car bombing in Baghdad? The banner on MSNBC reads, “Breaking News.” A blown transformer in New York City? Fox News Channel is on it, with a graphic that announces, “Very Latest.”
Sometimes a story is a “News Alert.” Sometimes it’s a “Bulletin.” And sometimes the banner reads, “New Developments” (although if there are new developments in a “Developing Story,” shouldn’t it really say “Developing Developing Story”?).
It makes sense on a certain level, as it’s difficult to catch people’s attention in a world where everyone is flooded with information. Still, it’s annoying.
The folks at the television news networks are pikers, though, compared to their radio brethren. The DC area’s most popular station, WTOP, offers nothing but news, traffic, and weather. It’s fine for catching traffic reports (every ten minutes on the 8’s) but rather aggravating for an extended period. Stories that are hours old are still treated as breaking news and delivered with teasers. More than twenty minutes of that is mind numbing, especially once you’ve heard the punchline.
About the Author: James Joyner is the publisher of Outside the Beltway and the managing editor of the Atlantic Council. He's a former Army officer, Desert Storm vet, and college professor with a PhD in political science from The University of Alabama. He lives just outside the Beltway in Alexandria, Virginia with his wife and infant daughter.
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The local newscasts are the worst. Channel 5 in DC has every frickin' item as "Breaking News" including traffic jams on the beltway.
It all makes sense if you remember that despite the self-serving high-minded proclamations from the Fourth Estate about their key role protecting our rights it is all really about selling soap.
I remember when networks interrupted regular programming with flashing lights and serious music. Cable news started doing that too but too often.
I think an SSDD category should be employed
(Same Sh*t, Different Day)
I find myself falling into the cry wolf syndrome. Most of the time I hear “breaking news” or “news alert” I continue on as if they said nothing.
I no longer consider the TV to be a place to get news unless it's live feed video of the shuttle going up or coming down. All the rest is suspect at a minimum. Once, some 'casts were better than others, but they're all crap now...
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